SBNation.com - Vancouver Stanley Cup Riots Cause 'Millions' In Damage, More Than 100 Arrests

Vancouver Rioters Caused 'Millions Of Dollars' Worth Of Damage

2011-06-17T01:15:39Z

In case you needed any proof that very little of Vancouver's Wednesday night riots technically had anything to do with sports: multiple local businesses are claiming more than thousands of dollars worth of merchandise were lost to looters. In most American cities, this would inspire lots of people to start throwing around the word thugs, but at least hooligans is popping up.

British Columbia's CTV reports the post-Stanley Cup mayhem and looting amounts to "millions of dollars" in damage done to a construction site, clothing store, coffee shop and dozens of other businesses.

Nearby London Drugs was perhaps the hardest-hit venue, with 20 employees forced to retreat when a mob broke through the store's locked and barricaded doors. The company's CEO estimates a $1 million total setback due to destruction and stolen product.

Stick with this StoryStream for all the coverage of the Vancouver riots, to which you can subscribe via RSS. If you're looking for actual hockey coverage, head over to our Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals StoryStream.

Vancouver Riots Arrest Total Includes Two Stabbing Charges

2011-06-17T00:20:32Z

Vancouver police have said something like 100 of Wednesday night's Canucks rioters were arrested, and now we have a clearer look at the scope of those charges. The Vancouver Sun's Andrea Woo shares some statistics from the riots: "85 breaches of peace, eight public intoxications, eight criminal code arrests and two charged in a stabbing," along with four released with future court dates and two released due to lack of evidence.

Other than those two stabbing arrests, it looks like police have mostly just rounded up people suspected of raisin' hell. Based on earlier reports that would indicate at least two knife crimes have yet to turn up any arrests, though I'm sure we haven't heard the last of this part of the story.

2011 Vancouver Riots Cause More Arrests, Fewer Injuries Than 1994 Edition

2011-06-16T21:44:04Z

Wednesday night's riots in Vancouver after the Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals required a heavy price for at least a few hundred people. For what it's worth, it looks like the event didn't produce quite as much damage as the one that went down in 1994, when the Canucks lost a Game 7 to the Rangers.

Vancouver's police chief says almost 100 arrests have been made, with about 140 people treated for injuries at local hospitals, including nine police officers, one of whom was hit with a brick. At least four of the injuries are serious, with three involving knives and one leaving a man in critical condition. Officials say there was more looting this time around than in '94, but the tiny bit of good news is that violence appears to have been slightly lessened.

The last time this happened in Vancouver, something like 200 people were injured, though that could also have something to do with the more overwhelmed police presence that was available at the time, as evidenced by there being only 50 arrests despite a similarly sized crowd.

The Vancouver Police Department is also able to employ social media this time around, so that arrests number could swell in the coming days.

Stick with this StoryStream for all the coverage of the Vancouver Riots, to which you can subscribe via RSS. If you're looking for actual hockey coverage, head over to our Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals StoryStream.

Hours After Vancouver Riots, Residents Try To Clean Up, Rebuild Image

2011-06-16T17:35:12Z

When your city becomes an international focal point thanks to nasty rioting after a sporting event, it's not easy to rebuild the image that was quickly tarnished in just a matter of hours. But that's what people in Vancouver are trying to do Thursday morning, the morning after rioting tore apart the downtown core following Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Foinals between the Canucks and Boston Bruins.

The effort is two-fold. For starters, volunteers are swarming downtown in an attempt to clean up the damage. The effort is being organized through social media, most notably on Twitter by @VancouverClean, which has a pretty damn clever logo. Messages, gestures and scenes like this are common-place in Vancouver today.

Anyone downtown: I've got junk trucks and labour wanting to help trashed businesses etc. for free. Would be welcome? (cc @vancouverclean)via TweetDeckErin Raimondo
ErinRaimondo

On the flip side, there's a pretty strong effort going on Facebook and Twitter to find the identities of people who committed illegal acts on Wednesday night. Facebook groups have been set up where people are posting photos and videos in hopes that others will recognize the criminals involved, and Vancouver police are also accepting leads, tips and photos via robbery@vpd.ca.

The name Brock Anton might become synonymous with the criminal activity that took place during these riots. He's been trending on Twitter thanks to a foolish Facebook post he made after getting home late Wednesday.

The best part, perhaps, is that his Facebook page is private, meaning one of his friends had to be the original person to screen capture this image. Oh, and the fact that he liked his own Facebook status. Who does that? I'm sure it's only a matter of time before this guy, and other geniuses just like him, are brought to justice.

Maybe then the City of Vancouver can recover from the embarrassment.

PHOTO: Vancouver Riot Police Wear Hockey Gloves (Of Course They Do)

2011-06-16T16:58:31Z

At some point, the Vancouver riots have to come back to hockey. Then again, at some point, everything in Canada comes back to hockey -- even riot police wearing hockey gloves. Via Totally Cool Pix, a Reuters photo:

Vancouver Riot Videos Show People Beaten For Trying To Protect Property After Canucks-Bruins Game 7

2011-06-16T15:28:54Z

There were a few people involved with the Vancouver riots on Wednesday night following Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 that weren't trying to burn cars or loot businesses or cause harm to others or to the city. Unfortunately, the emphasis in that sentence has to be put on the word few.

Some people tried to protect their property. Some people tried to defend their city, standing in front of massive, rioting crowds while making pleas to stop the violence. Those people didn't win.

Here's video of a young woman trying to protect her car from the crowd. One person can't stop a mob, sadly, and her BMW wound up turning into the accelerant that allowed flames to reach the awning of the Hudson Bay Company store on Georgia Street. That part starts at around the 4:30 mark, but every clip here is incredible to watch.

Elsewhere, a brave soul stepped up and tried to stop a crowd from looting a store. He stood guard with a street pole and tried to fend off looters, even angrily declaring "This is our f*cking city!" before the crowd decended upon him and beat him to a pulp. The video isn't easy to watch, just so you're warned. It gets real at around the 3:00 mark.

During coverage of these riots live on Wednesday night, a reporter asked Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson what he thought of people standing idly by, watching the city get torn apart. You want to know why people don't jump in more often when stuff like this happens? These videos are pretty damn good reasons why.

VIDEO: Vancouver Riots Result In Unfortunate Crotch-Shot For Canucks Fan

2011-06-16T13:09:27Z

You may have been sleeping by the time the Vancouver riots hit full force late on Wednesday night, but things got somewhat out of control following the Canucks Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins. There are plenty of photos to demonstrate the post-game chaos that ensued. And then there is also this video, which shows a young fan taking a police flash grenade right in the unmentionables:

Clearly that fan had a far less pleasurable rioting experience than our friends in this riot photo, seen making out in the street with the angry mob and police around them.

Of course, the riots aren’t all laughs. There was plenty of real destruction done and certainly injuries. Official reports on both of those are yet to emerge.

Stick with this StoryStream for all the coverage of the Vancouver Riots, to which you can subscribe via RSS. If you’re looking for actual hockey coverage, head over to our Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals StoryStream.

Vancouver Riot Photos Show Devastation, Shock, Stupidity Following Canucks-Bruins Game 7

2011-06-16T11:30:30Z

The City of Vancouver rioted on Wednesday night, deep into the night following the Canucks' loss in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Boston Bruins. Cars were overturned, police officers were attacked, fires broke out and pepper spray wafted through the evening-to-late-night air as Vancouver Police fought to take back the streets.

CTV reported several stabbings. The awning of a department store caught on fire after a car underneath it was engulfed in flames. Across the street from that scene, looting took place at various stores in the area.

It was just absolute mayhem in the streets of Vancouver on Wednesday night, and it's likely that the damage estimates will come in well into the millions. Here are a few of the stunning photos from the scene, courtesy of our partners at the AP, the Canadian Press and Getty Images.

These next two are of the same car. This BMW was flipped and set on fire, and the flames eventually spread to the awning on the Bay Company store it sat in front of. It's also the same car that some guy fell into when he tried to jump it. Yes, while it was burning.

Goodnight, Vancouver.