Comets Honor Veterans at Annual Veterans Day Game
The Utica Comets marked their seventh annual Veterans Day game with a pre-game ceremony and complimentary tickets for veterans and active duty military.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Hockey
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The Utica Comets held their seventh annual Veterans Day game at NBT Bank Arena, opening with a ceremony at Veterans Plaza that recognized veterans and active duty military members. All veterans and active duty military members received complimentary tickets to the game against the Belleville Senators.
Why it matters
The event honors the military community in Utica while drawing attention to the city's war memorials, which have a long history at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The rededication of those monuments underscores their continued role in local civic remembrance.
The seventh annual game marks a recurring team tradition, while the auditorium's war memorial designation dates to 1959. The attendance count for complimentary veteran and active duty tickets was not disclosed.
The players
Utica Comets
The Utica Comets are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks based in Utica, New York, and host the annual Veterans Day game.
The details
The Comets wore special Veterans Day jerseys in the game and held a ceremony at Veterans Plaza before puck drop. A separate rededication ceremony took place outside the Labatt entrance of Utica Memorial Auditorium, with all branches of the military represented; the relocated monuments from Purple Heart Park now face the building.
Timeline
1959: Utica Memorial Auditorium is first dedicated as a war memorial.
November 11, 2026: The Comets hold their seventh annual Veterans Day game and rededication ceremony.
Roadmap
The auditorium's designation as a war memorial dates to 1959, and the 2026 rededication extends that purpose into the team's current veterans programming. The annual game has become a recurring way the franchise ties its home venue to the city's military history.
Fans planning to attend future Comets home games can expect the veterans programming to remain part of the team's schedule. Active duty and veteran ticket eligibility for this game was complimentary, which may affect how local military families plan their own attendance.
The takeaway
Recurring community traditions like the Comets' Veterans Day game give local residents a steady way to recognize service members. The 1959 war-memorial dedication and the 2026 rededication show how one building can keep carrying civic remembrance across generations.
Further reading
For more on the team's season and schedule, see Hockey coverage from Utica.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WKTV NewsChannel2.
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