WHL’s Vancouver Giants Join the Dark Side With Stormtrooper Star Wars Night Jerseys

Considering they hit the back of the net three times, it’s safe to say the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants had better aim than the characters their uniforms were modeled after over the weekend.

The Giants took to the ice for their annual Star Wars night on Sunday, December 29, against the Kelowna Rockets wearing all-white jerseys mimicking those of Imperial stormtroopers from the sci-fi movie franchise, who have notoriously bad aim with their blaster rifles.

The jerseys had a white base with grey and black markings on the front and back to match the contours of the stormtroopers’ armour. A large “VANCOUVER GIANTS” wordmark sat on the chest, underneath a thick black collar. Each arm has a large black swath that ran into the black side panels. Black Imperial crests appeared on each shoulder, just above the black sleeve number.

The grey and black markings continued on the back of the jerseys, with the player names in one-color black and the numbers, also in one-color black, sitting on a square panel in the middle of the back.

The pants were also white with large black swoops on either side. The socks were white with more tonal markings. The Giants wore solid white helmets and black gloves to complete the stormtrooper look.

Unlike their counterparts on the silver screen, the Giants stayed on target throughout the game, beating the Rockets 3-1.

This is the second time the Giants have worn stormtrooper uniforms, though the last time was in December 2015. Giants vice-president of operations and assistant general Pete Toigo told The Province that, this time around, there’s more detail in the bottom half of the jerseys and the pants.

Game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off later in the season with proceeds going to the B.C. Children’s Hospital.