A resolution congratulating the Chicago Blackhawks on winning the 2010 Stanley Cup.

Last night, and well into this morning, the sounds of celebration rang through the streets of Chicago.

Throughout the city, a proud anthem was sung, an anthem which begins:

Here come the Hawks--the mighty Blackhawks.

Many consider the Stanley Cup to be the most difficult trophy to win in all of professional sports.

But last night, thanks to an extraordinary Blackhawks team, the historic Stanley Cup has returned to Chicago for the first time in nearly half a century.

This incredible season caps an impressive renaissance for one of the National Hockey League's oldest and most storied franchises.

When Rocky Wirtz took the helm of this organization following the loss of his father, longtime Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz, he moved aggressively to restore his team to excellence.

He reached out to the Chicago community, which comprises some of the greatest sports fans in the world.

He brought fresh talent to the team's roster and coaching staff, and partnered with Chicago institutions like WGN-TV to bring hockey to a wider audience.

As a result, he was able to catch lightning in a bottle, and set his team on the path to a truly historic season.

From the very beginning of this year, every Hawks fan could tell that this team showed some real promise.

Time and again, they battled adversity and overcame it.

Time and again they were tested, but in each successive game, they laced up their skates and took to the ice with growing confidence and a fiery will to win.

Finally, after a dominant regular season and an outstanding showing against playoff opponents, only the Philadelphia Flyers stood between them and their first national title in 49 years.

There is no question that both of these teams deserved to be in contention for the Stanley Cup.

There is little doubt that these fine athletes, from Philadelphia and Chicago, are among the very best in the sport of hockey.

So it was no surprise that this year's Stanley Cup Finals proved to be an exciting and hard-fought series of games.

I congratulate the Flyers and their fans on an outstanding season, and I applaud their sportsmanship throughout the year. They played with grit and determination, right up to the very last moment.

But in the end, there can be only one champion.

And last night, in a thrilling overtime performance that brought the city of Philadelphia to a standstill and the City of Chicago to its feet, the

Blackhawks indisputably won the Stanley Cup.

That is why I am proud to join my good friend Senator Durbin to introduce a Senate Resolution in honor of this team.

And I ask my colleagues to join with us in celebrating this remarkable achievement.

I congratulate the owners, the entire coaching staff, and every member of the Blackhawks organization.

And I applaud each and every athlete who took part in this incredible victory.

Their names are etched forever into Chicago sports history, just as they will soon be etched into the Stanley Cup Trophy itself.

Finally, I would like to congratulate the people of Chicago, and Blackhawks fans all over the country, who have kept the faith for 49 years, never doubting that greatness would one day return to their hockey team.

I got married in 1961. That is the last time they won the Stanley cup.

Their day has finally come, and this championship belongs to them.

I am proud to join them in celebration, and I am eager to see the Stanley Cup on display back home in Chicago, right where it belongs.

Mr. President, Chicago has its cold days, and icy sidewalks in the winter. But this year's winter proved to be the right opportunity for the perfect conditions for Illinois' most recently acclaimed sons and daughters, the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team, which won the Stanley Cup last night in Philadelphia.

The city of Chicago and State of Illinois have some of the best sports fans in America, particularly when it comes to hockey. Last night the fans received their reward as they watched Towes, the youngest captain in the National Hockey League at age 22, hoist the Stanley Cup over his head as the team ended a 49-year drought and again became the National Hockey League champions; 49 years, and now champions again.

It gives us Cubs fans hope. The fight song of the team begins, ``Here come the hawks, the mighty Blackhawks.'' The team lived up to that song last night as they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers and in a hard- fought game in overtime in the sixth game of the series. An amazing end to a great season. Just over 4 minutes and 6 seconds into the overtime, 2010 Olympian Patrick Kane scored with an amazing shot you have to see to believe. His efforts were matched by goals from teammates Dustin Byfuglien, Patrick Sharp, Andrew Ladd, and 21 saves by the fabulous goal tender Antti Niemi.

The last time the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup was 1961. John Kennedy was President. They also won that cup in six games with the assistance of hockey legends Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Murray Balfour. Who can forget those legendary players?

This is the fourth Stanley Cup win for a team with a rich hockey history that began in 1926. Today we celebrate the players who will be tomorrow's legends. This achievement was not achieved without the hard work and determination on the part of the team, the front office, and those incredible players.

I congratulate their coach, Joel Quenneville, on his unbelievable 2- year run in leading the team to victory; also to team president John McDonough who brought new life to the Chicago Blackhawks, and the city of Chicago, and owner Rocky Wirtz, maybe the only major sports owner in America who is cheered wildly whenever his name is mentioned at a game. He assembled a strong office team that developed the Blackhawks into champions. This victory was the result of the exceptional gamesmanship of all of the players and all of the work from the staff and the assistance and encouragement from owners and fans.

I congratulate all of them for this remarkable achievement. I am proud to have the Blackhawks in my State of Illinois. Illinois sports fans have developed patience when it comes to their teams, and truly great things can come to those who wait.

With two Illinois teams earning national championships in 5 years-- that is the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Blackhawks--our fans can celebrate the recent triumphs and hope for many years to come.

Now I have a resolution that I have sent to the desk. It is working its way through the Senate, and we are hopeful that before the end of this session, with the bipartisan cooperation of cheering for these new Stanley Cup champions, we will be able to enact this resolution and send it off so tomorrow's victory parade and rally will be complete. I know they are waiting anxiously for the receipt of the Senate resolution. So I hope we can get this done this evening.

Madam President, I wish to thank my colleagues from the bottom of my heart for this vote. This was, in many ways, a turning point for the Senate, because what was before us was unprecedented, the first time we had ever been asked to repeal a health finding, a scientific finding, a finding that was made by scientists and health officials in the Bush administration and the Obama administration.

That finding, as we know, is the predicate, is the basis for curbing pollution, carbon pollution, that we know is harmful to our families. We see what carbon pollution is doing in the gulf, to the wildlife. We know what it is doing to an entire way of life. We know what it is doing to the fishermen, to the people who rely on recreation for jobs, to the people who rely on tourism.

Tonight we had a choice. We could have decided to stand with the polluters, big oil mostly, who were behind the Murkowski resolution, or we could have decided, which we did, to stand with those who are looking out for our kids, the doctors, the physicians who treat them, the pediatricians, the Lung Association, the public health agencies in all of our States.

We did the right thing, and this was important. It also means we are going to move to alternative energy. We are going to move to the millions of jobs that will come about when we have technologies made in America for America. I want to see the words ``Made in America'' again. So we are on that path right now.

I want to thank the extraordinary leadership of our leaders, Senators Reid and Durbin. They went that extra mile. I want to thank the staff of the Environment and Public Works Committee, headed by Bettina Poirier, extraordinary staff. I want to thank the cloakroom here and all the people here who helped us make sure that every Senator was able to be heard.

Senator Murkowski and I worked very well together debating this in a civil manner. I want to say, as I note Senator Lautenberg standing here, I felt the moment this debate came together was when he came to the floor to make a statement, brief though it was. He talked to us not from his notes but from his heart, about what it means to him as a grandparent to watch a grandchild suffer and struggle through asthma, and as he has noted on this floor on more than one occasion, his family making sure that when this child plays in an athletic tournament or goes somewhere, how close is the emergency room.

This is what we are dealing with today, pollution. And today we said: We stand with the physicians, we stand with the scientists, and we are going to move forward toward a clean energy economy and all of the jobs that will come with it, and all of the technologies that will make America a leader in the world.

At this time I yield the floor to my friend Senator Durbin.

I certainly want to offer my congratulations to the city of Chicago. Being from Massachusetts, having the World Champion Red Sox, Celtics, New England Patriots, Bruins, New England Revolution, I can certainly appreciate the victory that was brought to the city of Chicago. Certainly when the President has them to the White House, I am hoping he will offer the same courtesy to the NCAA Champion Boston College mens' hockey team as well.

I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.