Rioting

Well, last evening was the big game – the Stanley Cup final. For those who don’t know, the Stanley Cup is the prize presented to the winning team of the National Hockey League. Hockey is a sport played skating on ice with five players on each side and a goal keeper. They use sticks to put a round, flat rubber disk into a net. It is fast paced and fairly aggressive. For many years, the hubby and I have not watched much except the final games. This year, the only Canadian team to make it to the final round was the Vancouver Canucks playing against the Boston Bruins. There is the possibility of seven games needing to be played to determine the outcome, and it came down to the seventh game this time. Boston won in the city of Vancouver.

And then the trouble began. We went to bed partway through the second period – oh, there are three, twenty minute periods to each game. In fact, we were watching the Toronto vs. New England soccer game at the time. We were reasonably certain that, although we wanted Vancouver to win, Boston would prevail.

There was rioting in the streets of Vancouver after the game. Organizers had set up a “Fan Zone” outside the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) building where the game was being shown on big screens for those fans who couldn’t attend the game in person. The reports said there were over 100,000 people there. In watching the news this morning, it amazed me the amount of damage that was done. Store windows were smashed and cars were overturned and burned. What?!? In Canada?!? Well, yes. This happened in 1995 also because the Canucks lost. Vancouver Police said it wouldn’t be as bad this time because they were ready with what they felt to be an adequate police presence that was missing in 1995. However, by all reports, this rioting was worse.

The media thought Vancouver sporting fans had “grown up” because of their good behaviour during last winter’s Olympics. Guess these weren’t the same mature fans. One thing I noticed in watching the reports was many of the rioters were wearing backpacks. They, apparently, arrived later with supplies for rioting, so the thought is that they were not true fans interested in the game, but were only interested in causing problems. One such person drove his car into the fan area and set it on fire. Why? I have no idea. The attractiveness of such behaviour is lost on me.

And there is no respect for authority or the consequences of their actions. They were busy taking pictures of themselves rioting, and mugging for the media cameras with smiles on their faces. There was no thought of hiding their identity for fear of being caught and spending time in jail. I really don’t understand that!

So, now, many of us Canadians bear the embarrassment of these actions in our country. We contemplate the stupidity of these “children,” and wonder what our Canada has come to when these sorts of events happen. The cleanup from 1995 cost taxpayers over $1 million, and the price tag is likely to be even higher this time. All this just makes me sad.

Until next time, thank God for the blessing of civic obedience…