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Canucks Star Wars Night gives away a bizarre collectible.

Canucks Star Wars Night gives away a bizarre collectible.

The Vancouver Canucks are holding their Star Wars Night on January 14, 2027, when they host the Seattle Kraken at Rogers Arena.

Tickets purchased through the team’s special promotion will come with a collectible of Brock Boeser frozen in carbonite.

This is the same carbonite block that encased Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back before Boba Fett transported him to Jabba the Hutt.

The Canucks explicitly compared Boeser to Han Solo — a dashing rogue — in their announcement.

Only tickets bought directly through the Canucks’ Star Wars Night promotion qualify for the collectible.

Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster or third-party resellers will not receive it.

The team noted that limited quantities are available.

Star Wars will mark its 50th anniversary in 2027.

The first film, later retitled A New Hope, was released in theaters on May 25, 1977.

The Canucks are celebrating the milestone a few months early.

Elias Pettersson, the team’s veteran center, has been compared to Obi-Wan Kenobi by the team’s promotional material — an older Jedi, not the young Luke Skywalker he once played in a pre-game film back in 2021.

Canucks Star Wars Night gives away a bizarre collectible.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki, a young Swedish forward, was suggested as Pettersson’s Padawan.

Boeser, 28, is in his ninth NHL season, all with Vancouver.

He has 206 career goals and 420 points in 548 games.

This season, through 17 games, he has 5 goals and 11 points.

The Canucks are currently 3-13-1, sitting at the bottom of the NHL standings.

They entered tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets on a three-game losing streak.

Their penalty kill is at 63.2%, on pace for one of the worst special-teams statistics in league history.

Head coach Manny Malhotra has been demanding defensive accountability after a 5-4 home loss to Anaheim on Tuesday.

In that game, the Canucks surrendered three power-play goals.

Center Filip Chytil did not travel with the team for tonight’s game due to an upper-body injury.

Starting goaltender Kevin Lankinen has a .812 save percentage during a prolonged slump.

Canucks Star Wars Night gives away a bizarre collectible.

Despite the team’s defensive struggles, top offensive players have continued producing.

The carbonite collectible is described by the Canucks as “unique” and a possible “favorite decoration” for fans.

The team’s promotional material noted that the Kraken are not the evil Empire, but that the rebuilding Canucks fit the role of plucky underdogs like the Rebel Alliance.

This is not the first time the Canucks have tied Star Wars to their roster.

In 2021, the team produced a pre-game film in which Elias Pettersson played a Jedi.

Now, at 27 and in his eighth season, Pettersson is seen by the team as more of a mentor figure.

Boeser, meanwhile, was chosen for the Han Solo treatment.

Han Solo was frozen in carbonite at the end of The Empire Strikes Back and later rescued in Return of the Jedi.

The collectible will be a physical item given to fans at the game.

The Canucks have not released an image of the collectible yet.

The game against the Seattle Kraken on January 14 is still over two months away.

Canucks Star Wars Night gives away a bizarre collectible.

Fans who want the collectible must buy tickets through the Canucks’ special promotion page.

The team warned that quantities are limited.

No other Star Wars Night promotions or giveaways have been announced for that game.

The Canucks have a history of themed nights and unusual giveaways.

This one, however, stands out for its specific pop-culture reference.

Carbonite freezing is one of the most iconic images from the original Star Wars trilogy.

The collectible will likely be a small replica of Boeser encased in a carbonite block.

The team did not specify the material or size of the item.

It is unclear whether the collectible will be packaged in a box or displayed openly.

The Canucks’ promotional copy joked that Boeser “should be quite well protected — if he survived the freezing process, that is.”

The tone of the announcement was lighthearted and self-aware.

Canucks Star Wars Night gives away a bizarre collectible.

The team is clearly leaning into the parallel between their struggling season and the Rebel Alliance’s underdog status.

The collectible is a direct nod to one of the most famous scenes in science-fiction cinema.

For fans of both the Canucks and Star Wars, the item may become a sought-after piece of memorabilia.

For casual observers, it is simply bizarre.

A hockey player frozen in carbonite is not something seen at most NHL arena giveaways.

The Canucks have not announced any other Star Wars-themed activities for the night.

It is possible that the team will add more elements as the date approaches.

The Seattle Kraken, as an expansion team that entered the league in 2021, have no direct Star Wars connection.

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