As a hockey player myself, I can assure you guys that no one on that team in Vancouver is proud of this. This is just a shame.
I saw this kind of thing happen in Chicago year after year when the Bulls won championships during the Jordan era in the 90s. They were never our finest moments. It was awful. I used to have to go out and sit on my car amidst gunfire to make sure no one jumped on it until 4 in the morning. I will never understand why this goes on.
We humans play games out of love of the game (for the most part) and because they're fun. When we win, it's great and all. But when we lose is when we really learn. It's when we lose that we learn our most important lessons. When we win is when we have finally learned those very lessons.
In short, we win when we deserve to win- no sooner, no later. I would be willing to bet that everyone on the Vancouver Canucks realizes this.
Having played hockey for the short time I have (since January), I have met the most incredible people I've ever met in my life- supportive, kind, helpful and caring- never a negative word. I have never experienced this in any sport other than hockey. No matter what you may see on the ice, hockey players have a lot respect for each other at the end of the day. We might beat the hell out of each other out there, but once we step off the ice, it's respect and admiration (for the vast majority of us, there will always be a few bad apples, and we tend to discard them). That is the very reason I fell in love with hockey. It is a nasty, rough game and we get hurt- a lot. I've had countless injuries as a goalie. But we always compliment each other afterward. Talking to the opposing team after a game for me, has always been important, especially if we lost to them.
The fans displayed the exact opposite after this game. They made a mockery of the game. It makes me sad, because this is not what hockey is about at all. It's about doing your best. And if your best isn't good enough at the time, so be it. There's always next time. And if you're smart, you take those lessons to heart and learn from them, rather than throwing a fit and learning nothing.