‘Went to a hockey game and a wedding broke out’: couple ties the knot during Calgary Wranglers game

It was February 14th, 2015.

The on-ice chemistry between young Calgary Flames stars Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan had fans cheering.

But in the Saddledome stands, another spark was turning into something more.

Vancouver Canucks fan Sarai Robles nervously proclaimed her love for Flames diehard Kyle Stang.

Whether Robles actually ever asked Stang to be her boyfriend is lost to time and memory, but the nerve-wracking step marked a new chapter in the couple’s lives.

The pair had been introduced through Kyle’s cousin, and began chatting and meeting for short visits, despite Sarai and her son, Dario, being based in Vancouver and Kyle and his daughter, Blaize, living in northeast Saskatchewan.

After eight years, one big move to Saskatchewan, an engagement and Sarai switching hockey allegiances, the family thought the Saddledome would be the perfect place to elope.

“That’s where it all happened,” Stang said. “It’s where she said ‘I love you’ first, it’s where we officially started dating.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "That's where it all happened," Stang said. "It's where she said 'I love you' first, it's where we officially started dating."

1:49 Calgary Flames fan, Piikani Nation member ‘disheartened’ by teams lack of land acknowledgement

It just so happened the Flames’ and Canucks’ AHL teams would be playing each other on the anniversary of the big date.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Stang reached out to the team to get permission to have a commissioner quietly marry them in a suite prior to the match.

But the Wranglers staff had other ideas.

Instead, the couple was married at centre ice in front of 3,000 people during intermission.

“I was trying to just breathe and just be in the moment,” Robles said. “I knew that if I started crying, I wouldn’t be able to even say ‘I do’ right.’

“(It was) our little moment,” Stang added. “I focused on her and then I focused on what the commissioner was saying. Just tried to block everything else.”

View image in full screen

In a twist of fate, Flames assistant general manager Craig Conroy and head coach Darryl Sutter happened to be watching the game from the neighbouring suite, and agreed to serve as witnesses and sign the wedding license.

“Went to a hockey game and a wedding broke out,” Sutter said. “I’ve witnessed weddings before, but never on short notice. It was fun.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Went to a hockey game and a wedding broke out," Sutter said. "I've witnessed weddings before, but never on short notice. It was fun."

“What are the odds? It was like all the stars were aligning for us,” Robles added.

One day later, the family is still glowing from the unconventional and unforgettable night.

Robles and Stang are expecting their first child in the spring and hope to be back with the whole family in tow to form new memories on and off the ice.