Home cooking: Thousands celebrate downtown after Canucks win
Posted June 5, 2011 10:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER, BC – Another thrilling night in Vancouver, as the Canucks snatched a two-game lead in the Stanley Cup final with an electrifying overtime victory over the Boston Bruins.
Controversial Canucks’ forward Alex Burrows managed to score the winning goal with an athletic wrap-around play, only 11 seconds into the first overtime. The 3-2 victory gives Vancouver a 2-0 lead in the series, and ensures Vancouver will have home-ice advantage for the remainder of the final.
The scrappy forward has been the centre of a lot of controversy in recent days, after television replays appeared to show Burrows biting the finger of Boston’s Patrice Bergeron during an altercation in Vancouver’s victory in the series opener.
While no suspension was issued by the NHL, Burrows has received widespread criticism for his actions, which he says doesn’t bother him in the least.
“The negative press I got the last few days, it doesn’t affect me at all,” said Burrows, who has nine goals in the 2011 playoffs.
Canucks fans didn’t seem to mind either, as thousands of fans poured onto the streets in downtown Vancouver to celebrate. The exuberant crowd was loud and cheerful, but according to Vancouver police, also shockingly well behaved.
With that many people partying and lining the streets downtown, one inevitable comparison that came forth was with the Vancouver Olympics, and surprisingly, fans said Saturday night’s festivities held their own.
“This is almost better than the Olympics, the crowd is unreal,” said one fan standing along Granville and Robson Streets in downtown Vancouver.
Others who had never seen Vancouver’s hockey spirit in person were shocked, saying the Stanley Cup clearly means “more to this city than any city or any team in professional sports.”
Should the Canucks win it all this year, fans told 680News Vancouver will see the largest party in its history.
Game three will be held in Boston Monday night, where Vancouver will look to take a dominating 3-0 series lead.
