The riots heard round the world have been a source of disgrace and disgust for most B.C. residents, and that sentiment is shared by two local residents who witnessed Vancouver's 2011 post-Game 7 Stanley Cup riot firsthand.
Squamish residents Andre Lodder and Shawn Trudel were both in downtown Vancouver during and after the game on June 15 and agreed the atmosphere foreshadowed the riots.
"I got downtown and there was about 100,000 other people there. I am a diehard hockey fan and wanted to be in the mix," explained Trudel, who played hockey for years.
"But something was off. I was down there for the Olympics gold medal game and the vibe was unbelievable - but the vibe outside at Game 7 was different.
"It was almost as though the people that were rioting post-game were ready to go pre-game."
Trudel and his friends were so put off by the negative vibe that they headed to his friend's place to watch the game.
Lodder, who works as a photographer and is serving as a summer intern reporter/photographer for The Chief, said he wasn't surprised by the riots at all.
"You could kind of tell that people were pretty rowdy, kind of wanted to party and not everyone was there for the game," he said.
"I actually overheard some people talk about how they were going to riot whether the Canucks won or lost."
Lodder said the rioting began before the game ended.
"With 20 seconds left in the third period there was a car already tipped and soon after that, it caught fire. There was a good chance for people to leave but they stayed just to see what would happen," he said.
"There was no police presence right away. Basically the first car burned until it was almost out before the firefighters and police came and broke it up."
Snapping photos, Lodder admitted he was caught up in the moment and even enjoying it to a certain extent until he stepped back and took in the scene.
"It was kind of hard to believe it was actually happening and that people were capable of doing it," he said.
"I almost felt ashamed just to be there and see what people were willing to do and capable of doing. Just the smiles and the laughter and the joy that was on people's faces when this stuff was going on it was hard to believe that people could get that kind of pleasure out of it."
Trudel and his friends were drawn back to the scene in the same way most spectators were.
"We watched the game, were obviously heartbroken, and said, 'This sucks.' Then we're still watching TV and see all the rioting," he said.
"We were about a 10-minute walk from it all, so being the curious type that we are, we go check it out. There were people everywhere - burning cars, smashing windows, it was just mayhem."
Trudel said it was embarrassing to hear people cheering and egging on the rioters.
"I kept thinking, 'This is disgusting,'" he said.
"But it's a helpless feeling - you can't stop these things because it's a mob mentality and if you try to, in the end your own safety and well-being is going to be affected."
Not 20 minutes later, after tear gas started being released and Trudel and his friends moved away, they had the opportunity to squash that helpless feeling.
They spotted a woman dragging a massive suitcase who looked lost and appalled and asked if she needed help.
"Turns out she's from Mexico City and she had just gotten off the airplane and taken the Canada Line down," Trudel said.
"Seeing how all this mayhem is happening, she can't get a cab, she can't get a bus, her cell phone's not working, she's in Vancouver and never been here before - great first impression of Vancouver when you see people rioting."
Trudel and friends walked her to her hotel and explained that this wasn't a regular occurrence.
"We told her, 'This doesn't happen very often, every 17 years Canucks lose Game 7 in the Stanley Cup final and people go mental,'" said Trudel, adding that it's no excuse.
"That wasn't the way it's supposed to happen. When you lose, it stings, but you suck it up, you have pride for yourself and you don't react in that way. I thought Vancouver had grown up."
