Stanley Cup Finals 2011: Vancouver Canucks Fans Need to Grow Up

First off, I will admit this: While 2010 was a down year for USA hockey, 2011 is officially an up-and-up year. What a difference a year makes.

Now don't get me wrong, Vancouver is definitely a sports town with dedicated fans. But what happened after Game 7 simply is unacceptable, you ruthless Vancouverites.

Last night, after the Boston Bruins won the 2011 Stanley Cup 4-0 over the Vancouver Canucks, you decide to throw one of the worst temper tantrums in recent memory and start a riot.

Uh, hello? Vancouver? This is the voice inside your head calling—it's only a game.

While I personally get some closure for your country winning the 2010 Winter Olympics gold medal with an American-based team lifting Lord Stanley's trophy in the same city where the scene of the crime happened, you should know better than this.

All these notions of rioting being un-Canadian have just been tossed in the Pacific Ocean where it unfortunately now belongs.

As an Anaheim Ducks supporter, we would not stoop as low as this tripe. What we do is grab our keys, start our engines and drive back to our own lives. Some of us commute back.

That's what you could have done, Vancouver. Instead, what do you do? You resort to trashing your city, creating burning piles of refuse that are more fit for music videos involving Lady Gaga wannabes like Ke$ha or some random rock band pandering to mainstream radio.

I mean, come on Vancouver. To paraphrase a Renato William Jones quote, "The Canucks must learn how to lose, even when they think they are right."

Now I shook a finger several weeks ago at Luton Town's supporters when it comes to entitlement. Today, I shake it toward you, Vancouver. You have embarrassed your country in disgraceful fashion by choosing not to accept defeat and move on.

I don't care if this was a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. In the end, at the end of the night, it's only a game.

A shame that you could not consider this when using your best judgement.

There's always the Whitecaps and Lions to cheer you up though. In the meantime, as I sip my champagne of closure, I leave you with these few simple words.

For the sake of ice hockey fans around the world...Grow Up, Vancouver.