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 No historic precedent Buffalo police brace for Stanley Cup fan reaction
Posted: Saturday June 19, 1999 01:48 AM
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Law enforcement officials don't know what to expect from Buffalo fans should the Sabres go on to win the Stanley Cup. There's no championship celebration in the city's history to draw from. But police are taking no chances, beefing up their presence at Marine Midland Arena, where Game 6 of the Buffalo-Dallas series will be played Saturday night. The Sabres are down three games to two in the series. A loss Saturday night would force Sabres' fans to watch the Dallas Stars raise Lord Stanley's Cup over the Sabres' home ice. A Sabres' win would force Game 7 in Dallas. Police also will be out in force at Dunn Tire Park, where fans without game tickets are invited to watch the game on the baseball park's jumbo scoreboard. Crowds of several thousand have filled the ball park for previous games and enthusiastic fans rushed the field at the end of Game 4, when the Sabres tied the series at two games apiece. "The potential to be National Hockey League champions certainly is cause for celebration," Erie County Sheriff Patrick Gallivan said, "but we want to assure that fans celebrate in a law-abiding manner, that ... they do not infringe on the rights of others, do not cause damage." Following Denver's Super Bowl win in January, police had to use tear gas to break up crowds after thousands of Broncos fans spilled into the streets to celebrate the victory. Fans started bonfires and set off firecrackers, dispersing only after police marched in riot gear. There were similar clashes the previous year after Denver's first Super Bowl win, when people threw rocks and bottles through windows. In Detroit in 1998, police reported two stabbings during a group celebration of the Red Wings' second consecutive Stanley Cup. "We're very confident the people of Buffalo know how to celebrate without being violent or stupid," said Buffalo Police Lt. Duane Rizzo. Nevertheless, "we have raised our numbers to a reasonable amount," he said. A sheriff's helicopter will fly over the city, transmitting video images to patrols on the street. The biggest concern is the "mob mentality," Rizzo said. "A lot of times the first person hits the side of a car, and the next one turns it over," he said. "It's the mob mentality we're trying to prevent." Experts say championship celebrations, which combine alcohol with a fierce sense of competition and pride, tend to loosen inhibitions in some people, leading to behavior they would otherwise never exhibit. "What you have is this heightened arousal and people are way up compared to everyday life," said Dr. Frank Farley, a recent president of the American Psychological Association and psychologist at Temple University. "Also, sometimes, things get started and it facilitates the same behavior in others." "For some on the winning side, there might be a sense that they deserve the right to let it all hang out, they earned it," Farley said. Rizzo said police don't want to deny anyone a celebration. "We want people to enjoy themselves, celebrate, have a good time, but don't commit any crimes," he said. "Yell, scream, run up and down. Just don't break anything."
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