1994 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot facts for kids
The 1994 Vancouver Stanley Cup Riot was a riot that took place on June 14, 1994 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was the first riot in Vancouver since the tour opener for The Rolling Stones which lead to a clash between police officers and 2,000 Stones fans outside the Pacific Coliseum in 1972.
The riot took place after the New York Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. The riot started on Robson and Thurlow Street after a man fell off of a streetlight into the crowd. When police, who were on bikes, were trying to escort paramedics into the crowd, some members of the crowd tried to take the bikes from the police. Police warned the crowd to clear out and retreated.
After a while, riot police gathered in the crowd and fired tear gas. This caused the crowd to scatter in different directions. Lots of stores had their windows broken, including 50 windows smashed at a Eaton's store.
The tear gas that was fired drifted into the open windows of residents living on the West End. St. Paul's Hospital responded by putting guards at the emergency room entrance to prevent tear gas victims from entering there. They claimed that there was nothing that could be done for them. After a while, bowls filled with water were put outside by security guards for the people that were suffering from tear gas. The total damage to the downtown core was estimated at $1.1 million CAD.
