Over 500 people attended the Hamilton (Brantford) Bulldogs open practice in Brantford on Thursday, February 23, 2023.
The Bulldogs held the open practice as a way to recognize Brantford for their support in providing a new home while the Bulldogs wanted to acknowledge Brantford in preparation for the re-location to Brantford, starting the 2023-24 season.
During the event, residents had the opportunity to purchase select Brantford Bulldogs merchandise, including t-shirts, hoodies, toques and hats.
Several guests were in attendance, including Kevin Davis, Mayor for the City of Brantford, as well as councillors Richard Carpenter, Rose Sicoli, and Brian Van Tilborg.
Bruiser, the Bulldogs long-serving mascot, was also in attendance to the delight of the young fans who came out to the Civic Centre.
The event kicked off with the players being introduced individually, saluting and recognizing their new fans before hitting the ice for practice.
Members of the coaching staff began practice with a stickhandling drill before moving on to a couple break-out drills. The hour-long practice concluded with the always popular shootout drill.
After practice, the players remained on the ice to take part in a question and answer session hosted by Reed Duthie,Manager of Broadcasting and Communications for Bulldogs.
The inaugural Bulldogs event in Brantford concluded with players posing for a group photo with fans.
