NHL Playoffs

[Asher]

Bed now, but this video made my day.

Rioter gets concussion grenade to the crotch.



And this genius ran on a burning car...and fell inside.

[MOBIUS]

What a bunch of losers!

[rah]

WHO THE **** LOOTS LOUIS VUITTON????

[joncha]

They sure showed Boston who has the better team.

[Arrian]

That was fun. Good job by the Bruins, another poor showing by Luongo (1st goal was not his fault, 2nd was maybe somewhat, 3rd was totally on him. What's he doing just sitting there? Get in the ****ing way of the puck! Take the hit, stop the goal!). The Canucks put a lot of pressure on but couldn't find the net. Thomas being the biggest reason why, though there was also a clear open net miss that he couldn't have saved. Fun game to watch for me, casually rooting for Boston.

The rioting: W.T.F. Woah.

-Arrian

[Asher]

Morning update:

140 people are being treated in hospitals for injuries from the rioting. One is still in critical condition.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/rioting-overshadows-hockey-as-vancouver-reels-after-game-7-loss/article2062706/

Rioting overshadows hockey as Vancouver reels after Game 7 loss

Mob rule took over the downtown streets of Vancouver Wednesday night, shortly after the hometown Canucks were crushed 4-0 in the deciding game of the Stanley Cup finals.

There were stabbings, numerous cars set on fire, and marquee stores looted throughout the downtown area, as police used tear gas and pepper spray to try – mostly unsuccessfully – to quell the ugly outbreak of violence.

At least one person is listed in critical condition.

It was the first unleashing of tear gas in the city since the infamous Stanley Cup riots that erupted in 1994, when the Canucks also lost the seventh game of the Cup final.

This rioting was worse. It began immediately after the final whistle. Individuals among the 100,000 or so watching the game downtown started fighting, overturning port-a-potties and torching nearby vehicles. Hundreds then gravitated to other downtown areas to create havoc.

It was an outbreak few expected. Police had emphasized repeatedly in the days leading up to Wednesday night’s hockey showdown that they had learned from 1994 and knew how to contain crowds.

At St. Paul’s Hospital, more than 100 people were treated, most for tear gas exposure, while a steady stream of ambulances poured into the hospital’s emergency bay.

Spokesman Justin Karasick said the hospital had tended to four stabbings, eight head wounds, and four or five lacerations by late evening.

As well, another 30 to 40 people were treated at Vancouver General Hospital. Three were admitted and one is in critical condition, spokeswoman Alyssa Polinsky said early Thursday morning.

The rampaging violence has given a terrible black eye to the reputation of Vancouver, which only days before had been celebrating its success in attracting unprecedented numbers downtown – with few incidents – to watch the Canucks on live screens.

Horrific scenes of flames rising and smashed windows, while crowds ransacked large downtown stores such as London Drugs, Sears and The Bay were also a stark contrast to the joyful street celebrations that captivated the world during the Winter Olympics a mere 15 months ago.

Outside the Vancouver Art Gallery at Georgia and Hornby, two men lay on the sidewalk with what appeared to be stab wounds. Another two men were in handcuffs, lying on their stomachs. One had blood glistening on his back.

Seconds earlier, police had their guns out, pointing at these two men, ordering them to raise their arms and kneel down. Witnesses said one of the men on the ground had a knife and stabbed the other two men.

Fistfights were everywhere, often between combatants wearing jerseys of the Vancouver Canucks.

Thick plumes of smoke from numerous fires rose over the downtown area, as darkness closed in, which seemed to embolden the rioters.

Rioters surrounded burning cars, whooping with delight as flames rose in the air.

Dozens of videos of the chaos have been posted to YouTube.

At one point, police were using flash-bangs — grenades that are designed to distract and disorient, rather than injure — to try to break up the mob.

It was close to midnight before Vancouver riot police appeared to bring the rampaging chaos in the streets under some form of control, helped by reinforcements rushed in from suburban police forces.

They used horses, dogs, riot shields, batons and pepper spray to slowly disperse the crowds and move them away from riot hotspots.

Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Jana McGuiness told a late-night press conference that the situation was now under control.

She released no arrest numbers. She added there were reports of four stabbings during the night.

Const. McGuiness defended police “meet and greet” tactics to handle large crowds, despite what happened. “You don’t want to punish the whole group for the actions of a few that really spoil the situation.”

Police are asking anyone with video evidence, photographs, or witness accounts to contact them.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who had earlier hailed the city’s Stanley Cup crowd experience as unprecedented in North America, decried the rioting that took over downtown streets.

“Vancouver is a world class city, and it is embarrassing and shameful to see the type of violence and disorder we’ve seen tonight,” he said in a hastily-issued statement.

Later, he told reporters that the hooliganism was caused by “a small group of troublemakers who have really trashed our party. ... This is just an ugly incident that’s taken place, people with clear intentions to spoil the party.”

As trouble mounted, TransLink pulled all its buses out of the downtown area, and cancelled SeaBus service to the North Shore.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people attending a performance of Wicked at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in the heart of the riot zone were kept inside for 30 minutes after the musical ended, for fears of running into trouble on their way out. They eventually left, when the streets had quieted down.

“We’re stuck in here,” said Vancouver resident Charles Dobbs, before he and the others were allowed to leave. Mr. Dobbs said he learned of the rioting outside during intermission. “I was going to get some fresh air, but they wouldn’t let us out. All the doors were locked.”

Then he and the others noticed what was going on outside. “You’ve never seen so many people texting. Everybody’s got their bloody cellphone out.”

In some locations, people appalled by the violence tried to talk sense to the rioters, with only marginal success.

Police and bystanders were pelted with bottles, stones, projectiles and firecrackers at times.

Firefighters were loathe to respond to the numerous calls of fires, out of concern for their own safety, with police busy trying to quell crowds elsewhere. Cars were left to burn on their own.

“It’s so sad to see this happen again. This is not Vancouver,” said Larissa VanDam, standing with her family on the corner of Georgia and Hamilton. “This is a real black eye on our city. We saw this happen in 1994 and I was so, so hoping it wouldn’t happen again.”

In the emptied atrium of Vancouver’s main library, Myles Baerg sat with his head bandaged. The 17-year-old from Chilliwack said he was hit in the head with a rock thrown by a bystander after it bounced off a window at the library.

“It seemed calm. A couple of fireworks went off. I heard a crack above me. I looked up and saw a rock and it hit me,” he said.

“It’s just hockey fans. I figured something like this would happen if we won or lost,” said Mr. Baerg, sporting a No. 33 Canucks jersey.

“It's terrible,” Canucks captain Henrik Sedin said, shaking his head. “This city and province has a lot to be proud of, the team we have and the guys we have in here. It's too bad.”

NBA star Steve Nash, from nearby Victoria and the brother-in-law of Canucks forward Manny Malhotra, sent a Twitter message imploring the fans to stop the violence. “We're a great city and have a lot of class. Our team is great and our championship will come. Soon,” Nash wrote.

For Canuck fans, this was a night to forget.

Favoured to win their first Stanley Cup since entering the National Hockey League 40 years ago, the team faltered at the final hurdle, bringing heartbreak yet again to their loyal, ever-hopeful boosters.

A record crowd of more than 100,000 boisterous supporters had gathered downtown to watch the final game, forcing police to close adjacent city streets to handle the overflow.

But apprehension became the mood of the night early on, when Boston scored first. By the time the Bruins scored their devastating third marker, short-handed, the exodus of glum fans became a river of blue, both in mood and colour of jersey.

When it ended, there had not been a chance to cheer a single Vancouver goal.

Standing with a group of friends on Granville Street, Caitlyn Pal, 21, said she simply wanted to cry.

“It’s just a huge letdown. You have everyone down here. I haven’t seen this kind of support in a long time. There’s just so many emotions that are attached to the outcome of this game.”

Ms. Pal had made the trip in her white jersey from Saltspring Island, just so she could be in Vancouver when the Canucks won it all.

A few fans said they were too upset to talk. One got angry when he was asked for an interview and swore.

John Yan stopped watching the large video screen before the game was over.

“There are lots of police out here, but you don’t know how things can go,” Mr. Yan said, referring to the 1994 riots. “We’re done. There’s no reason to stay,” he said.

Justin Reynolds, 20, said he had driven all the way from Kelowna with a bunch of friends in anticipation of watching the Canucks hoist the Stanley Cup before tens of thousands of fellow celebrants. Instead, by the start of the third period, he declared the game over, disappointed that he’d made so much effort to catch the game in downtown Vancouver.

“Sometimes you don’t go with your heart. You go with statistics,” he said. “To get three goals in less than 20 minutes? I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

Dashed hopes and frustration were also evident in another fan hot spot, the central plaza in Surrey, where more than 5,000 supporters watched.

“It’s Luongo,” said a dejected Ryan Christensen, his face painted in a blue Canucks mask. “He cracks under pressure.”

Well before the game ended, TransLink reported heavily loaded trains and buses, carrying fans homeward, the same fans who had jammed them to capacity just a few hours earlier.

Tamara Davidson decided to leave after watching worked-up crowds wrench her 11-year-old son from her grasp.

“Too many people, not enough crowd control,” she said, after her son, Allan, and his father, Allan Sr., escaped to find a quiet spot.

The chaos came moments after security guards opened up a previously closed gate into the viewing area, allowing hundreds more into a location that was already crammed to capacity.

Asked if he was scared, Allan nodded.

After the first period, Eugene Field, his four-year-old son riding on his shoulders, was walking away from the fan zone for what he hoped would be a brief break.

“We were right up at the front, right in front of the screen – and the mood was great.

“But then everybody around us started smoking pot and I had to get him [his son] out of there.”

There were lots of rowdy yelling people in back alleys and streets, cranky that they couldn’t get into the live viewing zones.

On bar-laden Granville Street, fans lined up for hours, but many could still not get in. Some watched the game through windows, looking at the TVs inside.

At the storied Commodore Ballroom, which has been one of the most popular places to view Canucks games, the floor was shaking when the puck was dropped.

But when Boston scored first, groans echoed through the room. One spectator dropped his head, then his drink.

[Asher]

This is ****ing vicious.

Go to the 2:57 mark:


Rioters smashing windows...guy in black shirt tries to stop them. He gets beat down and stomped on by the crowd for his troubles.

[Asher]

Reporters are also saying the Canucks owner was cursing at reporters after the game...it was their fault.

Front page of the Vancouver Province...epic.

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=CAN_TP&ref_pge=gal&b_pge=1

[Guynemer]

It was an outbreak few expected.

[Asher]

In happier news, this is an awesome pic with Tim Thomas, his mom (with a beer), and daughter holding the Conn Smythe Trophy:

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/56/fullj.85ac78cf8840e29a5e9611b834463322/85ac78cf8840e29a5e9611b834463322-getty-114958501jh212_boston_bruin.jpg

[Asher]

Holy ****. This is a real image, from Getty..

[Garth Vader]

Why are you always 15 minutes ahead of me posting these things!

[Supr49er]

Holy ****. This is a real image, from Getty..

Great Image

[MRT144]

The Vancouver mayor is hella handsome.

[Boris Godunov]

Holy ****. This is a real image, from Getty..

Make love, not riots.