Yesterday, I fairly spontaneously ventured down to Van to experience the madness of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. I went down with a friend who I actually met at the Guatemala border when traveling in Central America last month. She was a UVic student and happened to be spending the summer working in Squamish. Small world. Anyway, we met up at the Brew Pub the other night and tossed around the idea of heading down. So, off we went. With the bars packed out, we opted to watch the game at her friend’s place in Yaletown. The loss was disappointing, but it is what it is. Then, the city went up in smoke.
Amidst the chaos in the distance, we ventured to a nearby park for some bocce ball. Definitely an interesting mood was in the air in the city.
Adding to the deafening surge of online noise, here’s my two cents. I don’t think it’s fair to compare these riots with the G20. Those had some political basis. This Walrus article suggests that maybe G20 protesters had a point. On the other hand, I think the hockey riots were a symptom of something more going on. I love this slightly cynical Georgia Strait piece that suggests just that. The riots should be a wake-up call. Why do we care more about a hockey game than democratic freedom, such as the right to vote?
