The City of Vancouver will host viewing parties for the Canucks鈥� Round 2 playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers starting with Game 3 on Sunday.
Mayor Ken Sim and others have previously expressed concern about large-scale events for the playoffs, given Vancouver鈥檚 history of Stanley Cup riots.
But Sim now says a lot of thought and planning has gone into events set to take place at a park located far from the downtown core, where hordes of drunken fans rioted after the Canucks鈥� Game 7 Stanley Cup loss to the Boston Bruins in 2011. There were also riots in 1994 after a Game 7 loss to the New York Rangers.
鈥淎 lot of the individuals who were working on this year鈥檚, you know, festivities, they were there in 2011 and so they had a lot of lived experiences, and from that came a plan that was put together with a lot of thought,鈥� Sim told a news conference on Wednesday.
Those organizers are not alone in reflecting on Vancouver鈥檚 troubled relationship with the playoffs, as the Canucks enter Round 2 with a game at Rogers Arena tonight.
At the Granville Sports Corner team merchandise store, manager Mick Jackson applauded the decision to keep viewing events out of downtown Vancouver.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a good idea, it should work out well 鈥� the further we go in the playoffs, of course, it will intensify. It鈥檚 exciting times,鈥� said Jackson, who has been working at the store on Granville Street for 17 years.
He added: 鈥淥f course the riots were terrible, we have to avoid that.鈥�
Simon Coutts said he remembered being 鈥渉eckled鈥� by passersby as he boarded up his bike shop on Vancouver鈥檚 Robson Street before the 2011 loss.
Simon鈥檚 Bike Shop had been in business since 1986, and Coutts said the 1994 riot made him take precautions when the Canucks made the final again.
鈥淚n 2011, I was out on the street every day. I was watching the parties, watching the people,鈥� Coutts said on Tuesday. 鈥淭here were just too many people out of control downtown and there鈥檚 drinking and all sorts of stuff 鈥� and then I guess you could say all hell broke loose.鈥�
Sim had previously acknowledged the riots at a news conference last month, saying the city had 鈥渁 history鈥� and it would need to make sure any playoff viewing event would be very safe.
At the time, he said the city was 鈥渘ot just gonna say, 鈥楬ey let鈥檚 throw a party, this time鈥檚 gonna be different.鈥� What we learned in the past was, that鈥檚 what they thought in 2011.鈥�
Sim said Sunday鈥檚 viewing party is at Oak Meadows Park, which can hold about 2,000 people, in the South Cambie neighbourhood.
Select community centres across the city will also show the games in their lobbies.
If the Canucks advance to the third round, Sim said the city is planning a licensed outdoor viewing experience at the Pacific National Exhibition. The venue would allow up to 6,000 fans to gather.
Sim said the whole city wanted to celebrate the team鈥檚 success this year, and their planning aimed to ensure fans could enjoy the playoffs 鈥渞esponsibly.鈥�
鈥淭his is an opportunity that doesn鈥檛 come up often, and we have an amazing team,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 also a time to show off the fact that Vancouver fans can celebrate in a family friendly, fun and safe way.鈥�
Vancouver police spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin said Wednesday that the department 鈥渄efinitely鈥� supported the neighbourhood viewing areas.
鈥淭hese smaller, community based family-focused gatherings are more conducive to maintaining public safety,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more appropriate than having a larger one, like the one we鈥檝e seen in years past downtown, which only created issues for us.鈥�
She said police will work with the city to continue to avoid such large viewing areas.
Rogers Arena has been hosting a crowd to watch the big screen while the games are being played in opposition cities.
Tickets costing $20 for an arena seat go on sale on the Canucks website on Thursday, with proceeds benefiting the Canucks for Kids Fund.
Police have handed out 20 to 30 tickets for open alcohol, fighting and other infractions when fans have gathered around Rogers Arena during recent playoff game days. Visintin said they鈥檝e made a few arrests.
鈥淲e know these large, fan-based zones in the downtown core, it just wouldn鈥檛 work. It hasn鈥檛 worked in the past and it won鈥檛 work this time.鈥�
Ian Tostenson, CEO of the BC Restaurant & Food Services Association, said in an interview on Tuesday that he supported a 鈥渃autious approach鈥� to Stanley Cup celebrations given the city鈥檚 鈥渢rack record.鈥�
The viewing parties for away games, he said, offered a more 鈥渃ontrolled鈥� environment than inviting thousands of people downtown as happened in 2011.
鈥淏ig events like FIFA and big concerts and stuff, we鈥檙e able to do that really well,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 just worry that if we just kind of recklessly sort of go, throw some TVs up and invite, you know, 20,000 people on Georgia Street again, I just predict there鈥檚 going to be trouble somewhere.鈥�
He said holding another large public viewing party downtown carried risks because if 鈥渟omething goes terribly wrong, it鈥檚 just going to set us back years and I think we鈥檝e made some progress here.鈥�
For Coutts 鈥� a Canucks season ticket holder 鈥� lingering memories of the 2011 riot make him think a 鈥渂ig party鈥� isn鈥檛 a good idea, but family-friendly gatherings at Rogers Arena for away games have been both controlled and successful.
鈥淩ight now, my feeling is a good feeling, so I don鈥檛 have the same feeling I had last time,鈥� he said. 鈥淣o one wants a repeat.鈥�
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