In case you missed it, the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup. They deserved it. Just like their goalie, Tim Thomas, deserved the Conn Smythe award for MVP and will likely win the Vezina Trophy next week for being voted the league's best goaltender. As much as I want to be saying that the Canucks won, they didn't, and the better team won the series. It doesn't even pain me to say that. The Bruins earned the right to lift the cup.
In true Vancouver fashion (Google 1994 Canucks riots), "fans" decided to stick around after the Canucks loss and "celebrate." I use quotes because there is no way that the people who destroyed downtown were representative of either of those things. A true fan doesn't get into fist fights, over-turn and torch cars, throw barricades at police, break windows or loot stores. Not only did a minority of people ruin it for the rest of us they also embarrassed us on a world stage. We should have been commending our team on an incredible season and an exciting playoff run and wishing them better luck next year. Instead we were glued to our TVs and social media wondering what in the world these people were thinking.
There is NO EXCUSE for their behaviour. I don't care if you were upset. I don't care if you were drunk. I don't care if your friends were doing it too. You put people at risk. You gave a black eye to "your team" and your city. If you think that your friend wasn't taking pictures and posting them online, think again. If you were dancing around the TV cameras goofing off thinking it was funny, it wasn't. If you were staying downtown to "see what was going to happen," you are a moron and you were only providing an audience for those who were BREAKING THE LAW! When the police tell you to go home, they mean it. I wouldn't be surprised that if your own mother saw you on TV she would turn you in.
There is no reason that a city should look like this over a sporting event. There are far more important reasons to riot and people in Vancouver don't have the right to think that this was one of them.
If you are ever planning to visit Vancouver please don't let this change your mind. This is not what the city is like. I have no doubt that this may have still happened even if our team had won. Unfortunately we have a well documented history of "Anarchists" who come out to all the big events solely to cause damage. Almost immediately after this broke on TV there were Facebook groups created to return downtown in the morning to help clean up. Others were created so that people could upload their photos so police can identify those involved.
If you think that I still sound upset it's because I am. Vancouver isn't this kind of city. It hasn't been for many years. Yet now, because of some useless idiots, we're back to being known as a city with fans that can't handle themselves. Gone are the days of the Olympics when everyone had a great time celebrating (and that was only a year ago!). I'm sure everyone here would like to "thank" those who have most likely turned Vancouver back to No-Fun City.
I completely agree with you. I don't understand why people wreck havoc on cities over a sporting event. At the end of the day...it's JUST a game. Sheesh!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, the main people who started the riot were not fans. They just wanted an excuse to cause violence. People had flocked downtown with backpacks full of rocks and bandanas for their face. They went downtown with full intent and I also think it still could have happened if we won (it just may have been later and not so extreme). Disrespectful, disgraceful, arrogent idiots.
ReplyDeleteI am also so angry with those people who are blaming "hockey" or the "Canucks" and saying we don't deserve a team. We are not the only city to riot after a sporting event or any big event for that matter. Heck, Vancouver rioted (to a much smaller digree) after cancelled concerts. It's drunken dumbasses. Again, it was just an excuse for people who weren't even true fans to riot.
You said it for me, Hon - word for word. Thanx!
ReplyDeleteMum (said with tears in her eyes; this is MY city, too!)
I was close to tears watching the news last night after the game. Now there are rumours circulating that the first car that was flipped and burned was parked there for that purpose in order to start something. I don't think this can all be blamed on drunkeness, though there were a lot of drunk people in the crowd contributing, there is calculatiion and forethought in putting a bandana over your face. Why can't we get that much energy going towards more (non-violent) protests for things that matter?
ReplyDeleteThat is so disturbing, why do people use something like that as an excuse to be stupid. Useless and wasteful, their moms would be so proud.
ReplyDeleteTragic was a good word that I heard to describe what happened last night....otherwise it left me speechless. Walking downtown on my lunch break today, I teared up seeing people cleaning up the messes, trying to erase the tarnish on our wonderful city, and the people writing messages on the boarded up windows showed who the real residents of Vancouver are.
ReplyDeleteIt's terrible that something fun can turn out like this, because of a few hooligans.
ReplyDelete