The City of Vancouver has unveiled plans to manage public gatherings during the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs that include an aggressive crackdown on alcohol and the creation of venues for people to celebrate closer to their homes.

Unlike last year's celebrations, this year the city won't be showing the game on big screens on downtown streets.

At a press conference held following a briefing with city staff and other partners Tuesday, Mayor Gregor Robertson echoed statements made last week by the deputy city manager, that the city's plan will focus on neighbourhood celebrations instead of a massive downtown event like last year.

"The downtown is still obviously open," Robertson said.

"But we're enabling celebrations around the city as well that are diverse, and that reflect the diversity of Vancouver."

He said the city has budgeted $100,000 to host alcohol-free family-oriented celebrations at community centres across the city, and is prepared to add to the budget as required.

"If the Canucks go the distance — and I know we all are hoping they will — we are prepared to scale up our plans as the games and the rounds proceed," Robertson said.

He said the goal is to avoid drawing large volumes of people similar to the crowd that gathered downtown for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs last year — a crowd that got out of control when the Canucks lost.

Rioters spent hours torching cars, smashing windows and looting stores in the city's downtown core on June 15. Hundreds of people were injured, and B.C. taxpayers and business owners were out millions of dollars due to damages. As of March 20, 197 criminal charges had been laid against 75 suspected rioters.

Focus is 'upstream'

Robertson said the city will be encouraging people to come downtown to celebrate and to support downtown businesses, but if the numbers get out of hand, the police will know early.

Cars were flipped and set on fire after the Canucks lost the final game of the playoffs in 2011. (CBC)

He said the city and the Vancouver Police Department are working closely with TransLink to track the number of people arriving downtown during big games.

"There will be a proactive approach upstream," he said.

The city is also taking an aggressive stance on public drunkenness and the transport of alcohol by transit onto city streets.

"The downtown won't turn into the same centre of gravity as it has been in past celebrations," he said.

Vancouver police Deputy Chief Doug LePard said the main tactic in avoiding the "toxic soup" of 2011 is to make the 2012 celebrations a regional event, with a regional response.

Hundreds of thousands of people turned out watch the final games of the Stanley Cup finals last June in downtown Vancouver. (CBC)

LePard said that regional police agencies and the transit police are working together to have a regional strategy to prevent liquor from being transported into the city to be drunk in public places.

LePard said there may also be early closings of downtown liquor stores.

He also said drunk people attempting to get onto transit will be stopped.

LePard said Vancouver Police Department officers will be using handheld cameras to monitor the crowds and that new equipment the police force has can be used to analyze images should crimes be committed.

"Make no mistake: If people do come downtown intending to make trouble, we will be waiting," he said.