Who pays for Vancouver's hockey riot damage?
Posted: Jun 15th, 2011
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On Wednesday night when the Canucks lost in game seven of the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins it was reminiscent of their 1994 defeat in game seven to the New York Rangers. The disappointing game seven defeat wasn’t the only similarity. After both games, the city erupted in riots and acts of violence that included huge fires, violence against police, and fights.
The real dig? WE—You and I and the thousands of Vancouverites that did NOT throw rocks at police, tip over cars, or burn buildings—we will be paying for this stupidity for a long, long time.
As it is the City of Vancouver was left holding much of the incidental cost of the games: celebrations and policing that were estimated (before the riots) to cost over a million dollars. Now, with thousands more in clean-up costs, insurance claims, and medical expenses, that million dollar number is looking pretty good. And while the Province and Federal government makes money from the games by taxing food and liquor sales, the city gets no part of that sales tax. The city is left hoping that the ambiance of hosting the Stanley Cups will raise property values and thus increase their property tax revenue. (Unfortunately, right now, the Stanley ambiance is one of terror and destruction. Most people don’t pay extra for that when they can get it free so many places.)
Football, aka soccer, is commonly considered to have the most violent fans. A 1969 match between El Salvador and Honduras even started an actual, although brief, war. Hockey, you could argue, isn’t nearly as bad. Yet, for Canada, it might be worse. And, whereas there are many countries working on the issue of football hooliganism, who is working on solving the issue of hockey’s bad sports? Really, what is there to do? I guess we could ban the game from the city—no more Stanley Cups in our city (this might just happen on its own). Or, maybe, just no more loosing Stanley Cups in our city (this seems unlikely with the Canucks). What about charging the Anmoli Investment Group who owns both the Canucks franchise and the Rogers Arena for damage incited by their team. I like this idea, its sort of a “you are responsible for the company you keep model.”
In Europe there have been other suggestions that come from football: countries helping to pay for policing and prosecuting of perpetrators of post-game violence (but we can’t even get B.C. or the federal government to help pay for the police in our own home). The zero-tolerance towards fighting at the Olympics seemed to have helped control rioting, but it is hard to say if it is that or the shaking up of the teams or the hockey fans being forced to intermingle with figure skating (gasp!) fans.
As someone new to Hockey fandom, I would like to see someone have to pay. I would start with the fans that are caught misbehaving (many of them have been caught on tape), and I would continue with the suburbs whose fans are caught misbehaving (a little extra police help, please), and continue by sending a bill to Christy Clark (your kids play hockey!) and Stephen Harper (the Federal Government makes money and the city pays... we just want a small share).
I would keep on going from there...hockey team owners, the NHL, and—heck—how about losing team? Pay up, or we will send some Canucks fans after you to collect.
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(10) Comments
Manda Aufochs Gillespie
Manda Aufochs Gillespie, aka The Green Mama, writes, teaches, and consults on growing greener families, homes, and businesses. She has been featured on the TV shows Save My Planet and The Lazy...
This has absolutely nothing to do with hockey. This has everything to do with idiots seizing an opportunity.
Saying that this is a result of hockey is insulting to the millions of Canadians who watched this series.
How about only billing the hooligans caught on tape? Cash rewards (~$5000) for those who help ID the people participating in the photos and videos. They started it, they pay for it (they can also pay for the $5000 cash rewards given out to bring them in). haha
Rioting is not implicit to hockey (look at the peaceful matches held all over Canada on a common day or at the Olympic games also held in Vancouver in 2010). However, as football fans have been discovering, there are some sports that seem to attract really bad behavior. Figure skating, basketball, marathon running: not so much. Hockey, at least in Canada, is one of those sports that attracts hooligans. So, what to do?
Like any problem, the first thing is to acknowledge the problem. Something that Canada as a whole seems reticent to do. Then, maybe we can start holding more segments of the population responsible, beyond just the innocent bystanders who get stuck with the bill.
In Europe they do make the team pay for damages within the Stadium if incidents happen there and surrounding areas. Secondly, the best option is to ban the Canucks from playing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for 2-3 years. They can play the regular season, but should be suspended from playing the playoffs for 2-3 years. They did that in Europe with the English teams in the 1980s for the Champions League for 4 years.
Only people that can do that are the NHL
Now even teachers don't know the difference between "loosing" (i.e. freeing from a binding or attachment) and losing (i.e. failing, as in this journalist's use of grammar)
The taxpayers pay for the riots... including those in the riot (at least those who work and pay taxes) but unfortunately those who did not take part have to pay as well, which is not really fair.
We can't blame the Canucks for this, we can't make them pay. People destroyed the city, people should pay for it. I'm trying to organize a benefit
Years ago looters would be shot so no one looted. Today cops can't even taser them. There is absolutely no consequence for any of them. I say shoot them with rubber bullets and they will quickly disperse.
The Vancouver Canucks should have to pay something.
Their PR machine got everyone hyped for weeks about this, selling tons more jersey's, towels and other crap...getting people to jump on the bandwagon. Profits have been made. They should have to pay something. Win or lose people knew there would be a riot of some kind. And now the Canucks...The Company, has put out a "healing" video, how sweet. Nice try. Not falling for more of their hype.
If my company was getting people pumped up for week's over a product, which spilled into people surrounding my business on the day of the product coming out. If there was no product left after the revealing of it...after getting everyone all hyped up for that product...there would be a riot. And my company would have to pay in some way.
I'm not a hockey fan. I'm a proud Canadian. Why should I have to incur costs?
Dave, you are correct, however, the problem stems from the idea that you can gather 10s of thousands of people in a confined space in an emotionally charged environment with alcohol in play and minimal police presence. The premise that everyone is just there for a good time is a flawed one (clearly the outcomes of various other events in Vancouver - e.g. 1994 Stanley Cup Final demonstrate this).
The vast majority of people are there for a good time, however, there will always be those present to take advantage. And with the presence of alcohol, the opportunity for unruly mob behaviour is magnified.
It was wonderful of the city to try and encourage the celebration of the Canuck's run, but a failure in the recognition of the consequences of having that many people in the confined space of downtown. Hindsight is always 20/20, but isn't it obvious that a loss in Game 7 of the finals had the potential for disaster? I am not sure a win would have been that much different - but the loss clearly changed the mood.
Shame on all the idiots that engaged in the destruction, but shame on the city and police for not ensuring they were adequately prepared for the idiots and followers.