Habs Fans Need to Calm Down

The Cinderella story of the 2010 NHL playoffs has been the Montreal Canadiens. So far, they have forced two Game 7s and eliminated the Washington Capitals in the quarterfinals and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the semifinals. On Wednesday night, they had to go on the road to knock out the Penguins, a trend that continues throughout these playoffs.  But the celebrations in Montreal turned into havoc after some fans got a little too excited.

Immediately following the game, fans poured out onto the streets of Montreal. Most of them went to the police designated “festive zone” but there were a few hundred whose excitement turned violent.  Montreal police said that some of these fans attacked them and threw bottles at them injuring a policewoman and a horse. Others decided to loot a Foot Locker store among other places.

I know it’s exciting for the underdog to not only defeat the Caps but also the defending Stanley Cup champs but was this really necessary? I mean looting, attacking police, starting fires and who knows what else just because your team advanced to the finals? Montreal, you have not won anything just yet. And even if you did, what is the point of destroying the city that you are supposed to be celebrating for? You’re embarrassing yourselves and your team. So for the sake of the city of Montreal, leave the lighters and bottles at home next time.

Here’s a video of the Montreal riots after the Canadiens’ Game 7 win:

Sources:
Habs post-game Violence Blamed on Minority [CBC News]