Dissappointing huh? No property destruction, no rowdiness, no cop car burning. There were only people in the streets singing, dancing and having fun. Something Leafs fans haven't had the pleasure to experience in decades.
First of all, the Leafs did have such celebrations 6 or 7 years ago, but everything was done in an orderly way & no violence was involved. Leafs fans don't have to get violent & start burning cars & looting shops in order to celebrate. It's too bad we can't say the same thing about Montreal fans & why only in Mtl do they have to fill up the streets with hundreds of cops after such games in order to prevent the mob from destroying downtown Montreal.
Anyways, here's something that will surprise you about the other night:
Huge crowd descends on downtown
Hundreds of euphoric young hockey fans poured into downtown streets Wednesday night seconds after the Canadiens’ thrilling, dramatic and unexpected Game 7 win over the Washington Capitals.
Large groups of ecstatic youths took over the intersection of Ste. Catherine and Peel Sts. chanting “Go Habs Go” and
“Ovie Sucks.” (Classy!)
They waved flags, honked horns and leaned out car windows after the nail-biting 2-1 victory that takes the Habs into the second round of the playoffs for a dream matchup with the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
“We want Crosby,” they chanted.
Montreal police were out in force during and after the game hoping to avoid a repeat of the looting and vandalism that marred the 2008 first round win over the Bruins.
When the match ended, several officers on horseback stayed close to the large crowds on Peel St. to maintain order. Others stood at major downtown intersections from Atwater to St. Laurent Blvd. and a police helicopter flew overhead.
After letting the fans celebrate for close to an hour, dozens of police from the tactical squad, some carrying guns that fire rubber pullets and irritating gas, began clearing the intersection. “We need to move people off the street so traffic can pass,” Lafrenière explained.
But many people stayed put, waiting to see how the crowd would react to the large number of police officers, carrying night sticks and shields.
Several people threw beer bottles at the officers, who did not respond, and other troublemakers were spotted throwing rocks at a cellphone store.
A few cars parked on Peel St. were damaged as some members of the crowd began to disperse.
By midnight, the streets were still packed and hundreds of motorists were driving down Ste. Catherine St. honking horns. Police made three arrests. “This shows people can celebrate without being stupid and breaking things,” Lafrenière said. (Of course, it helps that there were hundreds of cops in the area to prevent the city from being vandalized.)
Eric Bégin said he was dismayed to see a few people pouring beer on the cars of passing motorists.
“It was a great game, it’s a great night, but there are always idiots who do this and it can start violence,” he said.
Zach Shahinian looked on in amazement at the huge crowd. “This is Montreal in the spring,” he said. “People are excited because no one gave us a chance.”
(No Zach......it's because they're all a bunch of idiots.)
http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Huge+crowd+descends+downtown/2963156/story.html