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Canuck fans to get public viewing parties BԪַ but far from VancouverBԪַs downtown

Memories of the riots of 2011 and 1994 too close for organizers to risk repeat
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Vancouver Canucks fans watch a car burn during a riot following game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup final in downtown Vancouver, on June 15, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Howe

The City of Vancouver will host viewing parties for the CanucksBԪַ Round 2 playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers starting with Game 3 on Sunday.

Mayor Ken Sim and others have previously expressed concern about large-scale events for the playoffs, given VancouverBԪַs history of Stanley Cup riots.

But Sim now says a lot of thought and planning has gone into events set to take place at a park far from the downtown core, where hordes of drunken fans rioted after the CanucksBԪַ Game 7 Stanley Cup loss to the Boston Bruins in 2011. There were also riots in 1994 after a Game 7 loss to the New York Rangers.

BԪַA lot of the individuals who were working on this yearBԪַs, you know, festivities, they were there in 2011 and so they had a lot of lived experiences, and from that came a plan that was put together with a lot of thought,BԪַ Sim told a news conference on Wednesday.

Those organizers are not the only ones reflecting on VancouverBԪַs troubled relationship with the playoffs, as the Canucks enter Round 2 with a game at Rogers Arena tonight.

Simon Coutts said he remembered being BԪַheckledBԪַ by passersby as he boarded up his bike shop on VancouverBԪַs Robson Street before the 2011 loss.

SimonBԪַs Bike Shop had been in business since 1986, and Coutts said the 1994 riot made him take precautions when the Canucks made the final again.

BԪַIn 2011, I was out on the street every day. I was watching the parties, watching the people,BԪַ Coutts said on Tuesday. BԪַThere were just too many people out of control downtown and thereBԪַs drinking and all sorts of stuff BԪַ and then I guess you could say all hell broke loose.BԪַ

Sim had previously acknowledged the riots at a news conference last month, saying the city had BԪַa historyBԪַ and it would need to make sure any playoffs viewing event would be very safe.

At the time, he said the city was BԪַnot just gonna say BԪַhey letBԪַs throw a party, this timeBԪַs gonna be different, What we learned in the past was, thatBԪַs what they thought in 2011.BԪַ

On Wednesday, Sim said this yearBԪַs plan takes pressure off the downtown core.

SundayBԪַs viewing party is at Oak Meadows Park, which can hold about 2,000 people, in the South Cambie neighbourhood, the mayor said.

Going deeper into the playoffs, Sim said community centres would also be open.

If the Canucks advanced to the third round, the city would look at the Pacific National Exhibition as a venue to allow up to 6,000 fans to gather, he said.

Sim said the whole city wanted to celebrate the teamBԪַs success this year, and their planning aimed to ensure fans could enjoy the playoffs BԪַresponsibly.BԪַ

BԪַThis is an opportunity that doesnBԪַt come up often, and we have an amazing team,BԪַ he said.

BԪַItBԪַs also a time to show off the fact that Vancouver fans can celebrate in a family friendly, fun and safe way.BԪַ

Ian Tostenson, the CEO of the BC Restaurant & Food Services Association, said in an interview on Tuesday that he supported a BԪַcautious approachBԪַ to Stanley Cup celebrations given the cityBԪַs BԪַtrack record.BԪַ

The viewing parties for away games, he said, offered a more BԪַcontrolledBԪַ environment than inviting thousands of people downtown as happened in 2011.

BԪַBig events like FIFA and big concerts and stuff, weBԪַre able to do that really well,BԪַ he said. BԪַI just worry that if we just kind of recklessly sort of go, throw some TVBԪַs up and invite, you know, 20,000 people on Georgia Street again, I just predict thereBԪַs going to be trouble somewhere.BԪַ

He said holding another large public viewing party downtown carried risks because if BԪַsomething goes terribly wrong, itBԪַs just going to set us back years and I think weBԪַve made some progress here.BԪַ

For Coutts BԪַ a Canucks season ticket holder BԪַ lingering memories of the 2011 riot make him think a BԪַbig partyBԪַ isnBԪַt a good idea, but family-friendly gatherings at Rogers Arena for away games have been both controlled and successful.

BԪַRight now, my feeling is a good feeling, so I donBԪַt have the same feeling I had last time,BԪַ he said. BԪַNo one wants a repeat.BԪַ

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