NHL Cultural Celebrations/Community Theme Nights blog

The NHL is proud of the work its teams devote to the communities they serve. From the special nights all 32 teams will be having all season long, to the frequent outreach beyond the rink, NHL.com will provide all the details on the players, coaches and staff who are such admirable ambassadors for our sport.

January 28

Seattle Kraken

The Kraken held a Lunar New Year celebration during their game against the Anaheim Ducks at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday.

Players sported custom jerseys during walk-ins. The crest of the jerseys featured a snake design as the "S" in honor of the Year of the Snake.

After the game, the team auctioned off signed versions of the jerseys with the proceeds benefiting One Roof Foundation and the Denise Louis Education Center, which provides mulicultural early education in Seattle.

January 21

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks hosted their annual Lunar New Year celebration during their game against the Buffalo Sabres at Rogers Arena on Tuesday.

Local artist Nicole Jang designed the team's Lunar New Year jerseys that features the Year of the Snake design on the crest.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, the city's first Asian mayor, performed the ceremonial puck drop while sporting one of the custom Snake jerseys.

Lunar New Year dragons were on the ice during pregame festivites including the anthem and player warmups.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers held their Pride Night at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday.

Players wrapped their sticks with rainbow tape during warmups. The team auctioned off the signed sticks after the game with the proceeds benefiting Flyers Charities.

Forwards Scott Laughton and Joel Farabee hosted LGBTQ+ members in the community at the game through their Pride initiative. Farabee celebrated his 200th career point with his special guests after the game.

January 14

New Jersey Devils

The Devils celebrated their Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage at Prudential Center on Tuesday.

The team walked in with special API jerseys to kick off the celebration.

The specialty jerseys were designed by artist Sumana Ghosh-Witherspoon. The design includes the Devils logo with stenciled feathers and a teal peacock inside the crest.

“The peacock is universal in a lot of Asian cultures,” Gosh-Witherspoon told the Devils. “It symbolizes beauty and good fortune. I just thought it was the perfect symbol because it brought all of these together.”

There are also cherry blossoms around the jersey, representing the Japanese culture.

“There are almost a million Asian Americans in New Jersey,” she said. “Hockey and the New Jersey Devils are such a New Jersey institution that I thought it was a great way to combine the two things that seem very different but is a nice way to bridge the two together.”

Before puck drop, singer-songwriter and South Indian Carnatic musician, Hrishi, sang the U.S. national anthem.

January 11

San Jose Sharks

The SAP Center hosted its "Pride Night" on Saturday with a special celebration for fans during a game against the Minnesota Wild.

Dropping the puck before the game was Kieran Flaherty, president of the San Francisco Earthquakes, the city's only LGBTQ+ Ice Hockey Club.

Sharks players proudly displayed their Pride Tape, in its familiar rainbow pattern, for the celebration.

The team also put up bright colored pride themed jerseys which featured a reimagined team logo and the shark fin cutting through a rainbow colored ocean. Proceeds from the jersey auction go to the San Jose State Tower Foundation via the Pride Center which looks to improve campus life for LGBTQ+ students and ensure a safe and respectful community for all people.

In addition to the cool pride-themed look, the jerseys contained an important message written in both a shoulder patch and on the hockey stick that hangs from the shark logo's mouth. It read "Exist as you are."

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres celebrated Next Generation Night on Saturday at KeyBank Center.

The team let kids take over the game, including a junior head coach and a Mini Tooth (mascot Sabretooth’s mini-me).

Junior Coach Nathan Allen met his adult counterpart, Lindy Ruff, before the game, then announced the starting lineup to the team in the locker room.

Allen even got to spend some time on the bench drawing up plays.

During the game, Mini Tooth was “uncaged” by Sabretooth. The mini mascot then helped lead the “Let’s Go Buffalo” chant at the arena.

The team also had a Junior Social Media Editor, McKenzie.

January 4

Washington Capitals

The Capitals celebrated their Youth Hockey Day on Saturday.

The players walked in with youth players, wearing each young fan’s jersey as they made their way into Capital One Arena.

Before puck drop, members of the Future Caps program joined the players on the ice during the U.S. national anthem.

Colorado Avalanche

Ball Arena was the site of "Next Generation Night" where kids take over all the jobs - announcers, sideline reporter, even ice crew - and the smiles on the faces told the entire story.

December 12

New Jersey Devils

The Devils celebrated Jewish Heritage Night at the Prudential Center on Thursday.

Before the game, the team decorated the arena with a hockey stick menorah made by a local rabbi.

The menorah sits on the main concourse in between sections 19 and 20 and features game used sticks from Devils players.

Pucks on the top of the sticks symbolize the candle holders.

December 10

New Jersey Devils

The Devils held their Pride Night at the Prudential Center.

Players walked in holding colorful jerseys designed by local artist De'von Downes. The jerseys are being auctioned off after the game to benefit Hyacinth, a local AIDS Foundation.

It was the Devils' second Hockey is For Everyone game of the season.

Seattle Kraken

The Kraken celebrated Indigenous Peoples Night during their game against the Florida Panthers at Climate Pledge Arena.

During player walk-ins, the team wore orange jerseys with a special design in honor of the night.

The team are auctioning off the signed jerseys with the proceeds benefiting Potlatch Fund and One Roof Foundation.

December 3

Washington Capitals

The Capitals held their Pride Night at Capital One Arena.

The team sported rainbow tape on their sticks during warmups before their game against the San Jose Sharks.

After the game, the Captials are auctioning off the sticks with the proceeds benefiting the SMYAL organization, You Can Play and MSE Foundation.

November 20

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs celebrated Pride Night during their game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Scotiabank Arena.

Prior to the game, the team hosted members from the Friends of Ruby, an organization that supports 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, at their morning skate. The members also got to tour the Maple Leafs locker room.

The Maple Leafs decorated their sticks with rainbow tape during warmups. The arena was also lit up with rainbow lights.

November 12

St. Louis Blues

The Blues kicked off their Military Appreciation Night with a memorable puck drop.

The Fort Leonard Wood rapell team delivered the game puck from the Enterprise Center rafters and performed the ceremonial puck drop between Blues captain Brayden Schenn and Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic.

The Blues posted footage from one of the rapell team member's helmet camera to their social media accounts.

During player arrivals, the Blues sported custom Military Appreciation jerseys.

Seattle Kraken

The Kraken also sported custom Military Appreciation Night jerseys as they arrived at Climate Pledge Arena for their matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The team will auction off signed jerseys after the game with proceeds benefiting One Roof Foundation and Blue Star Families.

Kraken senior director of technology, an Army veteran, Sean Rawlins read the team's starting lineup in the locker room.

November 11

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers celebrated their Military Appreciation Night on Veterans Day. Before their game against the San Jose Sharks, the Flyers welcomed Veteran Combat Engineer and Flyers Warriors Sergeant Josh Chilcote, his service dog, Turbo, SEAC John Wayne Troxell, and Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha to participate in the ceremonial puck drop.

The team’s mascot, Gritty, also participated in the festivities, bringing a giant United States flag onto the ice.

During walk-ins, the team lined the entrance hallway with signs saluting various servicemen and women.

November 10

Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks

The Ducks, Devils and Blackhawks celebrated their Military Appreciation Nights on Sunday.

Teams wore military-themed warmup jerseys to the game, and the Blackhawks invited the Chicago Warriors veteran group to a team practice.

The Ducks invited the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy Training Team to participate in the team's pregame festivities, including rappelling from the ceiling.

November 3

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks celebrated their Hispanic Heritage Night on Sunday at Honda Center. The theme coincided with celebrations of Dia de Muertos. The team provided face painting to fans, as well as special hats and T-shirts with a redesigned Ducks logo.

October 30

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks celebrated Firefighters Night during their game against the New Jersey Devils at Rogers Arena on Wednesday.

Liz Rose, a local firefighter who is the youngest Canadian to reach the seven summits, performed the ceremonial puck drop between Canucks captain Quinn Hughes and his brother, Devils forward Jack Hughes, before the game.

Hughes, who helped create the initative, and his family met with over 100 BC firefighters after the game. The firefighters presented the Canucks captain with a custom painted helmet.

October 29

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks celebrated Diwali Night, honoring the Hindu festival of lights, at Rogers Arena on Monday.

The team commissioned a special logo designed by Keerat Kaur, a Sikh Punjabi artist based in Vancouver, who came up with a gorgeous firework-inspired theme inside the team's whale logo.

The team also put the spotlight on some hard working South Asian coaches across British Columbia on the special night.

Of course no celebration is complete without music, which was provided by the Rangla Punjab Arts Academy. A member of the Canucks ice crew even showed off some moves during the Diwali celebration.

The celebration came just days after Canucks forward Arshdeep Bains, whose parents immigrated from Punjab, India in 1982, scored his first NHL goal.

In a pregame interview Bains said the team's Diwali celebration was a special and fun night.

October 26

Nashville Predators

Bridgestone Arena hosted Pride Music Heritage Night on Saturday, and the team wore some pretty sharp looking jerseys to celebrate.

The Predators logo was given a mosaic look inside with an extended blue shadow featuring four stars on it and was striped around the edges with rainbow colors. Mia Saine, a Smithsonian-nominated Illustrator from Memphis, re-imagined the logo for the special theme night.

The jerseys, white with navy trim, were signed by players and auctioned for charity.

The team celebrated and recognized members of the Pride community, including Kevin Kennedy as the National Anthem singer, Fimone as the Band Stage musical performer, members from the Tennessee Pride Chamber as towel wavers for the game and Glamazon Board Member Austin Anderson as the Mayor of Smashville.

Pride Music Heritage Night is the second of the four-part Music Heritage Night season series which consists of entertainment and representation from diverse communities in Nashville.

October 22

New Jersey Devils

On Tuesday, the Devils celebrated Hispanic Heritage Night during their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Prudential Center.

The Devils arrived to the arena wearing special pregame jerseys.

The jerseys were desgined by local Puerto Rican artists Lu and Jay Reyes. On the crest, the Devils logo sits on top of drawings of flowers, the sun, leaves and stars. The color scheme is red, blue, green and yellow.

After the game, the jerseys will be auctioned off with the proceeds benefiting Tree House Cares, a local charity that brings groceries, meals and clothing to those in need.

October 19

Seattle Kraken

Climate Pledge Arena celebrated Hispanic Heritage Night on Saturday with some stunning pregame jerseys.

Designed by artist Victor Melendez, a native of Mexico City now living in the Pacific Northwest, the sweaters feature a stunningly colorful image of a dragon in the shape of the familiar Kraken "S" logo.

Melendez said his style is a combination of many different aspects, much of it from traditional Mexican culture, but also a heavy influence from the Pacific Northwest.

October 16

Florida Panthers

The defending Stanley Cup champions hosted their "Pink at the Rink" night and the jerseys created for the event, by local artist nico, were incredible.

October 15

Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators celebrated Hispanic Music Heritage Night during their game against the Seattle Kraken at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.

During walk-ins, the Predators sported custom jerseys designed by local artist Valentina Harper. The crest of the black jersey's feature guitars, maracas, trumpets, bongos and accordians fit in the shape of the Predators logo.

Fans in attendance received a mini vinyl record coaster which feature the jersey's design on them.

After the game, the Predators are auctioning off the signed jerseys.