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Blackhawks fan marries Wild fan on ice, betrays team

Greg Wyshynski

Kent Johnson and Shanta Balut, a lovely couple from Moose Lake, Minnesota, were married on the ice at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday ahead of the Minnesota Wild’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The bride wore a white Minnesota Wild sweater with BRIDE on the back. The groom wore a black Blackhawks jersey – which we suppose counts as formal wear in comparison to their other sweaters – with GROOM and the No. 65 on the back, because nothing conveys matrimonial respect and patience more than an Andrew Shaw reference.

But the groom also wore two other items on this blessed day: A Minnesota Wild hat, and a Minnesota Wild tie.

THE TIE IS LITERALLY COVERING UP THE GREATEST LOGO IN SPORTS BESIDES THE RED WINGS’ ONE.

Look, we all know marriage is about compromise. She gives up space in the bathroom cabinet, he agrees not to turn that third bedroom into “my unboxed action figure display area.” That sort of thing.

But as Pete Blackburn of Fox Sports notes, there’s compromise and then there’s treason:

Falling in love with a fan of a rival team does NOT mean you’re obligated to support that team in any shape or form. Pairing a Blackhawks jersey with a Wild tie and hat is…well, it’s shameful.

Now, we think it’s reasonable to expect your spouse to offer halfhearted support for your team, even if it’s simply the acknowledgement that a playoff loss is painful. So when the Blackhawks beat the Wild in Game 7 this spring – c’mon, we know how this story ends – it’s entirely understandable if this groom offers his condolences and doesn’t, like, put up a Jonathan Toews Fathead on their bedroom wall. Love means never having to taunt your spouse over sports unless both of your teams play in the same city, in which case [expletive] the Yankees.

But we essentially agree with Pete here: There’s no reason to rock that Wild gear with your Blackhawks swag. Your support for her team is implied within the vows. If you’re not converting, just be a Blackhawks groom. If you are converting, mazel tov!

Meanwhile, unless we’re missing it: Where is her support of the Blackhawks?

Haven’t they earned the right with three Stanley Cups, three Top 100 Players of All-Time and several dozen outdoor games to receive a show of respect? What have the Wild ever won, besides the Bruce Boudreau sweepstakes and some semantic argument with Detroit over who gets to be the “[large geographic region] of hockey?”

So in the end, we wish this couple well, pray for better fan balance in their relationship, and eagerly anticipate what the bride will wear to the next Blackhawks Cup parade.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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