BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Sabres will be joined by the Pittsburgh Penguins to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community as they co-host the NHL’s first-ever joint Pride Game.
The game will take place at 3 p.m. on April 17 and will be nationally televised on NBC.
“Together with the Penguins, we hope this joint Pride Game will represent the spirit of inclusion that we know exists in our organization and our community,” Sabres vice president of community relations Rich Jureller said. “This will be a special day and we’re thrilled that fans will be in KeyBank Center to celebrate with us. Hockey truly is for everyone and we encourage all of our fans to join us in our support of the LGBTQ+ community.”
For pregame warmups the teams will tape their sticks with rainbow tape, wear commemorative pride warmup jerseys featuring the Progress Pride Flag and use Official Pride Game warmup pucks with a distinct colorful design.
The items used in warmups, along with other signed items, will be available during a seven-day online auction that begins pregame on April 17 and runs through April 24 at 12 p.m. You can find the auction here.
Fundraising efforts in Buffalo will benefit Pride Center of Western New York and Gay and Lesbian Youth Services of Western New York.
The teams will donate 100 tickets for the game to LGBTQ+ organizations. Each fan in attendance will receive a Pride Game rally towel on their seat and Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus will sing the anthems before the game.
A panel discussion will be hosted by Jonas Worth from You Can Play leading up to the game. It will be focused on hockey from the perspective of LGBTQ+ participants with ties to Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Buffalo referee Alex Valvo, Pittsburgh Tigers manager Adam Knoerzer and NHL player agent Bayne Pettinger will participate in the panel discussion.
You can find tickets to the game and more information on the ticket buying process here.
For more information on the Pride Game you can visit this website.
Those who purchase a fan cutout between April 2 and April 9 can use code PRIDE to receive $10 off and for each cutout purchased, $10 will be donated to Pride Center WNY. You can purchase a cutout here.
