Once again, the downtown core of Vancouver is awash in stupidity as young and drunk idiots using the devastating 4-0 game seven loss between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins as a reason to cause mayhem.
While I was downtown at Canada Place watching the game, I made a mental note to leave the area before the game ended in the event that things turned sour. With five minutes left in the game, I was boarding a train at Waterfront trying to head east and out of the core. I was oblivious to the jackassery until my phone started going crazy with text messages from friends asking if I was OK and made it out of the downtown core safely. However, I’m happy that the people who gathered at Canada Place left in peace and did not try to riot.
In watching CTV‘s live feed of the senseless destruction, I feel angry that hooligans would use a family-friendly hockey event to commit such stupidity. People jumping over burning cars, smashing windows and fighting others is just unbelievable. Even worse is seeing the images of people in Canucks jerseys running rampant — not all Canucks fans riot after a loss. Granted, I am frustrated with the team’s performance in the Stanley Cup final, but it is no excuse to be stupid.
As the world wakes up, they are going to see a very different Vancouver. Last year, during the 2010 Winter Olympics, there were limited disturbances and they were quickly quelled. One year later, we seemed to forget. This is going to paint a very bad picture for this city. We are better than this and we need to remind ourselves that we should not tolerate such disrespect to our fellow citizens. So many people stood by and watched, photographed, recorded the looting and the torching of vehicles and other personal property.
I’m embarrassed. I’ve always been proud of our city and have always openly welcomed others to see what I call home. It’s a shame that we cannot hold in our emotions after a hockey game. It’s truly a shame. I went home to move on. Why can’t everyone else?
Boston, you proved to be a fierce foe in the final — congratulations on your win. You deserved it so much more.
