Mazzola and Bean got engaged before the New Jersey Devils game against the Boston Bruins, and Wood helped by delivering a puck to the bride-to-be that said "Tracy, will you marry me" on it before entering the ice for warmups.
Tweet from @NJDevils: Woody delivered a puck to a fan that read ���Tracy, will you marry me?��� as her NOW fianc�� proposed! ������������ pic.twitter.com/JZw3ThryXF
"Once he handed her the puck, I got down on one knee and waited for her to read the puck and look at me," Mazzola told NHL.com. "I told her 'I love you so much, will you marry me' and she said yes. It was so amazing."
Mazzola is a Devils season ticket holder, and attending games at Prudential Center has been a staple of their relationship. Mazzola figured proposing to Bean at a game would be perfect, and he approached his ticket representative to dream up the perfect way to do so.
Mazzola developed a pretty elaborate plan that included a faux contest during a stoppage in play, but the Devils gave him the opportunity to get a player involved.
Tweet from @NJDevils: After an assist from @MilesWood44, these two #NJDevils fans are officially our new pairing. Congrats! ������������ pic.twitter.com/a694gUp4pa
Disaster nearly struck a week before the big proposal when Mazzola fell ill Monday. He went to the doctor, then took the week off from work to recuperate.
"I honestly did not know if the proposal would happen," Mazzola said. "Luckily, I started feeling better Friday afternoon and by Sunday I was ready to go."
He also hit a snag upon entering the arena with the engagement ring in his pocket because it would set off the arena's metal detector. He put the ring box in a bag he brought, designed to hold the Kyle Palmieri mini-bobblehead giveaway, which saved the surprise.
"I don't know if the security officer saw the ring in the bag," Mazzola said, "but hats off to her for not saying anything."
Mazzola told Bean he'd cashed in membership-reward points, which season-ticket holders receive accrue for purchases, to get her a ride on the Zamboni after warmups. He didn't know which player would be delivering the puck but quickly discovered it was Wood and got into position on one knee.
"I never requested a specific player to give her the puck; that was completely on the Devils' end," Mazzola said. "When the players started coming out, my heart started racing with excitement."
Bean initially laughed when she received the puck from Wood but her smile turned to shock when she saw her now-fiance on one knee.
"I could tell she didn't grasp it in the moment because she didn't turn to me after reading the puck, so I tapped her on the elbow," Mazzola said. "She instantly smiled and started to blush and then everything clicked."
The couple is still in the celebratory phase, but is hopeful for a spring wedding. Mazzola also hopes the Devils will be a theme for their upcoming nuptials.
"Through all the bits of planning, the Devils were very helpful and accommodating right down to the final minutes of the day of," he said. "I would love to have the Devils involved in any way possible. They already made the engagement so memorable."
