Canucks react to loss, riots

VANCOUVER – Emotions ran high in the Canucks camp after a tough 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup final Wednesday night. But the team had to deal with their sorrow as thousands of angered fans and anarchists were rioting just meters away from Rogers Arena.

Speaking to the media after the game, forward Ryan Kesler was fighting back tears as he struggled to put the loss into words. “It’s tough right now. It’s really tough…I can hold my head up high, but it hurts, it definitely hurts right now.”

Captain Henrik Sedin admitted Boston had a lot of momentum, but his team just could not score. He summed up the series saying, “They’ve got Thomas. We could not beat him.”

Incidentally and as many predicted, 37-year-old Thomas has won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the NHL postseason. He also became the oldest player to win the trophy as playoff MVP.

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault also praised Thomas, but gave props to the rest of the team skating in front of the Bruins’ phenomenal goalie.

Meanwhile, Vancouver’s netminder Roberto Luongo, who many in the rioting crowds blamed for the loss, said hockey is a team game and no one should be pointing fingers at one individual.

“If we all had stepped it up a notch, starting with myself, then maybe we could have gotten the job done,” said Vancouver’s No.1.

Thursday morning, the team has released a statement thanking law enforcement agencies, fire and rescue workers for keeping the crowds at bay last night. They say the destruction and the “needless violence demonstrated by a minority of people” was highly disappointing.