Like the ring, having Bailey, who made a special detour from 2018 Honda All-Star Weekend in Tampa to be there for the couple, in on such a big moment was a perfect fit.
Ober is from Southern California and was a Kings season ticket holder. But she moved across the country to South Carolina in 2016 to be closer to her parents, who had moved in 2015.
"I decided to leave on Friday, packed on Saturday and got in the truck and left Sunday," Ober said of the move. "I never got to say goodbye to my Kings... I walked away from my life, and all I had was hockey."
She met Ergle there, and they quickly fell in love, but the largest competition for Ober's affection has been the Kings. She grew up a Kings fanatic, regularly attended Frozen Fury, their annual preseason games in Las Vegas. Doughty is her favorite player because he gave her a stick at a game last season.
Ergle is from South Carolina and hadn't attended a hockey game until Thursday but has adopted Kings goalie Jonathan Quick has his favorite player. When Ober bought tickets for the Kings game against the Nashville Predators, in Row 8 in honor of Doughty, Ergle realized he had to do something to make it memorable.
"I had to top the (Doughty) stick," Ergle told NHL.com.
He contacted the Kings, asking if they could help him propose during the game, but Predators brass feared they might get heckled as road fan among a partisan home crowd. Ultimately, Ergle, the Kings and Predators all worked together to make it happen at the morning skate. He told Ober they'd attend the morning skate as a Christmas present, so they had to make the six-and-a-half hour drive a day early.
The players were made aware that the proposal was happening, and after she said yes, Ergle said he saw about nine players stop and applause for them. After the practice, Ergle and Ober met all their favorite players and Daryl Evans, the Kings sharp-dressing, longtime TV broadcaster, with whom Ober shared a memorable story.
"One of her great memories was at one of her first games she walked up to [Evans] and said 'you must be important,'" Ergle said. "When she reminded him of that, he said 'I remember.'"
Ergle then upped the ante when he got tickets for two of Ober's closest California friends to sit with them.
Both Ober and Ergle are in their 40s and endured difficult divorces. They said they intend to have a small ceremony and reception in Ergle's hometown of Aiken, South Carolina in order to save money for a trip to see a Kings home game in 2018-19 at Staples Center.
"I want to get him to L.A. someday," Ober said. "He needs to hear them announce [Doughty] and Quick's name. He needs to hear it."
