Connor McDavid, David Pastrnak and Cale Makar are just some NHL players who tied the knot this summer. But the sparkle of the NHL's wedding season has gone back decades.
When Wayne Gretzky married the actress Janet Jones on July 16, 1988, the event was billed as Canada's 'Royal Wedding.'
Seven years after Prince Charles wed Lady Diana Spencer at London’s St Paul's Cathedral in front of a global TV audience of 750 million, the Gretzkys held their ceremony at Edmonton’s St. Joseph's Basilica, with the reception at the nearby Westin Hotel.
Seven hundred guests attended the ceremony, which featured 22 attendants including Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers teammates Mark Messier, Paul Coffey and Kevin Lowe.
Now, in the age of Instagram, every summer includes spectacular images of NHL players' weddings. Fans are invited into the festivities to marvel at the exotic locations and guest lists that include the who's who of the hockey world — and beyond.
On July 27, 2024, the Oilers’ latest Royal Wedding took place when Connor McDavid married Lauren Kyle on a private island on Lake Muskoka, Ont.
And while there are no answers yet about whether McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will remain in Edmonton long-term when their current contracts expire, they are expected to remain for at least the near future, unlike Gretzky.
Barely three weeks had elapsed since the wedding when Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on Aug. 9, 1988.
McDavid’s new wife, an interior designer, previously showed off her impeccable taste in a 2021 Architectural Digest feature that showcased the couple's Edmonton home.
So it should come as no surprise that their wedding is featured in Australian Vogue.
And after the recently surfaced dressing-room video of McDavid and the Oilers looking utterly shattered following their Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers, the mood was much more festive at the McDavids' wedding reception, with Loud Luxury behind the turntables.
Of course, McDavid isn’t the only NHL star to get hitched this summer.
David Pastrnak also brought the content with a spectacular affair in Croatia.
His guest list included a long list of past and present teammates, including Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Jake DeBrusk and Taylor Hall, with David Krejci and Torey Krug serving as two of his groomsmen.
Last weekend, it was Cale Makar’s turn, with a country-themed rehearsal and a live band serving up classic hits at the reception. More cowbell!
A non-exhaustive list of other NHL players who have tied the knot this summer includes Adam Fox, Jamie Benn, Jake Oettinger, Carter Verhaeghe, Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, Thomas Chabot, Michael Bunting and Jack Campbell.
Last year, Tyson Barrie’s Victoria nuptials delivered arguably the most star power of the Summer of ‘23.
A few weeks later, Kevin Hayes gave him a run for his money on the East Coast, complete with Boston's boy Sammy Adams belting out All Night Longer.
Other 2023 grooms included Brady Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Mitch Marner, Jordan Binnington and Brenden Dillon.
After a period of relative social isolation during the pandemic, weddings have come back bigger and more over-the-top than ever, even outside the circle of professional athletes.
And since the players' schedules give them a limited window for socializing and celebrating, the phenomenon of summer NHL weddings certainly pre-dates the pandemic.
For the most part, fans see an idyllic version of these affairs through the glimpses that are curated for social media. During the pre-iPhone days of 2007, things went notoriously sideways at Eric Staal’s bachelor party in Lutsen, Minn.
There's no video, just a police report after Eric, 22 at the time, was one of 10 revellers who spent the night in jail after being arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.
Younger brother Jordan, then an 18-year-old who had just completed his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was released after booking. He was charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process in addition to consuming alcohol while under the age of 21.
After spending the day on the golf course, “We went back to our condo, and we were really loud," Jordan recalled to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette when he returned to Pittsburgh that September. "Security told us to quiet down. We quieted down for a bit. Then we started right back up again. We were pretty persistent (with the noise) the whole night. I think they just had enough."
Around 3 a.m., the group was asked to leave the Lutsen Resort and Sea Villas.
“After leaving the property, the group gathered on Highway 61 and began harassing passing motorists," said a news release from the Cook County Sheriff's Office about the incident. "At approximately 4 a.m. the suspects were placed under arrest for disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process. Some of the suspects fled into the nearby woods."
Both brothers eventually accepted plea deals that required them to pay fines.
“I learned a big lesson,” Jordan said. “You’ve got to stay out of those situations and be smart — smarter than I was. I’m definitely going to learn from it.”
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