Jubilant hockey fans turned violent in Edmonton on Saturday, leaving two people with stab wounds and 49 others arrested following a playoff victory by the Oilers.
Thousands of fans poured into the streets after the Oilers defeated the San Jose Sharks 6-3, throwing bottles and firecrackers at police in riot gear.
The crowds were so thick that ambulances were unable to get to the stabbing scene. Police were eventually able to break through the crowds, rescue two men in their 20s and transport them to hospital in police cars.
"We just had a double-stabbing at one of the lounges down there and couldn't get ambulances in," Edmonton Police Service Insp. Dan Jones told the Canadian Press on Saturday.
He did not release the names of the two victims or the extent of their wounds.
Jones said police arrested 49 people, mainly for minor offences such as breaching the peace. They also laid four criminal charges for offences that ranged from assault to impaired driving.
Most of the people arrested were held overnight and released Saturday morning.
The win Friday night tied the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal at two games apiece. The fifth game in the series will be held Sunday night in San Jose (7 p.m. PDT, CBC) with the sixth game Wednesday night in Edmonton.