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.
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During the event, residents had the opportunity to purchase select Brantford Bulldogs merchandise, including t-shirts, hoodies, toques and hats.
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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.
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Bruiser, the Bulldogs long-serving mascot, was also in attendance to the delight of the young fans who came out to the Civic Centre.
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The event kicked off with the players being introduced individually, saluting and recognizing their new fans before hitting the ice for practice.
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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.
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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.
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The inaugural Bulldogs event in Brantford concluded with players posing for a group photo with fans.
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