Here's the real story: http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2011/06/the_story_behind_vancouve.php

Thanks for that, Jerry. Now let's put on our creative thinking caps and come up with a fictional take on a moment like this.

The Canucks have just lost the Stanley Cup finals. The people of Vancouver are going nuts. It's a scary moment, but especially for the woman in the picture. She watches her boyfriend with rage in his eyes like she's never seen before, ready to take out all of his frustrations and likely get himself arrested, beaten or worse in the process. And she watches, knowing what he doesn't: that she's pregnant with his child. Seeing him about to drunkenly challenge a riot cop, she stops him the only way she can think of--by blurting out the news. Swept up in a rush of emotion and finally recognizing the fear in her eyes, he embraces her protectively, soothingly. As the riot moves away from them in all directions, they kiss passionately on the pavement, with a silent vigil of riot cops around them.

Or they were just hammered.

Two ex-lovers run into each other at game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals and rekindle their love over the course of the three periods.

But when the home team loses, disgruntled fans riot, pulling the lovebirds apart, forcing the guy into a frantic search for his one-true-love.

After battling police and disgruntled fans, he finds her; saves her; seals their love with a kiss.

Amidst weeks of civil unrest, a man finds his girlfriend thought to be killed weeks ago... He can't believe it. Neither can she. They embrace and kiss, oblivious to the chaos all around them.

It has to be about a guy who is a die-hard hockey fan (maybe even a player, probably one that rides the bench, a backup goalie?) who has been waiting for years for his team to win the cup. He gets mixed up in a gambling debt with the wrong kind of Bookie. The girlfriend goes to see the Bookie to try and fix it, but the Bookie takes her as ransom. The guy finds out. The bookie says the guy's team has to lose, or the girlfriend is toast. So, the guy has to figure out how to rig the game so his beloved team loses so that the bookie will release his girl. After an overtime upset, he succeeds, his team loses, the city riots, but it was all worth it. He gets his girl back.

Good stuff, folks. If anybody stumbles across an interesting photo they think the GITS community would enjoy brainstorming stories, please send my way.

Imagine if they WON!

@Phil: That's the line of the thread!

I'm taking the photo completely out of context right now but hey, y'know, writer's prerogative.

It's 2024. The world stock markets are obliterated. Food shortages and rationing rule the day. Chaos reigns supreme.

Wisconsin becomes the first state in the union to instigate strict population control measures. Hospitals have closed down maternity wards. Governor Alexander Walker and his cronies force a 5 year moratorium bill on new births through the legislature.

Enter Steve and Molly. Poster children for the underground, both paid handsomely by the rebel movement to represent the "beauty of procreation." They are tasked to instigate the act LIVE during a downtown Madison riot, to be streamed to the world via a popular dissent website.

Character-wise, I would have Steve and Molly dislike one another initially (since it's just another "job" for them, something to help pay for their sky-high college tuition) but then eventually fall in love, trying to negotiate a "healthy" relationship amid all that political and social upheaval.

When Harry Met Sally meets Soylent Green with a dash of Eyes Wide Shut?

Damn. I may have to write this! ;)