The Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants are showing their appreciation for the men and women in the middle with special jerseys unveiled earlier this week.
The junior hockey club announced on Thursday, October 5, that they would don black-and-white-striped jerseys on Sunday, October 22, for their first-ever Referee Appreciation Night. True to the original, the Giants’ jerseys won’t have a logo on the front, and will have white varsity block numbers inside black circles on the sleeves and back.
The Giants’ jerseys will have CCM and WHL patches on the chest, a Canadian Hockey League logo on the right shoulder and a Giants wordmark on the left shoulder.
The Giants said in their announcement that the jerseys are “an effort to acknowledge and show support for the thousands of ice hockey officials in British Columbia and across Canada. There has been a Canada-wide shortage of referees in many sports, including ice hockey, since the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Our goal with this game is twofold: first, to acknowledge the hard work that on-ice officials do to ensure the game is safe and fair, and second, to shine a spotlight on officiating at the grassroots level here in B.C.,” said Giants vice-president of operations Pete Toigo on the team’s website. “Hockey can’t be played without officials. By hosting this game, we want to encourage youth to get involved in officiating and also show support for officials at all levels, who deserve more respect.”
The jerseys will be paired with the Giants’ usual home white helmets and black pants. The socks are mostly black, with a white stripe down the back.
Given that the Giants will be decked out in black and white stripes, the on-ice officials for the game will wear their own special jerseys, which will be unveiled closer to the game.
Referee Appreciation Night takes place on Sunday, October 22, at 4 p.m. when the Giants take on the Spokane Chiefs at the Langley Events Centre.
UPDATE (October 23, 2023): The Giants and Chiefs squared off yesterday, with Vancouver sporting their black-and-white striped jerseys. The on-ice officials for the game wore cream-colored jerseys with orange stripes outlined in black around the sleeves and black and orange collars.
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