2011 Stanley Cup Finals Playoffs Riot Wall
On June 15, 2011, the Vancouver Canucks lost to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. After the game, crowds that had gathered downtown rioted. Cars were overturned and burned, and stores were looted in an incident that severely tarnished the reputation of Vancouver.
The following morning, "real" Vancouverites showed up with brooms and garbage bags to clean up the mess left by the rioters. Citizens began leaving messages of apology and community love on the plywood covering the broken windows at Hudson's Bay (The Bay) department store.
As more and more people added their thoughts, messages were written on boards and pieces of cloth hung across the structure. This Riot Healing Wall became an emotional space for Vancouverites to heal and demonstrate that the rioters did not represent the true spirit of the city. The wall was dismantled when the department store glass windows were replaced, but the panels were saved by the Museum of Vancouver for future historical display.
Where was the 2011 Stanley Cup Riot Wall?
While the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals Playoffs Riot Wall no longer exists on the streets, it was originally concentrated across three sides (Granville St, Georgia St, and Seymour St) of The Bay Department Store in Downtown Vancouver.
Similar message boards spontaneously appeared on other impacted local businesses along Seymour Street, as well as the Sears building and Chapters bookstore located on Robson Street.