Tweet from @AnaheimDucks: Marine Corporal Andrew Bunnell, stationed in Qatar. is a huge Ducks fan. He and Norma are having a child - due in October - and she wanted to do something special to reveal the sex to Andrew in time for #FathersDay. That���s where #NHLDucks captain Ryan Getzlaf stepped in. pic.twitter.com/sriP8ORMES
Bates and Marine corporal Andrew Bunnell, based in Cherry Point, North Carolina, are expecting their first child in October. They had originally agreed to not find out the baby's gender while Bunnell is deployed in Qatar, but a slip-up at a recent doctor's visit changed things.
"We were not going to find out," Bates told NHL.com. "But the doctor had accidentally blurted it out during a visit. Something like 'she's ok' (referring to the baby during a sonogram). When I found out I knew there was no way in the world I would be able to keep it from him. I am a terrible liar."
She reached out to the Anaheim Ducks, who Bunnell follows so closely on his phone wherever he is in the world. His fiancée knows she won't be getting a prompt text reply if there is a game going on. He's yet to see the Ducks in person, however. Every time the couple planned to attend a game, duty called.
"I was thinking, should I send him a note? I wanted it to be special," Bates said. "Then the crazy hit me. He is such a huge Ducks fan so I thought 'What if they could help out?' I didn't think anything would come of it."
Bates was shocked when her call was returned. She was asked who Bunnell's favorite player was and the team handled the rest.
Team captain Ryan Getzlaf made a video, which the Ducks shared on Twitter. It was played for Bunnell at his base in Qatar shortly after.
Bunnell's sergeant showed him the Getzlaf announcement while a colleague took video of his reaction.
"You can see he is completely still. He is in total shock," Bates said of the clip she was sent. "He asked me 'How in the world did you do that?' I had asked him if he was more shocked he was having a girl or that Ryan Getzlaf was actually talking to him."
The couple's baby girl is due October 23, right around the time Bunnell is slated to return to the United States.
"When the team called me back they asked what I wanted to do. I told them honestly, I didn't know," Bates said. "They said 'No problem, we got you.' It turned out to be very special. He said he keeps watching the video over and over. I am unbelievably grateful for all of this.
