Honeymoon

What kind of hockey fan am I? Scheduling my wedding during playoff season? But my husband is an Army Reservist, and he ended up deploying to Iraq two and a half months after the wedding. We really didn't have much of a choice.

We planned a two-day event in the mountains of NC, in a giant cabin and surrounding buildings that would accommodate 75 of our friends and family. As the Canes moved deeper into the playoffs, it became evident that we would have to miss one home playoff game, May 14 against the Devils, the night all the guests were arriving and socializing. The cabin didn't have TVs. Some of our hockey fan guests were ready to drive into Boone to try to catch the game at a sports bar, but we managed to get audio of the game over someone's laptop. My fiance and I were so nervous about the karma of missing the game. Ultimately, it would be the only home playoff game we missed through the whole playoffs. We were greatly relieved to hear Chuck Kaiton call the 4-1 victory.

We had sold our tickets that night to my fiance's boss, who brought his wife. Afterwards, they told us that the other fans in our section were all concerned because "Where is the Sign Chick?" When my fiance's boss explained we were getting married, the reaction was, "Well, did you at least bring the signs?"



Once married, my husband and I decided we just could not leave town for our honeymoon until the playoffs were over. We'd never forgive ourselves if we missed the chance to see our beloved team bring the Cup to Raleigh for the first time in history. We had planned a trip to Scotland, but fortunately, my brother is an airline employee, and we'd be using his benefits to fly stand-by. So we didn't have any reservations to cancel. Still, we knew that we'd absolutely have to leave by June 20 or run the risk of not catching a seat before the planes got too crowded. I remember that whole final series thinking, "Maybe we can win it in four. Okay, maybe we can win it in five. Okay, maybe six." I guess I made the sign to get out some of the nerves. How could I explain to posterity that I missed my honeymoon because of a hockey game? But how could I explain to posterity that I missed being present when history was made? When the Canes won their first Cup, when the state of North Carolina won its first major professional championship?

Well, the Hockey Gods smiled in a big way on June 19 when the Canes defeated the Edmonton Oilers. I saw my team win the Cup, at home, in a Game 7, in person. After lingering in the stands for the longest time, taking in the scene until most of the players and their families had left the ice, my husband and I began walking through the concourse on the way back to the car. A passerby whom I did not recognize saw me and said, "Now you can go on your honeymoon!"

Our flight to Scotland left the afternoon of the next day, but not before my husband ran out to pick up two Stanley Cup Champion t-shirts. We wore them the next day at Edinburgh Castle. (Photo is at Loch Ness.)

I'm a little sad that we had to miss the two parades that were held for the team while we were away. But we did enough celebrating on our own half a world away. Pretty much the best two months of my life.