Police car set ablaze in downtown Montreal following Habs win over Boston in game 7. (LCN.canoe.com)Habs fans' jubilation quickly went sour as many supporters turned their cheerful attitude into an aggressive one early Tuesday morning in downtown Montreal following the Habs' 5-0 win and elimination of the Boston Bruins in game #7.
A fantastic win for the Habs is already being considered an after-thought to what has transpired in downtown Montreal.
Police cars have been the main target of the vandalism, as a reported 6 cop cars have been set aflame. Various other squad cars either had their windows smashed or tires punctured, or, in some cases, both.
There is no word yet if any weapons were stolen from these cop cars, which are known to have loaded weapons inside.
Helicopter video allowed us to see some of the carnage taking place live, and various videos showed some vandals (usually operating in small groups or gangs) setting police cars on fire while others filmed the event, surely to have the footage to upload to such social sites as YouTube.
Various testimonials of citizens who witnessed the events stated that the vandalism was done not by actual Habs fans, but by vandals who are seizing the opportunity to exact whatever kind of damage they would like.
It has also been reported that a few buildings on Sainte-Catherine street and various other surrounding streets have been vandalized, notably an SAQ store, which is an alchol-distribution shop for those of you who may not be aware. A comment from an anonymous poster has also informed us here at HabsHockeyTalkey that a Western Union branch and an American Apparel clothing shop were also attacked or vandalized Tuesday morning. One witness said he saw many people fleeing with many bottles of alcohol.
One citizen who commented on LCN cable 29 in Montreal suggested that the Habs should be banned for 5 years from playing in their own town due to the extremely disgraceful events that have transpired.
Others don't quite see such a harsh punishment suiting (myself included), but they do agree with the actions as being deplorable and non-reflective of what Habs fans are truly about.
I for one am completely against what happened downtown tonight. We are privileged to live in such a well respected hockey town that has demonstrated the utmost class in everything it does, whether it's playing games or honouring it's legends, and we should not succomb to such a low-form of celebration. This is hardly celebration at all; it's just plain stupid. Fans who would like to head downtown to celebrate peacefully have to bear witness to this kind of insanity, and it's just not fair to taint someone else's celebration by actually putting their lives in danger. Surely some of the vandals will be "google'ing" stories about the riots tonight and tomorrow, and if you're one of them, you should be ashamed of your actions.
More on this story should new details surface in the morning.
