Regardless, the Giants made their debut on 16 September 2000 against the Nottingham Panthers losing 5–1, with Kory Karlander scoring the club's first ever goal.

Finally, the Giants played their first home game against the Ayr Scottish Eagles on 2 December 2000 to a sell-out crowd of 7,300 in what Whistle described as an "awesome spectacle" despite a 2–1 defeat.

In the first period, Paxton Schulte would score the only goal for the Giants and fought Trevor Doyle shortly after, cementing his overnight status as a cult player for the hometown fans.

The home ice proved to instigate a turn in fortune for the Giants mid-way through the season, playing in front of a consistently sold-out Odyssey Arena.

The Giants saw more success in the Challenge Cup, finishing 1st in the group stage to progress to the two-leg semi-final against the Sheffield Steelers.

The season began with an exhibition tournament, the BT Ice Cup, hosted by the Giants with invitations to the London Knights, Eisbären Berlin, and the Frankfurt Lions.

On the 19th January, in a poetic return to Bracknell for Whistle and his former Bees core, the Giants would force a 2–2 draw with the home side to clinch their first ever championship with a league record-breaking 16-game unbeaten streak.

Unfortunately the Giants would struggle with a championship hangover as the team botched come playoff time, not making it past the qualification group.

[6] The 2019–20 EIHL season was cancelled on 13 March 2020 with the remaining league fixtures and subsequent play-offs scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic.

[7] The 2020–21 Elite League season - originally pencilled in for a revised start date of 5 December - was suspended on 15 September 2020, because of ongoing uncertainty over coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

[9] In March 2022, the Belfast Giants won their fourth Challenge Cup title after beating the Cardiff Devils 3–2 in overtime at the SSE Arena.

[12] The Belfast Giants won their fifth Challenge Cup in March 2023 following a 9-3 victory against the Fife Flyers in a sold out SSE Arena.

[14] They then completed the Elite League grand slam with a 4-1 victory over Cardiff in the play-off final - becoming the first team to win all three domestic trophies in the same season since Nottingham in 2013.

The inaugural Giants uniforms featured white home jerseys with red and teal striping, matching socks, and black shorts.

Ahead of the 2021–22 EIHL season, the Giants unveiled a refreshed primary logo and alteration to the club's home, away and Challenge Cup jerseys.

The colours of the team, notably the dominant 'teal' used in both its logo and uniform, was chosen specifically because it had no national or political connotations in Northern Ireland.

The Giants have an official podcast, "A View From the Bridge", hosted by fans Patrick Smyth, Davy McGimpsey, Simon Kitchen, and Gareth Martin.