Stanley Cup Final riots in Vancouver

As a Vancouverite, I am thoroughly disgusted by this.

Anyone else watching this embarrassment to Vancouver's good name unfold?

The Other Wiki has a page on it (look up Stanley Cup 2011 riots) for more info. But basically, people are lighting fires and brutally attacking each other in the streets of Downtown Vancouver. For a normally peaceful place, this is pretty bad.

It will be just as bad in Boston, but with words instead of actions.

But then again, one would get frustrated too when your country hasn't won a Stanley Cup in almost twenty years (since Bettman loves Americans so much). Face it, Canadian hockey teams are cursed and the cursed won't be lifted until Bettman resigns. The fact that he's still there is astonishing (he's caused two strikes, moved teams out of Canada for his Southern U.S. experiment, won't give up on said experiment despite it failing, constantly tries to thwart moves to Canada and made incredibly bad television deals).

edited 15th Jun '11 11:24:40 PM by Buscemi

Hmm, oddly, I found a mention of a 1994 riot too.

I don't doubt it. But the problem here is that there are uncontrolled fires near historic buildings and the police seem to more or less be standing back and watching people beat each other into unconsciousness, while others break open storefronts and steal from London Drugs stores.

Blueharp, yes, this happened in '94. We lost in game 7 to the New York Rangers, I think it was. That was before I was born though. This could get worse.

edited 15th Jun '11 11:25:11 PM by TroyMartin

There are times a riot makes sense. Protesting an injustice, for example. After a sports game? In your own town? Not so much. I can understand a little rowdiness, maybe an effigy burning, but this seems a bit much. Was there even a disputed call in the game?

They blew a 2-0 series lead (and later a 3-2 series lead) and Boston finally defeated their home-ice advantage (before Game 7, every game had been won at home with Boston shut out in two of the games in Vancouver).

As I said, Gary Bettman's hatred of Canadian teams and the curse of Canadian teams only adds fuel to the fire.

Also, Boston's win turns this from one of the great Stanley Cup finals into another predictable final where a big American market won (the games that Boston won were boring routs that excited only Boston sports fans).

edited 15th Jun '11 11:51:08 PM by Buscemi

Yeah, that will show you bruins, by burning and wrecking stuff in our own town and making us all look like stupid punks!

Because sports are serious business.

In this case, Vancouver fans did it by destroying things. Boston fans just trash talk everyone.

Well, there was also that one time a girl got killed by a rubber bullet after the Red Sox won the World Series.

edited 16th Jun '11 8:13:32 AM by Buscemi

Wasn't she killed before that (after the Red Sox beat the Yankees in the ALCS)? Or am I thinking of someone else?

It was one of the two. But I'm sure it was after the World Series.

Aren't rubber bullets nonlethal?

There is no non-lethal gun. Rubber Bullets are less lethal, but getting hit in the wrong spot can still do enough kinetic force to break something fatal.

Huh. Okay.

Anyways, to get back on topic, why are sports a big enough deal to riot over?

I'm guessing 100,000+ people and alcohol could only end in a riot.

The girl in question died because she was hit in the eye from a rubber bullet, and it was after the Sox-Yankees series. I remember one of the local newspapers got into some hot water for displaying some somewhat graphic images of the incident at the time.

I've lived in Boston all my life, but I really don't care all that much about the Bruins or hockey. I will never, ever, ever, ever understand the level fo obsession that would drive people to riot in the streets to that extent.

I dont think its different from any sport.

Especially when booze is involved.

This reminds me of a slightly off-colour joke I once heard a stand-up comedian (might have been Dara O'Briain). Roughly paraphrased, it goes something like: "I never understood the whole idea behind beating your wife. I mean, it's your wife! If you didn't like her before, are you going to like her any better when she's bruised and grumpy?"

I mean, why trash your own town? Then again, it's not like this only happens in Vancouver. Riots can be very silly things.

Guys, hold off with the logic, next thing you know you'll be saying they should ban alchohol from sports events.

People would do what they do here: booze then the match, or the match then booze. Or booze while watching the match in the pub. Or whatever the Canadian equivelent of that is.

Ooh, a better idea: Free downers during the game.

Irish "solution" for the Aviva Stadium (formerly the famous Lansdowne Road) is to allow people to buy drinks at the bars in the stadium at half time, but not to allow it to be brought into the seating area.

Theoretically, because of the queues, most people would only be able to get a maximum of one or two drinks in before having to head back in for the second half. In practise of course, if people want to get bladdered they'll just do so beforehand.

Some leagues have banned promotions involving alcohol, or any object that could disrupt a game.

I grew up in Vancouver (well, actually Burnaby, but still.) From what I've been hearing, there were a number of people there who were going to riot no matter what. It's also embarrassing when you think about it, the other Canadian teams that recently lost in the Cup finals didn't have anything remotely this bad happen. I'm embarrassed it was us that did this. :(

@riots

Ah... sports fans. Always good for a laugh.