Violence in Vancouver after Stanley Cup Loss

Downtown Vancouver was ablaze last night at rioting Canucks' fans tore through the city after watching their beloved hockey team fall at the final hurdle, in the winner takes all game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Canucks fans fight after game 7 loss 

Shortly after Boston's Bruins lifted Hockey's greatest prize at the Rogers Arena Wednesday night Vancouver fans took to the streets of their city taking out their frustration on police cars less than half a mile away at the CBC Fanzone set up on Georgia Street.

One fan is hurt in the violence

From there the violence escalated out onto Granville street and the surrounding downtown area as cars were overturned, garbage cans were set alight and department stores were looted by, what Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson described as, “a small number of hooligans”.

But as Vancouver wakes on Thursday morning the local residents will find the aftermath of a riot that many are describing as just as violent and unruly as the '94 Stanley Cup riots.

At one point flash bangs and tear gas were used by riot police to try and break up the angry mob as it continued its path of destruction across downtown. Anything the rioters could get their hands on was used an instrument of destruction including newspaper boxes, portable toilets, ladders, lead pipes and hockey sticks.

“This isn't what the Canucks are about,” one fan told the press. “This isn't what their fans are about. This isn't what this city is about.”

A police car ablaze as riot police use tear gas.

Some fans removed their Canucks merchandise in an attempt to disassociate the franchise with the violence while others wrapped bandannas and t-shirts around their faces to protect their faces from the smoke and tear gas or just to hide their faces from police and TV cameras.

Mean while Canucks captain Henrik Sedin could only described the mob scene as “Terrible” going on to say that “This city and province has a lot to be proud of, its too bad”

Here is just some of the footage from the riots.