A birthday present, an anniversary, and a proposal.
That is what Rachel Cassell and Matt Reardon – both from Ontario, Canada – celebrated together on last Tuesday night (March 18) at PPG Paints Arena when the Penguins hosted the Islanders.
“Knowing how die-hard of a Penguins fan she is, I started to slowly plan this,” Matt said about the string of events. “I knew this was generally something that was for her, and it really brought all that together—the love of the Penguins, she’s here in Pittsburgh, it’s her birthday, and it’s our anniversary (Wednesday).”
It was Rachel's cousin having a hockey tournament in Pittsburgh that eventually led to her joining the Penguins fandom and now, years later, getting engaged at a Penguins game.
“The first NHL game I went to was here in Pittsburgh at the Mellon Arena,” Rachel said. “We were here for my cousin's tournament, and we were able to get tickets to the Penguins game, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”
With Rachel’s love for the game of hockey – her and Matt often attend Ontario Hockey League games together – it was an easy decision for Matt to propose at a Penguins game. Once he had it finalized, it was time to kick the plan into action, starting with a surprise road trip from Ontario to Pittsburgh.
“When we got to the border, I asked her for my backpack from the backseat,” Matt said. “She was like, ‘Why do you need that?’ I said, ‘For our passports.’”
Eventually, after seeing the road signs go from Erie to Pittsburgh, Rachel knew. “She was like, ‘We’re going to Pittsburgh!’ and I was like, ‘We’re going to Pittsburgh!’” Matt said.
Once the couple arrived in Pittsburgh, it was game time, and Matt was ready.
“I was a little nervous, but not really. She will agree I have a supernatural confidence level,” Matt said. “I had to hide a brick of a case in my pocket without her noticing a ring-shaped box.”
Supernatural confidence is exactly what Matt needed in the first period of the game when, while seated close to the glass, he proposed to Rachel. She said yes, and the couple shared a kiss on the videoboard.
The proposal caught Rachel by surprise with all the other events thrown into the mix, and was the perfect cherry on top.
“It came to mind that he might propose, but it also left my mind,” Rachel said. “I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s happening this trip.’ I was hoping for it, but I didn’t want to get my hopes too high just in case.”
The crowd erupted into cheers for Matt and Rachel once they saw what had happened on the videoboard, and fans in their section made the special moment even sweeter, showing the true camaraderie of the hockey community.
“Honestly, everybody walking up to us after it happened and congratulating us, it’s really nice to have people appreciate that,” Matt said.
Sharing their special moment together surrounded by fellow Penguins fans left Matt and Rachel with an extra special place in their hearts for PPG Paints Arena, which they now hope to turn into a tradition.
“I’m just happy we were able to knock it out in the style that she deserves, given the fact that she loves the Penguins so much,” Matt said. “I had the whole stadium cheering it on... we plan to come back once a year, probably. It’s hard to relive that, but this is special to us now, so I think we owe it to ourselves to come down every year.”
