Sabres to host Choose Love Night on Sunday, Feb. 25

The Buffalo Sabres are proud to once again host Choose Love Night, which will celebrate Black History Month while honoring the Black community and local Black-owned businesses, during their game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, Feb. 25 at KeyBank Center.

Faceoff is set for 6 p.m. Tickets to the game are on sale now.

The night will put a spotlight on the artistry, entrepreneurship, and creativity within the Black community throughout Western New York, beginning with the promotion of two Black-owned retailers at the new Diversity Shop, located in the east and west wings of the 100-level concourse. Elle James Décor and Black Monarchy will each have a table set up to engage with fans by sharing products and information about their businesses.

• READ MORE: Sabres, Erie County Level Up collaborate on new Diversity Shop at KeyBank Center

The Buffalo AKG Art Museum will also be in the concourse with Choose Love signs that kids can color and decorate before holding up throughout the game.

Vibrant Strings, a local Black string quartet, will perform pregame on the east side of the main pavilion, on street level, while 18 students from the Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts will sing both the U.S. and Canadian national anthems on the ice prior to puck drop.

During the game, fans will have the opportunity to win gift cards to local Black-owned businesses, including Cake Crazy Bakery, Babycakes Flores Flower Shop, A Taste of Soul, and Manna @ Northland with lucky row giveaways. 

Fans can also purchase 50/50 raffle tickets at the game or online, with part of the proceeds benefiting Hasek’s Heroes, a developmental hockey program for economically disadvantaged youth in Buffalo founded by Sabres Hall-of-Fame goaltender Dominik Hasek in 2001.

The 50/50 raffle will have a second-chance prize of a customized and autographed Dominik Hasek bubble hockey game.

• READ MORE: Hasek's Heroes continues to grow the game of hockey in Buffalo through expanded partnership with Sabres and NHL

Leading up to the game, Zach Benson, Ryan Johnson, Jacob Bryson, and Victor Olofsson distributed books and met with students following the opening of a Buffalo Sabres Literacy Hub at Persistence Preparatory Academy Charter School. The Buffalo Sabres Literacy Hubs provide students in Buffalo schools with decodable books and resources that will support the ongoing work to teach children to read using science-aligned instruction.

Check out photos from their recent trip below.

Jordan Greenway and Kyle Okposo toured the United By Hockey Mobile Museum while Alex Tuch visited a local Black-owned Restaurant, Manna @ Northland, with local poet and activist Jillian Hanesworth

The United By Hockey Mobile Museum celebrates hockey's changemakers and business leaders, spanning across multiple underrepresented and multicultural demographics. The museum highlights the fact that hockey is for everyone by raising awareness of diverse individuals within the game of hockey.

For more information on the museum and its schedule, visit https://www.nhl.com/community/united-by-hockey.

Manna @ Northland is where “soul” is at the root of healthy eating. The restaurant features eat-in and grab-and-go breakfast, lunch, and dinner services available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday and Saturday.

For more information on Manna @ Northland, click here.

The Sabres are committed to using their platform and resources to bridge gaps and create positive change in our community while making the sport of hockey more inclusive and welcoming for all.

Through our work to stop hate and end racism by choosing love, the organization strives to make choices every day that will help defeat hatred and prejudice wherever they exist.