Riot in Vancouver – It isn’t a Hockey Story

~ Amusives

185-hockey-playerThere was rioting in the streets of Vancouver last night after the Vancouver Canucks were defeated by the Boston Bruins in the final Hockey game of the Season. Here are a few of the headlines this morning:

CTV, Canada – ‘Hooligans’ give Vancouver black eye with post-Cup riots

The Toronto Star, Canada – ‘Small group of troublemakers’ embarrass Vancouver

The Globe and Mail – Embarrassment, shame in aftermath of Vancouver riot

USA TODAY – Vancouver hockey riots highlight need for traveler awareness

The Telegraph (UK) – Vancouver Canucks fans riot after team’s surprise loss to Boston Bruins –
Tens of thousands of angry ice hockey fans in Vancouver rioted yesterday after their team’s surprise loss to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals series.

Now, I don’t want to downplay how terrible this riot was, but I do want to put a few things into perspective:

– The scale of the incident increases in direct proportion to the distance the reporter lives from Vancouver. In Canada a ‘smaller group of troublemakers and Hooligans’ are being blamed. By the time the story gets south of Canada’s border, USA TODAY thinks travelers should now be on the alert because of  – I’m not sure if they should be wary of going to Vancouver, or wary of going to places where hockey is played. In the UK, angry ‘Vancouver Canuck fans in the tens of thousands’ tore Vancouver apart.

– Shame and embarrassment  – the closer the reporter lives to Vancouver, the more the city and its residents must be feeling shame and embarrassment. I don’t agree with this assessment. The only people who should be ashamed of themselves are the ones that initiated the riots and took part in them and I doubt people who do that are ever ashamed of their actions.

Vancouver, and the rest of Canada for that matter, have no reason to feel ashamed of what happened. Nor should there be any “Black Eye” put on Vancouver. Every city in the world has an element in society that is capable of doing this, and no city ever really knows what alignment of circumstances will set this element into action. Sports and alcohol sometimes provide the venue, and will sometimes supply the spark. This was what happened in Vancouver, but the riot itself wasn’t about hockey.

Personally, what I think Vancouver residents should feel is a bit angry. Not the kind of anger that tears people apart or causes them to hurt other people, but the kind of anger that makes people want to report the offenders to the police. We live in a little big world, people, so if you see someone on YouTube, or on Facebook who is bragging about the damage they did in the riot in Vancouver, report them…

15 thoughts on “Riot in Vancouver – It isn’t a Hockey Story”

    1. Hi Jennifer – I hope they catch every one of the thugs who did the damage and the spectators who stood around cheering them on and taking pictures. The whole lot of them should be rounded up and transported to a heavily forested area of BC and … well, never mind what should happen to them.

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  2. Ah, but Margie, you are forgetting that newspapers are in business to sell newspapers, not to report accurately or give balance…..

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  3. Hi Margie,
    Unfortunately this type of thing happens at a lot of sport events no matter where in the world they are held. We have also experience idiots here in OZ that just can’t go and watch a game, they have to have a riot for some unknown reason.
    You are right about the newspapers, I notice it more and more of late, also the journalists don’t seem to follow through on some story’s like they used to.

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    1. Hi Magsx2 – I agree that sporting events bring these people out of their lairs. I don’t think it is because they are fans. I think they know these are gathering spots of other miscreants like themselves. It just takes a few of them to light the fire, and the rest will follow in an alcohol or drug induced haze.
      The media – well, I miss the days when the story cycle was much slower. There was a time when a story could be researched and validated before it hit the newswires.

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  4. Must tell you that we thought Boston player was unnecessarily brutal in a play which would accomplish nothing.

    Honestly, I think women should be umpires/referees in all male-dominated sports and make them more skill than unnecessary roughness.

    I think the crazies are everywhere. When I read the comments on websites and YouTubes sometimes, I am horrified at the anger, filth, and bat-shit craziness out there. I guess they watch hockey, too, huh?

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    1. I used to like watching hockey, but I don’t find it as interesting any more because there is more hitting and less finesse. I love Olympic hockey though – it is still a game of skill.

      You are right about the crazies, though I don’t know if there are more of them, or we are just more aware of them because there is a way for their anger and violence to be recorded and distributed!

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  5. Now as the day after nears the end, the news reports have turned to the clean up effort and making sure every single person responsible is made to account. Evidently there was transit passengers who heard people talking about participating in a riot before the game even started.
    -CW, (near Vancouver)

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    1. I believe there is enough evidence already to show that this riot was going to happen regardless of the outcome of the game. I don’t know what motivates people to initiate this kind of destruction, but they have a very clear understanding of how to light the spark, and they know that there will be any number of fools that will follow their example.

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    1. Thanks Renee! I’ve been to your site and replied to your post – have a great trip to British Columbia!

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    1. Hi Westwood – You are right. Almost immediately the offenders were being reported. Unfortunately at least one of the families of one of the rioters has been targeted with death threats.

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