As the Edmonton Oilers eagerly await their next opponent in the final battle for the Stanley Cup, city officials gathered Tuesday to discuss how to keep the team's rowdier fans from tearing the city up after a win or loss.

They are hoping last Saturday's celebrations on Whyte Avenue aren't a harbinger of vandalism to come.

About 50,000 fans converged on the city's main strip after the Oilers eliminated the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to win the Western Conference championship.

The celebration turned ugly when a group of people smashed store windows, knocked over phone booths and set bonfires in the middle of the street.

To prevent any further incidents, Edmonton Police Chief Mike Boyd said Tuesday that officers would be enforcing outdoor drinking and overcrowded bar violations by "multiple times."

"Anyone acting in an unlawful or disorderly manner will be subject to arrest and where appropriate charges will be vigorously pursued," Boyd said.

Edmonton's Mayor, Stephen Mandel, expressed his disdain for Saturday's riots.

"On Whyte Avenue we saw something we don't take any pride in," Mandel said. "People acted not as Edmontonians or fans of the Oilers -- they acted as people that were just disgusting."

The Oilers' organization is also appealing to the public to conduct a peaceful party during the Stanley Cup series.

Oilers president Patrick LaForge said concerned team members will record public service announcements that will air before the series begins next week.

The psychology

Sports psychologist Daniel L. Wann, author of Sport Fans: The Psychology and Social Impact of Spectators, told CTV.ca that winning can be more of a riot instigator than losing.

"It's interesting because a lot of the rioting that you see is after a win," Wann said. "It's surprising to people because we don't associate happiness with violence."

"But for some of these individuals, once their team has won a long, sought-after championship, it puts them in such a feeling of euphoria and such a feeling of power that they literally don't think as though their actions have consequences."

Wann said overzealous fans can begin to take the victories too seriously.

"For so many of these people, they have a high level of identification with the team, and so literally the team's victories are their own victories," Wann said.

Of course, alcohol is often a large factor in any mob rioting.

"(When) you throw in the factor of alcohol... (and fans) under the cover of a large crowd ... then you have all these individual, perfect pieces of a puzzle that can fuel aggressive behaviour."

However, Wann said it's important to keep in mind that hooligans make up only a small percentage of hockey fans.

"We have to remember that the vast majority of fans are extremely well behaved, and it does only take one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch."

Interestingly, loyally supporting a local sport team can actually be good for your heath.

"Research shows pretty clearly that individuals who identify with a local sport team have a very positive psychological makeup," Wann said.

"It lowers depression, it lowers loneliness, alienation -- it basically builds in connections to other people in society which is very psychologically healthy."