Montreal police say they will review and adjust their game-night strategy after a riot left the downtown strip littered with torched cruisers and broken windows following the Canadiens' playoff win Monday night.

Police may consider blocking off Ste-Catherine Street during upcoming playoff games, said Montreal police Chief Yvan Delorme at a news conference on Tuesday.

Several cop cars were torched as game night celebrations turned ugly in Montreal.
(Photo courtesy of Alan Schneider)

Sixteen people, including three minors, were arrested and charged with various counts of mischief and assault after the riot, which boiled over after thousands of revelers gathered on Ste-Catherine Street West to celebrate the Habs' first-round playoff series win over the Boston Bruins.

Police said they weren't expecting the kind of violence that bubbled down the strip where thousands of revelers gathered to celebrate the Game 7 win. As the crowd thinned out, vandals smashed windows and set police cars on fire.

Police prevented any injuries and damage to civilian property, said Delorme.

"What I retain from this is there was not a citizen or a police officer injured, and I think that was the principle objective we had," he said.

Sixteen police cruisers were torched, causing nearly $500,000 in damage.

Normally, police cars are parked at a distance from any crowd, but the force decided to keep their vehicles within sight on the street during the Habs' home playoff games and blend in with the masses to "show visibility and be welcoming," Delorme explained.

Police believe the riot was sparked by small, organized bands of vandals who targeted authorities.

Investigators say several cellphone and digital videos have been handed over and are providing police with a valuable source of clues. 

Officers don't want to punish hockey fans during future games for the alleged crimes committed by a few, Delorme said.

ADQ says cops should fight back in case of rioting

Opposition Leader Mario Dumont said Montreal police should have used more force to deal with rioters because officers have the backing of politicians.

Anti-riot police line up on a Montreal street Monday night after vandals stormed the downtown area.
(Photo courtesy of Alan Schneider)

It's up to political leaders to send a clear message to police forces that they should use means at their disposal when wide-scale vandalism breaks out like it did on Monday night, the ADQ leader said.

Quebec cabinet minister Raymond Bachand, who is responsible for the Montreal region, said the riots are a shame and do not reflect the spirit of real hockey fans.

"It's not the 22,000 fans who were at the Bell Centre who were part of that," said Bachand, who attended Monday night's game.

"In any society there are bums, you know. Just people [who] take pleasure in mischief and vandalism."

He praised Montreal police for preventing more damage and injuries from taking place.

Montreal's downtown borough mayor Benoît Labonté chastized rioters for capitalizing on what should have been a night of celebration for hockey fans.

"These people are looking for every moment possible to challenge the authorities, and pay disrespect to the city," he said.

Merchants clean up post-game mess

By mid-Tuesday morning, most of the broken glass on the street was swept up, but some merchants targeted by vandals were still shocked by the violent outburst.

Sports store owner Sandra Prosper had just gotten home from watching the game Monday night when her alarm company called, she said.

"I'm watching the news, and then I see my store, and some people are running in and out like it's a free-for-all, and people are just all over the place," she said while she cleaned up the mess in her Ste-Catherine Street store.

About a dozen stores were vandalized.

Habs fans also rioted in the downtown streets in 1993, when the storied NHL team last won the Stanley Cup.

With files from the Canadian Press