The Niagara IceDogs hosted the first PRIDE game in the CHL last night at the Meridian Centre.
Dropping the ceremonial puck, Calgary Flames President Brian Burke alongside St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik and Pride Niagara.
Burke tells CKTB homophobia is not a door you kick in, but a wall that crumbles over time.
Team owners Bill and Denise Burke say when they were asked to host by the CHL, they said yes immediately, noting it was a natural extension of the team's anti-bullying campaign launched last year.
IceDogs players wore Pride Jerseys which were auctioned off after the game to raise money for You Can Play project which promotes homophobia free sports locker rooms and venues.
The IceDogs fell to the Sarnia Sting 5-4