It looks like the City of Vancouver might give Canucks fans what they’ve been waiting for since the beginning of the playoffs.
After Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim originally said the city wouldn’t be holding any Canucks playoff watch parties, it now looks like that might be changing.
In a release Monday morning, the City of Vancouver said they are “exploring potential public viewing opportunities for round 2 and beyond” and they “hope to have more to share in the coming week”.
“The City is very aware of the high interest in places for community to come together to watch the Canucks,” says the release.
“Round 2, here we go! It’s been super exciting watching our home team battle through Round 1 and the fans have been amazing at keeping the energy going,” added Mayor Ken Sim in the release. “Having the playoffs in Vancouver is important on so many levels and we are so proud of everyone putting in the effort to make this a fun, family-friendly experience for everyone. Let’s keep it up!”
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On April 25th, Ken Sim explained why no viewing parties were being planned in Vancouver.
“We have to be incredibly responsible and thoughtful. We have a history of 1994 and 2011,” Sim said to reporters.
“I would love to throw a party right now, but we have to be responsible,” added Sim.
In 2011, a huge riot broke out in downtown Vancouver after the Canucks lost in game 7 of the of the Stanley Cup Final. Huge crowds watched the game on giant screens set up on the streets and things got out of hand as the game was coming to an end.
It’s unclear what these playoff watch parties would look like, but if done in a safe and thoughtful manner, it’ll help create an amazing atmosphere as we cheer on the Canucks.
Despite Vancouver not hosting any viewing parties yet, Burnaby, Delta and Port Coquitlam have been hosting free community viewing parties throughout the playoffs.