Binghamton Black Bears Veterans Appreciation Night

If you were there at the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday night, November 6th, then you won't forget it anytime soon. It was the home opener for the newest professional hockey team in town, the Binghamton Black Bears.

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It had been 609 days since the last Binghamton home hockey game and the fans were happy to be back. It was a sellout crowd of 4,893 but over 10,000 people will say they were there for all the excitement on the ice. They are here and they are for real.

I've been going to the arena for hockey games since the Broome Duster in the mid-70s. The electricity was in the stands and on the ice. I don't think I've seen a hockey game that was so alive from the video intro to the final horn.

In fact, if you stuck around after the horn, you got to witness a fight between the Delaware Thunder goalie and Binghamton Black Bear, Tyler Becker. The goalie started it and Becker finished it.

Whether it was a high five on the glass with a fan banging on the glass or raising the roof on the way back to the bench after a score. You could tell that the players on our newest team love it here in Binghamton.

The Binghamton Black Bears can play and score. They scored 5 goals in the win over Delaware on Saturday and are averaging nearly 5 goals a game. They return to action at the Visions Veteran Memorial Arena on Saturday, November 13th against the Watertown Wolves. They both have 3-1 records so it promises to be an exciting night.

Binghamton Black Bears Veterans Appreciation Night

It'll be Veterans Appreciation Night, so get there early so you don't miss any of the action. The doors open at 5:30 p.m with live music from Tre Luna and the puck will drop at 7 p.m.

I'm doing Chuck-a-Puck again this year, so I'll be looking for you between the 2nd and 3rd periods. This year someone will win a 2022 ATV at the end of the season.

As we look ahead to the future, let's honor the past with the team that started it all, the Broome-Binghamton Dusters