Stanley Cup rings aren’t the only jewelry on some Penguins fans’ minds. Iain and Mackenzi Bacorn have spent the last year getting engaged, married, and traveled, with the black and gold involved in every step of the journey.
After Ian popped the question, they had custom jerseys made, which they wore for their celebratory photos. The guest book at their wedding was a hockey stick, and they had everyone in attendance sign it.
Instead of a traditional honeymoon to somewhere like Paris or Jamaica, they settled on something much closer to their heart.
They went on a three-legged “hockeymoon” back in November, where they followed their beloved Penguins from Columbus to Pittsburgh to Raleigh for some NHL action. During their stop in the Steel City, “my sister reached out to the marketing team here and gave us probably the best wedding gift ever,” Iain said.
Since goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was out with an injury at the time, the couple got the chance to meet their favorite player, Magnus Hellberg.
The couple’s fascination with the good-natured goalie began when he stepped up to backstop the Penguins to a pair of wins on the previous week’s California trip.
“We just love his vibe, the way he plays. I like that he keeps the puck in play most of the time. I just love him,” Mackenzi said. “We just love goalies in general.”
After the Nov. 16 game against New Jersey, the Penguins surprised the couple by bringing Hellberg over to meet them. When he emerged from the locker room, their eyes lit up.
“Oh my god! Hell yeah, Hellberg!” Mackenzi exclaimed.
Their ensuing conversation revealed that the couple and Hellberg were tied even closer together than they thought. The couple’s home in Hartford, Connecticut turned out to be right around the block from where Hellberg lived when he was playing in the Rangers system.
Halfway through their conversation, Hellberg paused.
“Hold on. I’m going to go get something,” he said, and disappeared into the locker room. No one, not even the Penguins staffer who facilitated the interaction, knew what he was doing. A couple of minutes later, he came back, having signed a goalie stick of his own to give to the couple.
“It’s super exciting,” Iain said. “Super good dude. So nice.”
Even as Hellberg has returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, his fanbase remains fervent. They even gave themselves a name.
While Taylor Swift has “Swifties”, Justin Bieber has “Beliebers”, Mackenzi and Iain christened themselves “Bergies” after a night they’ll never forget.
