The Vancouver Canucks have unveiled their second annual Black History Month jerseys.
The jerseys will be worn during the warm-up period before the game against the Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 13.
“The Vancouver Canucks take an enormous amount of pride in trying to make the game of hockey a more diverse, inclusive, and safe space,” said Michael Doyle, Canucks Sports and Entertainment business operations’ president.
“Black History Month gives us a tremendous opportunity to showcase and highlight hockey’s ability to bring people together, to educate, enlighten, and more importantly to inspire our fans to see the good in the game.”
This season’s Black History Month jersey is designed by Yared Nigussu, who channeled his Ethiopian-Canadian background to reimagine Vancouver’s threads.
The classic orca logo has the textile designs of Ethiopia, while the shoulder patches display Genna sticks used in traditional field hockey. Each player’s jersey will feature Ge’ez numbering from the Amharic language of Ethiopia as well.
The Canucks’ Black History Month celebrations are part of the NHL and NHLPA’s Hockey is For Everyone initiative.
This season’s Black History Month theme for the league has been named Black Hockey History is NOW, which will highlight contributions and impacts that the present and next generation of Black athletes will have on the game of hockey.
Throughout the month of February, the Canucks will be amplifying voices within the Black hockey community.
Vancouver has also donated $20,000 to the BC Black History Awareness Society on behalf of the Canucks for Kids Fund to support their efforts in providing educational resources, spreading awareness, and advocating for racial diversity.