"Soon after the Vancouver Canucks lost game seven of the Stanley Cup hockey series to the Boston Bruins, rioting broke out. As the violence became more intense, we found numerous pictures on photo-sharing sites such as Twitpic and yfrog.
As you can see in the picture above and in the gallery below, a car was set on fire, a truck was flipped over, and when police entered the area of downtown Vancouver with full riot gear, crazed fans were throwing beer bottles and shoes at their plastic shields, according to CTV News."
The above quote from Canadian TV is but a terse description of some really base and repugnant behaviour. The Canucks lost in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals...(much to the delight of Yankee-Whiskey-Pappa of Boxing the Compass blog) and much to the consternation of the Vancouver fans. As evidenced by the picture, the fans consternation was mixed with beer and the final recipe was street riots,looting,burned and toppled cars...all the destructive antics Detroit fans perfected many years ago. This is really bad sportsmanship on a community wide scale and really childish.
Fans here in my beloved Quaker City take a lot of heat and crtiticism in the National Sports Press as boorish thugs who puke on kids and pelt Santa with snow-balls.(Indeed I did a post on this theme several months ago) Hey, we did not riot when the Eagles choked in the Super Bowl or even last year when a miraculous seeing-eye puck snuck behind Michael Leighton in Overtime to lose the Cup for the Flyers. We are riding high with the Phil's and all...but even they choked last year against the Giants...did Philly faithful turn over cars and loot stores and pelt cops with beer...nope. So, at least for now, the fans up in Vancouver are the target of media invective and commentary about bad fans....at least until Eagle's Season...if there is one...
What is a "Canuck" anyway?
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrifying sight. That kind of "mob mentality" can only end badly. xoxo
ReplyDeleteAs a lifelong resident of Vancouver I can say that most everyone here is saddened, horrified and ashamed of the mob violence. Thousands of volunteers turned out this morning to clean up the downtown area. Most of the thugs came specifically to start trouble, many from outside Vancouver. They aren't real fans - those stayed in the arena to cheer for the Bruins to receive the cup even though we were disappointed that the home team lost.
ReplyDeleteI was with our local masses when the Phillies won the World series. I marched up Broad street and watched trees ripped from planters, fireworks bounce off high rises... but mostly I saw old ladies and young thugs hugging and kissing cops.
ReplyDeleteMan I wanna do that again.
I was in Kenmore Square here in Boston when the Sox lost the pennant years ago... the ensuing riots were largely students, and one unfortunate gal died from a shot to the eye with a rubber bullet. I stood inside the entry way to my favorite English Pub with a long segment of pipe along with the Pub's owner as we repelled the throngs of violent students throwing gallons of paint, newspaper boxes, and bricks by the thousand. When the riot squad arrived to provide reinforcement, we retreated inside and sat in a booth and drank several pints while exhaling. The pub owner said that he put the blame squarely on the admissions department at each college.
ReplyDeleteWe were just discussing this today...seriously, I will never understanding looting your own city. Geez, travel to Boston and loot there! Seriously, though, this is such sad comment on sporting events. But, mix too much alcohol and a lot of stupidity and that seems to be what you get. It's good to hear from IdleHistorian that so many volunteers turned out to clean up the city.
ReplyDeleteOne reason I abhor and avoid the corporatised consumer sports industry.
ReplyDeleteWow..that is crazy!
ReplyDeleteKinda like the 1969 Woodstock versus the 25 year anniversary one. 1969...a zillion kids did some mushrooms and wallowed in the mud amidst great music. But they burned, stole, cut,shot, smashed nothing. They might have pushed a flimsy temporary fence or two out of the way via sheer raw numbers of hippie humanity trying to congregate.
ReplyDeleteFast forward 25 years. Burned cars, smashed personal property, fistfights etc.
Mr. MLS, have you by chance heard of this jazz trio that is based in Philadelphia? I'd like to learn more about Mr. Weldon as he plays the vibraphone. Just curious. Thanks.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/people/George-Weldon-Jazz-Trio/100001660452665
I think as a Philly native, I'm always secretly a little bit relieved that it's not us...
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