The Force Is Strong In This One

With Halloween nearly upon us, there are going to be a few minor-league teams who dress up for the observance. While the vast majority of these uniforms are decent in terms of their look, one team is going all-out in their Halloween endeavor. The ECHL's Toledo Walleye have committed to some pretty awesome uniforms before - Captain America, anyone? - but they're really setting the standard when it comes to theme nights. November 2 will forever be the day that Huntington Center sees a showdown between the Rebels and the Empire.

The Toledo Walleye will be hosting the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday night, and, as per minor-league promotional custom, the Walleye will be providing their opponents with jerseys to complete the promotion. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Rebel X-Wing Pilots vs. the Darth Vaders!

How fantastic are those uniforms? I am seriously considering buying one via the auction. Oh, I didn't mention that? Well, the post-game live auction will see both sets of uniforms auctioned off with proceeds from the "X-Wing Pilot" jerseys benefitting the National MS Society while proceeds from the "Darth Vader" jerseys will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Major kudos to the Walleye for supporting two excellent charities while having some fun on the ice!

Of course, we haven't seen how the numbering looks or anything yet, but I expect the names and numbers to be very Star Wars-appropriate on the back and sleeves of the jersey. And if they are going to really push this to the limit, I hope the captaincy designations are the actual Rebel and Empire logos used throughout the Star Wars universe. And then my mind will be officially blown!

Throughout the night, the Star Wars theme will be on in full-force (excuse the pun) at the Huntington Center. Fans are to wear their best Star Wars costume for a chance to win prizes (your own droid, maybe?), the concessions will feature Star Wars-themed items such as the "Chewbacca Bacon Burger, Jedi Juice, Yoda Soda, and more", and the scoreboard will feature many Star Wars-themed graphics. If you're going to do something right, go all-in, right?

Now all the Walleye have to do is get together at a team meeting to go over the game plan they'll use against the Empire and...

Never mind. They're way ahead of me on this one.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!