We all remember video of the rioting in Vancouver after the Canucks lost to Boston in the Stanley Cup Final. The hooliganism, carried out by mostly intoxicated fans, was one of the most embarrassing events ever to take place in a beautiful city that had recently hosted a successful (and peaceful) Winter Olympic Games in 2010.

This week, Toronto’s The Globe and Mail reported that the Vancouver City Council has found a way to make an ugly situation even worse, blaming all the crime and vandalism on the National Hockey League.  

“In spite of four Stanley Cup riots in the last five years, [the NHL] has no approach, no policy and no apparent strategy to work with host franchises and municipalities on this issue,” claims the city council report.

The city of Vancouver is passing the buck and looks pretty petty in doing so. The NHL puts on hockey games, keeping the peace is the job of the local police department. The city not being properly prepared is not the problem of Gary Bettman.