Who Says Hockey Doesn't Matter

Thousands of people gathered Wednesday in downtown Vancouver hoping to watch their Canucks hoist its first every Stanley Cup in 40 years of existence.

As the national anthems were playing, huge banners were hanging inside Rogers Arena with a simple message: "This is what we live for."

As the game ended in an anti-climatic 4-0 thumping at the hands of the Boston Bruins, Vancouver fans turned violent. Hockey really is what they live for north of the border.

The mostly young group of Canuck overturned vehicles and set fire in the blocks around Rogers Arena. The surreal rioting scene capped off one of the strangest and dirtiest Stanley Cup finals in recent memory.

Boston's Nathan Horton and Vancouver's Mason Raymond had their season end prematurely in dirty plays, and a new rule was created to keep players from thrusting their fingers at one another.

In the end the series was determined by Bruins goalie Tim Thomas standing on his head. Thomas, who plays an unorthodox and rather ugly style of net-minding, set the NHL record for most saves in playoff history.

Despite the ugliness, Vancouver which proved its world class hosting the Olympics, will recover.

While the rioting was likely an excuse for drunk, young idiots to go crazy, Canada hasn't had a team raise Lord Stanley's Cup since 1993. You can't say that doesn't bother them.