Hockey Unleashes The Dark Side at Star Wars Night
So, for a long time, it was my job to follow the Boston Bruins around the world.
And, from time to time, the worlds of pop culture and ice hockey collided.
Often with a hilarious force (or Force)….
Meet Darth Quaider
For the Bruins, back in the day, it was the birth of Darth Quaider:
Look…even Ference has a #DarthQuaider t-shirt. He's so proud of his defensive partner! pic.twitter.com/v2hYGv2O
— #FreeAgentHair (@AdamMcQuaidsHai) February 19, 2013
Adam McQuaid recounts how he was given the "Darth Quaider" nickname in 2011:https://t.co/t7mwgF5NIq
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 18, 2015
And, as clichéd as it sounds, Adam McQuaid is one of the nicest people I ever met in hockey – his mom even made me turkey dinner when I visited up in Prince Edward Island.
Hockey rules to live by: 1. Be silent for the anthems 2. Never fight Adam McQuaid 3. Play good hockey #DarthQuaider https://t.co/TIDAGzm59s
— Non-Analytic (@STHinSouthFL) January 13, 2017
Anyway, and I am burying the lead here, but the Dark Side is strong in hockey.
Turn your attention to Liberty Hockey and their Star Wars night.
An annual tradition:
Don't forget to buy your tickets online! Friday's Star Wars night is almost sold out, so get them before they're gone! #RocktheRink
Tickets: https://t.co/Fgg3YFycI7 pic.twitter.com/GbJgHijNI9— Liberty Hockey (@LibertyHockey) February 8, 2018
This year the club went Dark Side:
Tonight we unleashed the power of the dark side🔥 #RocktheRink pic.twitter.com/tiHxe9z8T9
— Liberty Hockey (@LibertyHockey) February 9, 2020
And, as one of my friends on Facebook posted, “Way better than an end zone dance…”
ICYMI: we recreated Vader’s force choke #rocktherink pic.twitter.com/12SzhifoA0
— Liberty Hockey (@LibertyHockey) February 10, 2020
Senior defenseman Basil Reynolds then led Liberty’s bench in a signature “Star Wars Night” goal celebration, channeling Darth Vader to put his collective teammates in a choke hold before releasing them from his grip as they fell simultaneously to their backs.
As they might say rink side, “Beauty, eh?”