Riot police try to control crowds in downtown Vancouver
Riot police fired a dozen flash bombs in downtown Vancouver
Wednesday night to try to disperse angry hockey fans who set cars on fire and started fistfights on the street after the Canucks' 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in the final game of the Stanley Cup.
Police have declared the downtown fan zone area near the CBC building and the central post office a riot zone, Ian Hanomansing of CBC News reported. Anyone not leaving the West Georgia Street area immediately would be arrested, they warned.
Unlike the Canucks' previous losses in the series, which all occurred while the teams were playing in Boston, the crowds were not leaving the fan zones quickly, adding to concerns that more trouble would break out
Problems started in the closing seconds of the game when a thick plume of smoke, believed to be from fireworks, wafted above the crowd on West Georgia Street in front of the central post office building. Moments later, a car burst into flames and fights broke out.
B.C. Ambulance confirmed that a man had fallen or jumped off a bridge called the Dunsmuir Viaduct and had been taken to hospital.
There were no other injuries reported, but there have been numerous arrests.
Glass windows were broken at the Bank of Montreal on West Georgia.
Giving crowd control officers a small break, the timing of the game meant the final buzzer went while it was still full daylight on the West Coast.
Earlier, before and during the game, fans were packed tight but good-natured as they cheered on their team, which had won at home in every previous game against Boston in this Stanley Cup final series.
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