It’s been a decade since riots broke out in Vancouver following Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals against Boston. While the destruction caused an estimated $5 million worth of damage, the “kissing couple” captured by Rich Lams (a freelancer on assignment for Getty Images), amid looting, tear gas and flames, will forever remain the event’s lasting legacy.
In the decade since, Scott Jones and Alex Thomas have started a family, living with their three-year-old daughter Amy in Perth, Australia, where the two run a bar together specializing in craft beer. Jones and Thomas had been watching Game 7 (which the Bruins won 4-0) at a friend’s house when they heard a commotion happening outside.
"Even before the game was finished, there was news coming out that cars were on fire,” said Jones, recalling the night of his iconic photo. “Me being a bit of a tourist, I thought it would be a good idea to go check it out. Like, 'We're never going to see this again.”
That turned out to be a bad idea as the riots quickly became violent. Thomas and Jones were knocked to the ground by police patrolling the area, but only suffered minor injuries. Jones said he kissed his girlfriend to comfort her amid the chaos, having no earthly idea they were about to go viral. Neither did Lams, who was asked by Getty to authenticate the image to ensure it wasn’t staged.
“When I saw it, I was like, 'That's pretty neat,' but it had been 12 hours since I had a meal and I was more concerned about what was for dinner,” Lam told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. “It wasn't until I was leaving that another photographer mentioned that it was a really cool picture.”
Thomas and Jones were initially overwhelmed by the photo’s response with national and local media bombarding the couple with interview requests. “I don't think either of us were very media-savvy prior to that,” Thomas admitted. The two eventually connected with Lam, who advised them to throw the press a “bone” so they’d go away.
“We wanted to get our side of the story out there,” said Jones, who appeared on the Today Show and CBC News. The media attention subsided within a few weeks as Thomas and Jones, who had planned to move to Australia that summer anyway (where Jones is originally from), have since gone on to live normal lives. The iconic “kissing” photo hangs prominently in their bar.
“It’s just a piece of the backstory,” said Thomas. “We didn't know what 'going viral' meant or anything like that. It was a bit weird having people interested in it."
Vancouver’s previous Stanley Cup appearance against the Rangers in 1994 also resulted in riots, accounting for over $1 million in damages.
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