Dark Day

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The Riot

No idea how to start this blog entry.

Right now I am technically in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island's west-coast. But I am going to write about my Stanley Cup final experience.

On June 15th it was Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final series, with Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins facing off for a season clinching game in Vancouver. I went to this game, it was one of the greatest moments of my life. The atmosphere was amazing. The crowd was so loud. It is awesome seeing players practicing before the match.

Unfortunately Vancouver lost 4 - 0 after being the minor premiership winners of the season by a considerable amount. But you know what they say (you might not) that the playoffs is like the second season. Being 2 months of fast paced, hard hitting hockey. I stayed back after the match to watch the Conn-Smyth (playoff MVP) and Stanley Cup be awarded.

The main story of the blog is actually the events that took place after the end of the game. The Vancouver Riot of 2011.

As I came out of Rogers Arena I could already tell something was going down, there was tension in the air. I walked the only way possible after the game with the crowd toward the main part of Downtown Vancouver. As I was walking the crowd seemed to be moving less with more tension in the air, it's hard to describe the sense you feel but it's there.

I was trying to get through the crowd back to my hostel it began to be hard to move around Library Square, on West Georgia Street. I looked over to my right and behind all the people and iPhones there was a fire. People dancing around the fire, yelling I'm not sure what. There was the sound of breaking glass all around. Just the sound of destruction I can only really call it.

I found it hard to move around and wherever I went there was either fire or people breaking windows of businesses. The main thing for me is that it seemed so pointless to be doing this sort of thing over losing a hockey game. I knew something might go down if Vancouver lose, but I wasn't expecting what happened.

Everywhere I turned there seemed to be either something on fire, crowds of people, broken windows or eventually police. I seemed to be caught up in the middle with nowhere really safe to go. I eventually scooted around the police line where it seemed like it was sort of no-mans land. Apart from the occasional bottle of the glass or plastic variety.

I snapped off a few pictures for your enjoyment if you could call it that. Maybe to just get a non-media hockey-fan perspective.

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