Ugly outburst in B.C. after Canucks loss

VANCOUVER, B.C. — Tears flowed after Vancouver's Stanley Cup loss to Boston. Some were caused by the smoke from burning cars.

By the time the game was over Wednesday night, it was obvious that more than hearts would be broken downtown.

After all, 41 years of Stanley Cup futility and 100,000 fans shoehorned into a few blocks of this hockey-mad city presented the distinct possibility of civic mayhem after the Vancouver Canucks' decisive 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the championship series.

It started with a couple dozen plastic bottles being thrown at a huge video screen after the Canucks allowed a fourth goal with less than five minutes to play. Then fireworks were ignited, and shortly after Game 7 concluded a gray SUV was set on fire outside the post office on Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver.

Windows were broken at a 7-Eleven and an A&W restaurant. A large two-by-four was jammed through the windshield of a Humvee. Two more vehicles were set on fire, one a van and another a sedan. Periodically, there would be a chant deriding Boston, while black smoke hung thick over Vancouver.

Police began to push the crowd back, using a loudspeaker to announce that the group had been declared an unlawful assembly.

"You're embarrassing the city of Vancouver," one announcement stated. "Stop destroying your city."

By 10 p.m., the crowd had been pushed back to Georgia and Seymour streets. But as late as 10:30 p.m., two windows were smashed at a Tip Top Tailors and looters reaching inside, throwing out everything from suit jackets to Chaps slacks.

A Honda was overturned on Howe Street as a man who said he was the owner stood on the sidewalk and watched. He didn't give his name, but said police had told him to stay away from the car.

The Canucks lost the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in their history and remain without hockey's top prize. Boston won its first Stanley Cup since 1972.

And when it was over — with the Canucks shut out on their home ice — it was hard to tell what was more powerful in downtown Vancouver: the crush of people or the feelings of disappointment. There were overwhelming amounts of both.

A series that began with enthusiasm and optimism ended with fans unfulfilled. Vancouver's downtown streets became a spectacle during this series. Fans sat on top of porta-potties and stood atop stoplights.

Game 7 was sold out, scalpers asking $2,000 a seat in the blocks around Rogers Arena, but the 18,000 who watched in person were only a fraction of the people downtown. Three blocks of Georgia Street were cordoned off for pedestrians in an alcohol-free zone with three large screens to display the game.

To say this was a carryover from the Olympics was to fundamentally misunderstand the event. The Olympics groomed the city for gathering downtown to watch an event. The Cup Final took it to another level.

More than 3,000 watched Game 1 on the city streets on June 1. For Game 7, the crowd was estimated at as many as 100,000, a scene every bit as uncomfortable as the mosh pit of any festival concert. A crying toddler was lifted onto his father's shoulders because of the pressure of the crowd. Women feigned illness to help cut a path through the crowd.

Tylor Palmer was on crutches in the middle of the crowd. He suffered a compound fracture of his lower right leg when he was hit by a city bus on Mother's Day. He stood his ground at the intersection of Georgia and Homer during the first period as the crowd crushed around him.

"It's a struggle, man," he said. "But I wouldn't miss this." The problem was there wasn't much worth seeing. The Canucks won three games in the series, each by one goal. Their four defeats came by a combined score of 21-3.

When the series began June 1, it was a blank slate of possibility. The Canucks were beginning as the favorite, and their 1-0 victory on Raffi Torres' goal seemed to signal that this was in fact Vancouver's year.

Game 7 was something else entirely. The skies were clear all day, the mood nervous. There was an anxiety that only a Game 7 can bring, a pungent mix of anticipation and uncertainty. "Our Town, Our Team, Our Turn," proclaimed the headline of The Vancouver Sun on Wednesday. Game 7 could be more accurately described as "Our Torment" in Vancouver.

Vancouver's more lasting scars from this night didn't necessarily come from the game.

The Canucks have been here before. In 1994, they lost to the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. There was a riot after that loss. This year, it was just disappointment and the stench of burning cars that hung in the air after the city's Stanley Cup dream was denied again.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com