Take Me Where the Hockey Players Face Off Down the...Aisle?

August is traditionally the slowest month of the year when it comes to the hockey world. For those of us who take no vacation from our insane passion for the game, survival of this barren time takes a little creativity and a great sense of humor. It is in the strangest times and most unlikely places that we find the love of hockey, tucked away in the cracks and crevices of our daily lives. This weekend was one of those times.

Yesterday my cousin and his fiancée were married in a beautiful ceremony in Virginia that brought friends and family from all over the world together to celebrate. There was no question in my mind that these two people really belonged together and truly understood one another to begin with, and it was a point that was underlined in many ways throughout the weekend - but one particular moment stood out in my mind that I just had to share.

As those of us who are passionate about the game know, it isn't easy to put up with people like us. Friends, spouses, significant others - they are dragged to games and subjected to incessant discussions about the latest hockey news, and I'm sure it is in spite of our love of hockey rather than because of it that they stick around. Basically they have to be people of great strength, character, and patience just to survive the experience.

My cousin happens to be an avid hockey fan, a fan of the Caps and, sadly, the Red Wings (for which I forgive him because...well, he's family and I have no choice). Naturally he stops short of my level of insanity, as most people do, but he still loves the game and he has been lucky enough to find a woman who has the aforementioned qualities to spare.

During the reception the band announced that the bride had requested a special song just for the groom. Being a wedding, I'm sure most people thought, as I did, that it would be a ballad or a love song of some kind...and I guess in a way it was.

Just not the kind we expected.

For right there, in a room full of smartly dressed, half tipsy wedding guests, the band broke out the opening chords of none other than Stompin' Tom Connors hockey classic, The Good Old Hockey Game. Those people who recognized it (namely myself and my immediate family) instantly cracked up, and as the song progressed and people heard the lyrics the laughter spread. A few brave souls even sang along (again, namely myself and my immediate family). It was a truly incredible experience - I promise you that you've never heard that song until you've heard it played by a wedding band.

I point this out not only as a moment that shows the many ways in which the love of hockey lurks where you would least expect it, but also as a moment that shows the true meaning of love itself. Because none of the little stuff matters if at the end of the day you can come home to someone who understands you, someone who cares about you, and most of all someone who makes you laugh.

Congratulations, David and Sabrina - I wish you a lifetime together filled with hockey, happiness, and laughter!