Through careful analysis of reading trends, it seems Vancouver loves nudity as much as any other city. From shirtless hockey players to naked sushi and a raunchy devil statue, there was no shortage of buzzworthy stories catching eyes in 2014.
Here’s our list of the top 14 most-read stories of the year.
1. That time we posted photos of the 20 hottest players in the NHL
SEPTEMBER 25, 2014
The biggest story of the year, with over 153,000 shares on social media, had mouths gaping for quite some time. After exhaustive research, our staff compiled a list of the 20 hottest players in the NHL. Apparently not adding Sidney Crosby or Carey Price to the list was a controversial decision, but the overall reaction to the story? “Move to Sweden” one commenter wrote.
2. When we showed you what happens when Americans try famous Canadian snack foods
AUGUST 5
Mocking American reactions to all things Canadian proves to be a favourite national past-time, almost as good as some of our favourite national snacks. This video of Americans sampling beloved Canadian snacks and offering their immediate–and often comical–reactions had our readers laughing and sharing their preferred Canadian foods. Most people were pretty peeved that these Americans were stuck with no-name brand All Dressed chips – “If you’re going to introduce someone to a new food, give them the good stuff.”
3. Ultra Rich Asian Girls of Vancouver is announced and people rage
JUNE 2
When a new reality show called Ultra Rich Asian Girls of Vancouver was announced, and held casting calls in Vancouver, people went nuts. The racially-charged shows caused quite the stir on social media. One commenter on the story asked “Why can’t we have a show about the Hard working Asian women of Vancouver?” The show premiered on YouTube in November.
4. Naked Sushi comes to Vancouver and people rage
AUGUST 28
We’d never heard of “body sushi” before a new Vancouver service called Naked Sushi came along. Models–typically female–are trained to lie still for hours while their nude bodies serve as platters for a sushi and sashimi feast. With 27,400 shares on social media and 161 comments on our site, it was clear this story had people divided. “This is great, I can’t wait to visit!” one wrote while another was more critical: “Seems like just yesterday women were allowed to vote, now they can have a job as a plate! How far we’ve come folks.”
5. That time we posted photos of the 18 hottest players in the 2014 FIFA World Cup
JUNE 12
When the FIFA World Cup in Brazil brought together not only the world’s best soccer players, but also some of the sexiest men in the sport, we just had to list off the 18 hottest players in 2014’s international competition. Coming in behind the 20 Hottest NHL Players wasn’t a huge surprise given Vancouver’s huge hockey fanbase, but we’d still like to know… Who’s hotter? Hockey players or soccer players?
6. The Naked Bike Ride gets people talking
MAY 21
In anticipation of the annual Vancouver Naked Bike Ride, we put the word out about the event and the post reached the masses in no time. If there’s one thing Vancouverites seem to love, as proved by the majority of our top five stories, it’s nudity. The event was meant to protest against car culture and oil spills as well as celebrate creativity and individuality. Will you be participating in 2015?
7. Remember when a raunchy devil statue was erected outside the Skytrain?
SEPTEMBER 9
It’s hard not to forget one of the biggest WTF stories of the year. A large red devil statue with a very prominent feature showed up outside a Vancouver SkyTrain station in September and people were immediately taken with the art. The nine-foot tall statue had some people impressed by this daring cultural expression while others suggested it might be more appropriate at Wreck Beach. The City quickly removed the statue.
8. Go Topless Day encourages nudity with a cause
AUGUST 5
For 24 hours in August, Go Topless Day encouraged ladies to show their breasts as a protest against hypocritical global laws and norms that allow men to walk around shirtless while women must remain clothed. We wrote about the event, and just like the Naked Bike Ride, people were intrigued. The article had 27,000 shares on social media.
9. North Vancouver restaurant allegedly short changed customer $30 who bought $7.42 sandwich
APRIL 7
The operators of Giardino Pizzeria on 115 West 15th Street in North Vancouver found themselves at the centre of a social media storm in which they were ridiculed for their alleged poor business practices. A disgruntled customer named Jeff was allegedly short changed $30 after handing over a $50 bill to purchase a $7.42 pulled beef sandwich.
10. RCMP release this haunting video of an acid attack in Surrey
FEBRUARY 21
On September 7, 2013, Surrey RCMP responded to a call from a business owner who reported that someone had just thrown acid on his wife, at their place of business in the 13400 block of 71A Avenue in Surrey.
11. Anti-gay group sneaks into Vancouver Pride Parade, hands out 2,500 fake condoms with hateful letters
AUGUST 7
“Calgary Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster”, a group of conservative evangelical Christians from Edmonton and North Dakota, were present at Vancouver’s Pride festivities with a sole goal of crashing the spirit of the Pride parade.
12. February snow storm has people excited to finally hit the slopes
FEBRUARY 5
Environment Canada called for a much-awaited snow storm over Family Day long weekend last February, giving some hope to a dismal snow season on the mountains. The post had over 37,000 shares on social media, making it one of the biggest weather stories of the year.
13. Vancouver kayakers lose control while racing down Lions Bay drainage ditch
AUGUST 6
It goes without saying – Ben Marr and Rush Sturges have more cojones than you or I. That’s simply fact. The two daredevil kayakers decided to race each other down a drainage ditch near Lions Bay and recorded it all with GoPro cameras for our enjoyment.
14. No Pants SkyTrain Ride not as weird as Naked Bike Ride
JANUARY 10
Vancouver’s 5th annual No Pants SkyTrain Ride took place in January. Participants were asked to show up fully dressed, then remove their pants once inside the SkyTrain. Some people thought this might be fun, but others were worried about getting too cold and “seeing things you don’t wanna see”. Will you check out the 2015 event in January?
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