When the Vancouver Canucks take to the ice to warm up ahead of their match-up against the Nashville Predators on Friday, they’ll be sporting some bright new threads.
The locally-designed gold warm-up jerseys, which honour elements of South Asian culture, are one part of a package of sights and sounds set to animate Rogers Arena as the club hosts its fifth annual Diwali Night.
Diwali, the five-day festival of lights celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists, begins Thursday.
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The common thread of the holiday among practitioners is the celebration of new beginnings, light over darkness and good over evil.
Fans at Friday’s game will be treated to a performance by Intense, one of the world’s biggest Punjabi music producers, accompanied by Vancity Bhangra dancers and Beats By Dhol drummers.
The limited-edition jerseys, designed by artist Jag Nagra, feature a twist on the Canucks’ classic “stick in rink” logo embroidered with imagery that calls back to Diwali celebrations, including a diya (clay lamp), fireworks, lotus flower and mustard plant.
The club will auction the game-worn jerseys after the event at vanbase.ca, with partial proceeds going to the Punjabi Market Regeneration Collective.
Friday’s game will also feature performances in a Diwali Plaza outside the arena, DJs, and a Vancouver-based singer Jugpreet Bajwa leading the national anthem.
As a part of the event, the Canucks for Kids Fund will donate $20,000 to Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen, a Sikh organization providing food in the Downtown Eastside, and Kids Play Foundation, which engages youth through sport.
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