Robson Street Hockey Fan Celebration (and pre-riot) 1994

Back in the summer of 1994, I was pretty new to Vancouver, and though I wasn't at all a sports fan, the sight of thousands of hockey fans jubilantly strolling down Robson Street after each Canucks playoff victory was an irresistible treat. And after 11 years in the San Francisco Bay Area, this peaceful takeover of the street's car traffic by happy pedestrians seemed quintessentially Canadian.

Alas, on the night the Canucks' hopes were dashed and they were eliminated from the playoffs, things turned unexpectedly ugly. It was a turn of events that surprised a lot of people. Note: happily I was NOT there for the riot, so there is no footage of it here, but I did tape that day and evening and a sense of what's coming seems to hang in the air.

Over 14 years later, I realized this video I've already edited and made my own DVD of should be shared. Enjoy this little slice of recent Vancouver history - and the sight of a younger and much shaggier me!

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• vancouver
• hockey
• fans
• robson
• street
• riots
• 1994

[Airplane299]

I wonder if you caught any footage of the riot in vancouver

[cosmocanuck]

@Airplane299 What, the new one? I was nowhere near it.

[cosmocanuck]

Thanks for the comments Robert! Glad you liked the footage. I also have clips of the attempt to break the record for the most people playing guitar at once, to Randy Bachman's "Takin' Care of Business" at Robson Square. It's from around the same time. Thought that was up here but looks like it isn't... i'll post that too as soon as I get a chance!

[goblew14]

Nice mullet

[Yhudination]

Rangers Suck at 2:30 Boy, I am glad they got to eat their words!!!

NYR

[robertborak]

great video! nice rare footage of that run in 94'.

The epicenter of the riot has changed a lot. Robson and Thurlow looks so much different now.

if you have any more footage, please post! thanks

[wookie11]

nice mullet. Classy.

[sean919993]

lol....mullet