Teamwork, inclusion, respect, and acceptance are at the heart of hockey. The Pittsburgh Penguins will celebrate these defining principles in the 3rd Annual Pride Game on December 12, 2022. During the 2020.21 season, the Penguins partnered with the Buffalo Sabres for the first-ever joint Pride Game in the NHL, which was broadcast nationally, uniting our cities to celebrate LGBTQ+ communities, by sharing stories of inclusion, hope, and allyship.
Tickets are available for our Pride community and allies via a special offer. Click below to receive your discount on both lower bowl and upper bowl seating locations. All fans in attendance will receive a Pride Game You Can Play Rally Towel courtesy of the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation. Rally towels will be distributed in various colors to create a rainbow within PPG Paints Arena with the goal of showing allyship and inclusivity together with the Penguins fan base.
You Can Play
In 2012, Brian Burke and Patrick Burke helped launch the You Can Play Project, with the goal of ensuring the safety and inclusion for all who participate in sports, including LGBTQ+ athletes, coaches and fans. You Can Play achieves this by creating a community of allies that are able to foster a true sense of belonging. This becomes possible when sports teams sharpen the focus on the person's skills, work ethic, and competitive spirit, not their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Further, You Can Play seeks to challenge the culture of locker rooms and spectator areas by developing a culture of respect, in every player, coach and fan.
In 2013, the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) announced an historic partnership with the You Can Play Project that formalized and advanced their long-standing commitment to make the NHL the most inclusive professional sports league in the world. You Can Play actively works with the NHL and the Pittsburgh Penguins organization in support of the NHL's Hockey is for Everyone® platform.
You Can Play was founded in honor of the late Brendan Burke — Brian's son and Patrick's brother. Learn more about Brendan's legacy here.
Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation
The Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation works to improve the health of the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities in and around Western Pennsylvania. Offering a variety of resources and supports including youth and family services, school based programming, Hugh's Kitchen pantry program, civil legal aid, HIV services, wellness programming and special events, as well as training and consultation for organizations to improve their skills and capacity to serve LGBTQ+ clients and staff.
This year, the Hugh Lane team has been hard at work reviving THRIVE in Pennsylvania as an expansion of their youth and family related services. Primarily started as a response to the current unsafe climate for trans youth, the staff will be working with schools across the region to give LGBTQ+ students the support they need to learn and grow while sharing information to create safer educational environments.
Along with their usual work, the team also has their Annual Holiday Rainbow Bag Distribution back in full swing for the season providing fully customized meal kits to the LGBTQ+ and HIV+ communities. Just last year the team was able to provide and deliver to over 400 homes with the help of their incredible donors and volunteers and they are thrilled to be able to spread comfort and joy through delicious and well stocked meals. Volunteer or donate here.
The Pittsburgh Tigers are our city's first LGBTQ+ friendly hockey team. The Tigers are comprised of hockey fans, players, and friends in the local area who want to create an open and supportive environment for gay, lesbian, bi, transgender and other minorities in hockey. The Tigers play in leagues locally, participate in road tournaments, get together to watch games and just love the game of hockey. The Tigers are also hosting an open skate event at the Hunt Armory on December 10 starting at 2:00 PM leading into our Pride Game. If you're interested in learning more or joining the Tigers, please click the box below.
The Penguins Foundation will host the Pride Auction starting pre-game on December 12 in conjunction with the Pride Game. This one-of-a-kind auction at pridegame.givesmart.com will feature rainbow jerseys won by the Penguins players in warm-ups, autographed Pride pucks and more. Proceeds will assist You Can Play and Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation. The auction will close on December 19 at 12 PM (noon).
The Pittsburgh Penguins will hit the ice using Pride Game warm-up pucks created exclusively for our Pride Game. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase their own at PPG Paints Arena in support of You Can Play and Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation starting in the 1st Intermission behind the FNB Club.
Pride Tape is a badge of support from teammates, coaches, parents and pros to young LGBTQ+ players. It shows every player that they belong playing the sports they love. That we're all on the same team. Buying Pride Tape will help support LGBTQ+ youth outreach initiatives, such as You Can Play and the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services. That means every roll of tape will make an impact in sports and beyond.
Penguins Pride merchandise is available online at PensGear.com and at local PensGear outlets. Represent the black and gold in your rainbow gear as you represent the LGBTQ+ community.
Watch our Pride Panel from the first-ever joint Pride Game with the Buffalo Sabres hosted by Jonas Worth with You Can Play. Panelists include Bayne Pettinger (NHL Player Agent, CAA), Alex Valvo (Referee & Former Sabres Intern), Adam Knoerzer (Pittsburgh Tigers Co-Founder & Player) and Jeff McLean (Pride Tape Founder & Owner).
In partnership with Jason Zucker's Give16 campaign and UNRL, the Give16 Pride Hat line was designed with equality, inclusion and representation in mind. A limited number of Give16 Pride Hats will be available for sale at the Pride Game behind the FNB Club.
Since the original 8-striped Pride flag was debuted in 1978, there have been several variations, the most well-known and commonly used being the six-striped flag. As our LGBTQ+ movement has become more inclusive and aware of itself, various segments have created their own flags to fly alongside the Pride flag. The warm-up jerseys for our Pride Game feature the Progress Pride Flag on the shoulder. In 2018, the Progress Pride Flag was created by Daniel Quasar to be more inclusive. Overlaying the traditional six-striped rainbow flag is a chevron design that has the black and brown stripes from the Philly Pride flag, as well as white, pink, and blue from the Trans Pride flag.
On April 2, the Penguins and Sabres together announced their first-ever joint Pride Game held during the 2020.21 NHL season. Read each organization's press release via these links to learn more about the partnership.
Pittsburgh Penguins Buffalo Sabres
Below, please find each organization's press release for the 2021.22 joint Pride Game.
Pittsburgh Penguins Buffalo Sabres
Here is our press release for our 2022.23 Pride Game on December 12.
Download, print and share a selfie on social with your very own I AM PROUD sign. When posting via social, be sure to use our official #PrideGame hashtag.
Organizations tied to our LGBTQ+ community in Western Pennsylvania will have a presence on the PPG Paints Arena concourse behind the Captain Morgan Club. Visit this Pride Zone and the nearby Ford Lounge to mingle with local representatives and learn more about their impactful work.
Post-game, stop by the Lexus Club to connect with our LGBTQ+ community and allies. An exclusive Rainbow on the Rocks cocktail will be available.
