Fans heading to tonight’s Vancouver Canucks vs. the Edmonton Oilers game at Rogers Arena are being warned that bad behaviour, public drinking, and general rowdiness will land them in trouble with the law.
That message is from the Vancouver Police Department, which talked tough this week and detailed the number of tickets they’ve already handed out since the Vancouver Canucks made the playoffs.
“We issued approximately 20-30 tickets per home game last round, and these were for liquor offences, open alcohol, intoxication in public, tickets for disorder or rowdy behaviour, and we will continue to do so as needed,” Const. Tania Visintin said Wednesday.
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Wednesday night’s nail-biting 5-4 comeback victory for the Canucks also saw about 30 tickets handed out, but overall, VPD didn’t describe the crimes as overly serious.
The biggest message: public drinking will not be tolerated, and police will be out in full force again on Friday.
“Please consume your liquor at home or at a licensed establishment. We know, we’ve seen from the past, that public intoxication also contributes to very rowdy, risky behaviour, like climbing statues and fights, and a lot more violence; it incites a crowd and contributes to further disorder,” Visintin said, adding that cops will be pretty much everywhere downtown and won’t tolerate rule-breakers.
Rowdy fans could see penalties ranging from a pricey ticket to being arrested, with VPD saying that bad-behaving fans ruin the fun for everyone.
Outside Roger’s Arena after #canucks comeback pic.twitter.com/drGbCkzmIS
— Ethan Robinson (@BluRasp_Jell0) May 9, 2024
Thankfully, compared to the memorable riot of 2011, which still seems to be top of mind for many, this playoff run has been relatively quiet in terms of damage and disorder.
“The majority of people are celebrating safely and responsibly,” Visintin added.
In addition to the crowds at the game, thousands of cruise ship passengers are expected downtown this weekend, and traffic impacts are anticipated Friday night.