First, as a die-hard Canucks fan let me start by saying congratulations to the Boston Bruins for winning the Stanley Cup. You won against a team that had everything going for them but chose not to show up tonight. You were the hungrier team and you DESERVED to win. Just as we deserved to lose.

My message here though is to ask anyone who has heard about the riots now going on in my fair city (well, not MY city but close to it) to not judge us all too harshly. These small (really, even though there are so many of them) groups of troublemakers do not represent the rest of the city, province, or country. Nor do they represent the whole fan base for the Vancouver Canucks.

Many Canucks fans are ashamed and disgusted by the behavior of these hooligans. They are giving us a bad name, but there are so many of us that are not condoning or appreciating their antics.

So, from one Canadian to the world, we're sorry. This is not a strong moment for us. Please, do not judge us too harshly.

I would never judge an entire country by the actions of a few rabid sports fans!

Oh Glory..im sitting here in Port Hardy BC watching these riots on the news after the dreaded game and i am ashamed..i mean seriously..a riot? and what they are calling the biggest riot in the history of the world.. Forgive us for these Vancouverites dont know what they have done..a moment in anger..

I'm in Montreal but I only moved here a month ago, I am from Vancouver.

I am really horrified watching the news. I knew this would happen though, I worked in emergency services and we had planned every year for riots if the Canucks went to the cup, but it's disgusting to think that actually needed to be done.

Really shameful. I look forward to these idiots pictures being posted on TV & online to face mischief and assault charges.

Wow. I didn't know there were riots, but I'm not surprised. It was a pretty tough series with a lot of majors along with some other pretty serious penalties and injuries.

Frankly, as a Blackhawks fan, I started out rooting for the Canucks but after watching their poor sportsmanship, I quickly started rooting for the Bruins.

It doesn't surprise me that the poor sportsmanship was contagious to an unruly few fans.

We all know the entire province is not as ignorant and no apology is necessary, but thanks because it just proves there are true, good hockey fans in Vancouver.

I'm looking forward to next season already!

Thanks for the gracious congratulations. Boston is in ecstasy at moment, as you might imagine, and some of us realists - despite being grateful - are a tad surprised given the strength of the Canucks over the season.

And I've been to Vancouver - there isn't a more gracious or beautiful city in North America. Few are likely to judge Vancouver or Canada because of a handful of hooligans. It's actually fun to be reminded that it's time to plan a trip back west and see it again.

I'm a Boston sports fan through and through, and I cried through the whole presentation of the Lord Stanley trophy last night. I could not be happier this morning...

That being said, coming from a sports town that has won multiple championships in the last ten years - two World Series, three Super Bowls, an NBA title, and now the Cup - I know how frickin STUPID sports fans can be. We've had riots (resulting in some fan deaths!) after VICTORIES. I mean really?!?! People get so caught up in the passion, be it positive or negative, and just forget all about common sense.

Thanks for the classy congrats. It was a helluva series.

Coming from another Canadian so wishing the cup came home last night, Boston earned it, they had the heart and they out played our Canucks. Congrats are due, they earned them.

However, those rioters . . . are not fans. They are misguided, spoiled, drunken fools who would use any excuse they could. If Vancouver had won last night, they would have been in the streets full of shananigans in a 'victory' celebration rather than a loosing protest.
It does not look well upon them when the team ON THE ICE had the class to congratulate the victors only to see that kind of crap going on outside. Shame on them. I hope they can see threw the fog of their hangovers today and realize what a complete idiot they made of themselves.

Sorry, but it really bugs me that that is the image being portrayed of Candaian Hockey fans . . . disgusting.

Firstly, congrats Boston!!

Pretty sure us Carolina Hurricane fans have a bad rep as well as loud, drunk rednecks!

I was shocked about the riots, but I also read that people are already volunteering to go help clean up the area on Facebook and everything. Just a few bad apples, I don't think people will judge everyone who lives there on how these delinquents acted!

Problem with hockey games -- too much beer being sold!

Woah now!

I have SEEN stupid sports fans, and NEVER judge the whole city or even every fan by the actions of a few dumb people.

No one is thinking poorly of Canada!

Those few "fans" however... Did they seriously have a tantrum over a game? I hope they feel ashamed and help clean up their mess!

It is a sorry situation all around when people can behave like idiots over a GAME. Congrats to the Bruins, better luck next time to the Canucks, and I hope this sort of situation never happens again, anywhere.

People can be such jerks!

I agree wholeheartedly. I feel bad for your team and how ashamed they must feel with these so called "fans" running amok and destroying property. Canada as a whole is one rocking place. There is always next year for a win.

I was born and raised in Detroit which has had its share of black eyes due to hooligans that have done some terrible things in the name of 'sports rivalries'. When I see the same behavior in other cities, I have never thought it represents anything other than some stupid alcohol driven behavior of a few f***ing idiots. I hope there is enough CCTV footage to identify all the criminals and I hope the judicial system throws the book at 'em.

BTW, I am a huge Red Wings fan. The best team won this year!!! Training camp starts in only three months!

There are already groups set up on Facebook for people to upload any pictures or videos they took last night so that others can identify the idiots involved.

I never paid much attention to them before this series and when it started, I started researching and my opinion gained from that was poor and stuck straight through. I don't care for Thomas, or Marchand, or Chara at all for their attitudes and their unsportsmanlike conduct. That said,however, they are an amazing team. And they skated circles around us last night. Every team has its players that you may not like (I'm not a huge fan of Torres or Luongo) but you can still like the team as a whole for their skill and tenacity.

The Canucks deserved to lose because they simply were the poorer team. It's not like they COULDN'T win against the Bruins, they have in the past. They just chose not to show up to even give a fighting chance.

As for the riots. Small groups of people were what initially started everything, but because there were so MANY other people, it escalated into a situation where no one could go anywhere and the rioting just kind of blossomed. Right now, there are people in downtown Vancouver cleaning up - street crews and glass repair companies have been working all night, but there are some fans and other vancouverites who have showed up with plastic gloves and kitchen garbage bags to pick up garbage and glass and any other bits of debris they can.

I have at least 1 friend on facebook who, after writing down the names, deleted "friends" off his account for posting pictures of themselves next to burning cars or smashing windows. Those names are going to the police.

There were so many people last night with camera-phones and cameras out that, while not everyone will be found or charged, a good many of them WILL be. And so they should.

I think, regardless of what happened last night, even if we had won, those hooligans would have rioted anyway. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. It's just sad to think we hosted the world last year, had hundreds of thousands of people in the downtown core for 2 weeks, and no rioting broke out. But we riot over the Stanley Cup. So sad. So shameful.

Marchand can be a bit of a thug, I will admit, but to call Chara and Thomas unsportsmanlike is kind of laughable. Thomas gets a TON of credit for not rising to the bait that Vignault and Luongo have been throwing at him all series.

WE weren't the team throwing blind hits all over the ice. Just sayin'.