IN BRIEF : Boisterous Calgary Celebrates Cup

A seven-block area of downtown Calgary turned into a milling, cheering, hollering, drinking celebration as a crowd estimated at 20,000 toasted the Flames’ Stanley Cup triumph and the Alberta city’s first major championship since 1971.

“This is the Olympics, Christmas and the Stampede wrapped into one,” Jerry Christensen said Thursday night.

Their faces painted with flaming-red Cs, the crowds flowed out of bars as the final seconds ticked away in the Flames’ 4-2 victory over the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum. (Story, Part III, Page 1.)

More than 100 police officers, most on foot, others on motorcycles and horses, stood watch over the noisy, sometimes obnoxious but generally well-behaved crowd. Inspector Jim Berger said that seven arrests were made and that some scuffles broke out. One man was taken away in an ambulance after his arm was badly cut in a fight. But many of the revelers chatted with the officers and shook their hands.