Does anyone have the phone number for Hallmark? This story is about as cheesy as it gets! Maybe it was just dumb luck. (But we like to think it was fate)

It was the day after Valentine's Day 2019. Maddie had performed a set of love songs at a restaurant in her hometown the night before. Feeling a bit lonely after a Valentine's Day serenading celebrating couples, as a 19 year old girl would, she decided to have a weekend with her sisters. It wasn't uncommon to have "sister dates." So Jillian and Maddie went to do something together that Jillian loves, watch a sporting event. That happened to be a Lehigh Valley Phantoms game on February 15th! Maddie and Jill headed for Allentown. After arriving at the PPL Center Jill was quick to be impressed with their seat luck, sitting 3 rows up from the glass and behind the home team's bench. If you know Maddie, you know she's not the most athletic, so she was enjoying most of the game by talking with Jill, not paying too much attention. Eventually the game picked up and was tied (and a bit more exciting to watch). That's when a handsome player started skating towards his bench during a time out and locked eyes with Maddie. (Love at first sight?!) Being the quiet, slightly shy girl that she was, Mad wanted to leave immediately but thanks to Jill, was forced to stick around.

It wasn't until this slick skater found her on social media, feeling confident after the overtime win, that she learned that it was number 16's first game back after a long healing period for a knee injury! It was just meant to be! The two started chatting and Nic invited Maddie to his next game and mentioned to bring skates. So, since one sister was in on the action, it didn't take long for Ashy to be all in too. For Ashlyn's "sister date" that weekend, she and Maddie went to the next game only two days later. The skates were for a special post-game skate with fans! After the game, Maddie and Ashy would take to the ice to be greeted by the brightest blue eyes and kindest smile. Nic had a number of fans coming up tp him for photos and autographs but after each interaction, skated back to Maddie and Ashy, continuing the conversation where he left off. It was then he asked a few times to meet again. Maddie was trying to be casual saying she wasn't 21 yet to meet for drinks when Ashy chimed in "Don't worry, Maddie is always free!"

Their first date was set for February 20th at the former "Irv's Pub" in Hershey PA. When Maddie thought Nic would cancel due to an unexpected snowstorm he told her "Don't worry, I'm Canadian. This is nothing." and continued to drive the 1.5 hour turned 2-2.5 hour commute in the snow to pick her up and take her on their date. The two saw each other almost every week after until they had to spend the summer keeping in touch over the phone.

Nicolas had an amazing summer of travel to Australia, New Zealand and Europe and Madison was headed to Hawaii to get her Yoga teaching certification. The two shared stories of their travels and photos/videos of summer in their hometowns. Finally in early September, Nic could come back to Philly for his next season's training camp. He surprised Mad by only telling her the night before he left and invited Maddie to meet him for a fancy dinner date downtown, and as they say, the rest is history.

The two have since experienced a lot in life together! Nicolas was called up to play in the NHL in December of 2019 and has been having quite the career since! After a few seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, he was placed on waivers and picked up by the Colorado Avalanche after a stressful 24 hour wait. The next morning he was off to Denver to begin training with his new team. Maddie (and her family!) packed up their entire New Jersey apartment and she arranged a cross-country move in three weeks. After an incredible year with the Avalanche, Nicolas came out of the waivers deal a Stanley Cup Champion! Seeing his lifelong dream come true is something to be cherished forever.

As if that wasn't enough excitement for one year, Nicolas had one more surprise up his sleeve... well, in his pocket. The two were making a pit-stop in Pennsylvania before heading home to Montreal for the summer. It was a beautiful day at Maddie's Godparents' lake house. Surrounded by family and fun, the lake is one of her favorite places to be! The grand finale to a perfect day was when Nicolas pulled Madison aside and began to share some sweet words about their journey together and experiences as a couple. From there he dropped to his knee and proposed in front of her family!

Feeling so blessed, life didn't seem like it could possibly get any better! Only 5 days later, Nicolas had his "Day with the cup" and paraded the Stanley Cup around his hometown of Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. It was so special for Maddie's family to be included with Nic's family and friends in the festivities. The two were surrounded by so much love for the weekend to celebrate all of the excitement in their lives.

However, their story doesn't end there. The day after, Nicolas was told he would not be receiving his qualifying offer from the Colorado Avalanche to re-sign a contract for next year. After another stressful waiting period, he decided to accept an offer from the Toronto Maple Leafs! As you can imagine, moving to a new country is no small feat! The two had some big obstacles to face, including the complications of an American Citizen spending too much time in Canada to be covered by a Passport.

Madison and Nicolas had a small elopement ceremony on August 16th, 2022. They were heading back to Lake George, NY to reserve their beautiful venue and turned that into a small trip to make it official!

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We are SO blessed to have you in our lives and we are SO excited to be able to celebrate with you on July 21st, 2023! Let the countdown begin!

Love,

Madison & Nicolas Aubé-Kubel