Sunday night, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Calgary Flames at Honda Center for Military Appreciation Night. It resulted in the NHL’s best ceremonial faceoff ever.
Members of the U.S. Marines and the Canadian Army were joined on the ice by Lance Corporal Brandon C. Benningfield and Corporal Nero, his Military Police Patrol/Explosive Detector Dog, for the pregame ceremony.
Corporal Nero dropped the puck.
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Are you emotional or is it just me?
“Corporal Nero was acquired by the Department of Defense in August of 2011 at the age of one,” Ducks PA Announcer Phil Hulett said. “Upon graduation of the dog training school in March of 2012, K9 Nero reported to Marine Core Base Camp Pendleton for official duty as a bomb sniffing police officer. Corporal Nero has led his team in over 10,000 hours of police K9 utilization in just under two years as a team.”
“Corporal Nero enjoys finding bombs, having his ears scratched, and playing fetch with Lance Corporal Benningfield,” concluded Hulett.
Corporal Nero received loud cheers after his successful puck drop and even got a head rub from Ducks’ captain Ryan Getzlaf.
Well done, Corporal Nero, and we thank you for your service!
