ST. PAUL, Minn. — For years, Luke Kunin watched as his girlfriend, then fiancée, then spouse, Sophia, supported his profession.
She was a shoulder to lean on when issues bought powerful in Minnesota. Moved to Nashville when he was traded there. Was a continuing through the hardest season of his professional profession — final yr with the San Jose Sharks, when he tore his ACL.
So Kunin can’t wait to stroll into Xcel Vitality Heart — the world the place he started his NHL profession as a Minnesota Wild rookie seven years in the past — on Saturday with the shoe on the opposite foot. The 1 p.m. CDT recreation can be his first time watching Sophia play on the highest degree in individual, as she’ll take the ice with Minnesota’s Skilled Ladies’s Hockey League workforce to face Boston in its regular-season house finale forward of subsequent month’s playoffs.
“I’ll get to see what it’s all about,” Luke stated. “I’ve watched her video games on the web all yr — as a lot as I can with our schedule — however I consider all of the issues she’s sacrificed for me through the years so I can stay out my dream. I can’t wait to be there to assist her and watch her stay her dream.”
Luke and Sophia Kunin’s relationship has helped them come via a lot to reach at this level. Assembly as youngsters. Watching one another excel in hockey. Changing into school sweethearts. And Luke being Sophia’s “rock each step of the way in which” after essentially the most traumatic occasion of her life, the demise of her youthful brother, Drake, in the beginning of her sophomore yr.
Luke, 26, is a hard-nosed, hard-working ahead for the Sharks who hails from suburban St. Louis. Sophia, 27, who grew up in Wayzata, Minn., and is now one among PWHL Minnesota’s quickest, most dependable forwards, was generally known as Sophia Shaver till the Kunins have been married final summer season within the Twin Cities.
They’re the one husband and spouse skilled hockey gamers of their respective prime leagues in North America.
For now.
“I believe the extra our league’s round, the extra we’re going to begin to see it,” stated U.S. Hockey Corridor of Famer Natalie Darwitz, GM of PWHL Minnesota and a two-time NCAA champion with the College of Minnesota. “To not say that romances are going to occur left and proper on the rink, however as extra franchises begin to share services and we’re round, it solely is sensible as a result of who higher to know the opposite’s schedule and dedication than one other skilled hockey participant.
“To me, Luke and Sophia is such a cool story. It’d be even cooler if Luke nonetheless performed for the Wild.”
Luke and Sophia met on the College of Wisconsin earlier than their freshman years. Luke was an incoming males’s hockey participant for a Badgers workforce he’d in the end captain as a sophomore. Sophia was an incoming girls’s hockey participant for a Badgers workforce she’d in the end captain and assist result in an NCAA championship with the profitable aim within the title recreation.
At Wisconsin, athletes often come to Madison for summer season coaching earlier than the varsity yr begins.
“We truly have been each in the identical dorm,” Sophia recalled. “It was a small dorm with us — girls’s hockey — males’s hockey, each basketballs after which some observe folks. We had lots of time on our palms so we might hang around on a regular basis. We’d see one another on the rink. Began off as mates after which actually shortly simply began relationship within the fall of our freshman yr.”
Sophia and Luke Kunin’s relationship started as Badgers. (Courtesy of Sophia Kunin)
They’ve been collectively since, though as a result of Luke performs for San Jose and Sophia was a part of the Minnesota workforce within the inaugural PWHL season, they have been newlyweds who not often bought to see one another throughout this primary yr as husband and spouse.
Wild winger Marcus Foligno could also be six years older than Luke, however the two hit it off straight away when Luke arrived in Minnesota as a rookie, turning into such good buddies that Foligno was a groomsman within the Kunins’ marriage ceremony, together with Luke’s former Nashville Predators teammate Colton Sissons and childhood finest buddy Matthew Tkachuk.
In early March, when the Sharks got here to Minnesota for his or her first go to of 2023-24, Foligno was so excited to see his outdated buddy that he requested if he needed to have dinner the night time earlier than the sport. He forgot, in fact, that Luke would most likely relatively spend a while along with his spouse.
“He’s like, ‘Dude, I haven’t seen Sophia in two months,’” Foligno stated, laughing. “I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that’s proper. You guys have a loopy way of life.’ I don’t know the way they do it. I’d go insane if I didn’t see my spouse on a regular basis, particularly the primary yr of our marriage.”
However as powerful as it’s, the Kunins have executed the long-distance factor typically of their relationship since Kunin left Wisconsin after his sophomore yr to show professional.
“It’s powerful, however we’re sort of used to it,” Sophia stated. “We’ve been aside lots of our lives. And with each of our schedules, we sort of have the identical schedule. So we’re each unavailable to one another all through the day. We’re right here on the rink after which we get to catch up at night time.”
Added Luke, “We each love taking part in and each love what we’re doing and simply need to get pleasure from it so long as we will or so long as each of us need to do it, I suppose. Yeah, it’s powerful being separated. You need to see one another. But it surely’s cool to see every thing that she’s been doing and the way in which the league’s going, how a lot enjoyable she’s having.”
Sophia had simply performed a weekend sequence in opposition to St. Cloud State when she bought the devastating name from her mother and father, Cristen and Tom, on Oct. 2, 2016, that Drake had taken his personal life. A highschool hockey and lacrosse participant, an avid outdoorsman who cherished searching and fishing, Drake was solely 17.
“He was a really completely happy, regular, widespread man,” Sophia stated. “That’s why it got here as such a shock to all of us as a result of we might’ve by no means seen the indicators. He appeared to have every thing collectively, however he was struggling on the within and didn’t need to open up.”
Sophia together with her brother, Drake. (Courtesy of Sophia Kunin)
Sophia returned house however got here again to high school every week later. She buried herself in as a lot schoolwork and hockey as she might, however she was not doing OK.
Luke was one among her steady technique of assist.
“That is most likely one of many the explanation why we’re so sturdy collectively as a result of we might solely have been relationship for a yr at that time,” Sophia stated. “I needed to lean on him a ton that yr as a result of it was clearly the toughest yr of my life. That yr and even years previous, simply having him there for me — and he was so good about simply checking in and ensuring I used to be doing OK, it’s most likely how I bought via it. And keep in mind, he’s going via a yr the place he’s making an attempt to make it to the NHL, too, so he had a tricky time with it as properly, and I’ll simply without end be thankful for him for that.”
Luke was solely 18 on the time and was heartbroken for Sophia and her household. He had began to grow to be shut together with her mother and father and siblings, together with Sophia’s sister, Crosby, who went to the Air Drive Academy, was a pilot who flew refueler jets and now has an unbiased contracting job in Washington, D.C.
“I nonetheless can’t think about what she was going via and her household, and I simply needed to be there for her and her household,” Luke stated. “Yeah, it was powerful. Drake was such child, and I believe the way in which she dealt with every thing and continues to deal with every thing, she is loopy sturdy mentally, simply to get via that. She sort of retains every thing transferring ahead and in the correct course.
“The best way she needed to deal with herself when it occurred has actually helped flip her into the individual she is at this time. Each day, she simply goes about her enterprise and is sweet and first rate to everybody she meets. I do know she says I helped her via that point, however she’s the hardest individual I’ve ever met. Nonetheless is, and we nonetheless discuss Drake on a regular basis when the households are collectively, and he’s nonetheless an enormous a part of our household for positive.”
Luke could be very shut with Sophia’s household, particularly her dad, Tom, who takes him to their cabin in Crosslake to go fishing and searching.
“Luke was by no means into it as a result of he simply didn’t develop up with it, however now he’s bought an actual ardour for the outside and loves hanging with my dad,” Sophia stated. “They’ve recognized him since he was 17, so my dad loves educating Luke issues about fishing and searching. They’ve sort of grown collectively via that, and so they actually do consider him as a son.”
Luke Kunin has performed for the Wild, Predators and Sharks. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Pictures)
As powerful of a yr because the Sharks had, profitable solely 19 video games, Luke scored 11 objectives, bought right into a team-leading 9 fights, led the workforce’s forwards with 165 hits and wore a letter on his chest. Normal supervisor Mike Grier stated he epitomized what the workforce is searching for in San Jose, somebody keen to battle each night time.
A restricted free agent, Luke hopes to signal a long-term deal there this offseason.
And Sophia, who scored a aim in Minnesota’s first recreation at Boston, is a participant Darwitz feels will show fairly invaluable as soon as the playoffs start. Each workforce has high-end ability, however Darwitz believes the groups that separate themselves would be the ones with high-end depth supplied by gamers like Sophia, who has scored two objectives and an help in 21 video games.
Brittyn Fleming forces a turnover and Wayzata Native Sophia Kunin goes prime shelf. Minnesota up 2-0! pic.twitter.com/VTu0tY8wxs
— Brett Marshall (@B_Marsh92) January 4, 2024
“In any playoff run, it’s your depth,” Darwitz stated. “Sophia’s an enormous a part of our secondary scoring due to her velocity. She’s bought good hockey IQ. She makes stuff occur. Often, lots of her play is with out the puck — how properly she angles, creates a turnover. Does she need to be on this stat sheet extra? Completely. Ought to she be? She might be. She has the potential and the ability. However she’s doing precisely what we want from her proper now.”
Sophia Kunin is an efficient depth ahead for PWHL Minnesota (Courtesy of PWHL Minnesota)
Luke and Sophia don’t do lots of offseason coaching collectively. In Nashville, when Sophia was a business actual property dealer, she skated with the Junior Preds excessive schoolers to maintain in form and preserve taking part in. However within the summertime now, regardless that they’re each professionals, Luke does his personal factor and she or he does her factor with a bunch of ladies who play professionally.
“She’s labored loopy laborious to get to the place she is,” Luke stated. “And I believe it’s superior for the gamers to have one thing to stay up for post-college. It’s been nice to see how properly the turnouts have been when it comes to attendance and the way properly the league’s going. Clearly, it’s actual younger, however hopefully good issues to return for each her and the league.
“Sophia does a little bit little bit of every thing. I’ve seen her play in school, and just like me, simply seeing the transition from her school recreation to professional is actually cool. She’s very well-rounded. I’m simply having a blast watching her have enjoyable and simply hope her and her workforce does properly.”
Foligno bought to learn the beginning lineup within the locker room for PWHL Minnesota’s first-ever house recreation. Two of his younger daughters have been by his aspect, and he hoped it could make an impression lengthy into the longer term that ladies have been about to play an expert hockey recreation.
“And my ladies know who Sophia is for positive,” Foligno stated. “Luke and Sophia are two nice individuals who come from nice households. The entire long-distance relationship after getting married is wild in itself, however they’re two folks which might be keen about what they do and assist one another, which is fairly cool. It’s why they’ve been collectively for therefore lengthy. To not be sappy, however Luke actually loves his woman, so it’s cool to see them taking part in professionally and having success whereas doing it, too.”
Sophia and Luke Kunin proudly sport their USA Hockey garb. (Courtesy of Sophia Kunin)
Kunin is again in Minnesota for now, however he’ll head to Czechia subsequent month with the U.S. nationwide workforce to participate on the earth championships. In 2017, he captained the U.S. to world juniors gold.
He’s simply excited that in this quick keep he’ll get to absorb one among Sophia’s video games.
And to hang around along with his finest buddy, their spunky 4-year-old French Bulldog, Rocco.
“Luke misses Rocco greater than me when he’s away,” Sophia stated.
“He’s my favourite,” Luke joked. “However Sophia would possibly take a little bit higher care of him than I might in San Jose, so he stays right here. It’s at all times powerful leaving him, particularly as a result of once I come again, he pouts at first as a result of he’s so mad I used to be gone. He will get over it, however the cycle at all times repeats itself.”
This has been an extended, lengthy yr for the Kunins being separated. On their marriage ceremony day final July, Luke stole the present on the reception by grabbing the mic and singing rock n’ roll songs like Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Goin Down.”
“He’s not singer in any respect, by the way in which,” Sophia cracked.
A number of NHLers have been there, together with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Sissons, Dante Fabbro, Ryan Hartman, Jordan Greenway and Foligno.
A number of of Sophia’s former teammates have been bridesmaids, together with Abby Roque, who performs for PWHL New York.
“Abby is sort of the Matthew Tkachuk of our league: talks smack, sort of a rat, so naturally we paired them collectively as bridesmaid and groomsman and so they walked down the aisle collectively,” Sophia stated, laughing.
Nick Kunin, Austin Haglund, Matthew Tkachuk, Luke Kunin, Matthew Freytag, Colton Sissons and Marcus Foligno with Sophia Kunin in entrance on marriage ceremony day. (Courtesy of Sophia Kunin)
That is life as an NHL-PWHL couple. Having fun with the moments they get collectively and appreciating one another’s careers as they attempt to fulfill the identical goals.
Even Grier stated, “I hear it in Luke’s voice when he talks concerning the league and talks about Sophia. He’s so happy with her and will get such enjoyment watching her play hockey.”
“I believe we’re each tremendous grateful that we, one, met in school and bought to play school hockey, however then to proceed our careers each professionally,” Sophia stated. “It’s a brilliant distinctive expertise. It’s very nice to simply have another person that’s going via the very same factor as you. Our seasons are occurring on the identical time. We get to speak concerning the highs and lows.
“To have somebody like that as your accomplice is actually particular for us.”
(Prime images courtesy of Sophia Kunin)
