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 robust in Minnesota. Moved to Nashville when he was traded there. Was a relentless throughout 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 Middle — 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 will likely be his first time watching Sophia play on the highest stage in individual, as she’ll take the ice with Minnesota’s Skilled Ladies’s Hockey League staff to face Boston in its regular-season residence finale forward of subsequent month’s playoffs.
“I’ll get to see what it’s all about,” Luke mentioned. “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 over time so I can stay out my dream. I can’t wait to be there to help her and watch her stay her dream.”
Luke and Sophia Kunin’s relationship has helped them come by way of a lot to reach at this level. Assembly as youngsters. Watching one another excel in hockey. Turning into faculty sweethearts. And Luke being Sophia’s “rock each step of the way in which” after essentially the most traumatic occasion of her life, the dying of her youthful brother, Drake, at 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 often called 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,” mentioned 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 smart as a result of who higher to grasp 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 staff he’d finally captain as a sophomore. Sophia was an incoming ladies’s hockey participant for a Badgers staff she’d finally captain and assist result in an NCAA championship with the profitable objective within the title recreation.
At Wisconsin, athletes normally come to Madison for summer season coaching earlier than the varsity yr begins.
“We really have been each in the identical dorm,” Sophia recalled. “It was a small dorm with us — ladies’s hockey — males’s hockey, each basketballs after which some monitor individuals. We had loads of time on our arms so we’d 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 staff within the inaugural PWHL season, they have been newlyweds who hardly ever 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 immediately 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 greatest 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 wished to have dinner the evening earlier than the sport. He forgot, in fact, that Luke would in all probability relatively spend a while together with his spouse.
“He’s like, ‘Dude, I haven’t seen Sophia in two months,’” Foligno mentioned, laughing. “I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that’s proper. You guys have a loopy life-style.’ I don’t understand how 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 robust 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 robust, however we’re sort of used to it,” Sophia mentioned. “We’ve been aside loads 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 evening.”
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 assume. Yeah, it’s robust being separated. You need to see one another. But it surely’s cool to see all the things 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 towards 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 beloved searching and fishing, Drake was solely 17.
“He was a really blissful, regular, well-liked man,” Sophia mentioned. “That’s why it got here as such a shock to all of us as a result of we’d’ve by no means seen the indicators. He appeared to have all the things collectively, however he was struggling on the within and didn’t need to open up.”
Sophia along with her brother, Drake. (Courtesy of Sophia Kunin)
Sophia returned residence however got here again to highschool per 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 help.
“That is in all probability one of many explanation why we’re so sturdy collectively as a result of we’d solely have been relationship for a yr at that time,” Sophia mentioned. “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 in all probability how I bought by way of it. And bear in mind, he’s going by way of a yr the place he’s making an attempt to make it to the NHL, too, so he had a troublesome time with it as nicely, and I’ll simply endlessly be pleased about him for that.”
Luke was solely 18 on the time and was heartbroken for Sophia and her household. He had began to turn into shut along 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 impartial contracting job in Washington, D.C.
“I nonetheless can’t think about what she was going by way of and her household, and I simply wished to be there for her and her household,” Luke mentioned. “Yeah, it was robust. Drake was such a very good child, and I believe the way in which she dealt with all the things and continues to deal with all the things, she is loopy sturdy mentally, simply to get by way of that. She sort of retains all the things shifting ahead and in the appropriate path.
“The way in which she needed to deal with herself when it occurred has actually helped flip her into the individual she is in the present day. Daily, she simply goes about her enterprise and is nice and first rate to everybody she meets. I do know she says I helped her by way of that point, however she’s the hardest individual I’ve ever met. Nonetheless is, and we nonetheless speak about Drake on a regular basis when the households are collectively, and he’s nonetheless an enormous a part of our household for positive.”
Luke may 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 mentioned. “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 by way of that, and so they actually do consider him as a son.”
Luke Kunin has performed for the Wild, Predators and Sharks. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Photographs)
As robust of a yr because the Sharks had, profitable solely 19 video games, Luke scored 11 targets, bought right into a team-leading 9 fights, led the staff’s forwards with 165 hits and wore a letter on his chest. Basic supervisor Mike Grier mentioned he epitomized what the staff is on the lookout for in San Jose, somebody prepared to battle each evening.
A restricted free agent, Luke hopes to signal a long-term deal there this offseason.
And Sophia, who scored a objective in Minnesota’s first recreation at Boston, is a participant Darwitz feels will show fairly beneficial as soon as the playoffs start. Each staff has high-end ability, however Darwitz believes the groups that separate themselves would be the ones with high-end depth offered by gamers like Sophia, who has scored two targets 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 mentioned. “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, loads of her play is with out the puck — how nicely 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’d like from her proper now.”
Sophia Kunin is an effective depth ahead for PWHL Minnesota (Courtesy of PWHL Minnesota)
Luke and Sophia don’t do loads 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, although they’re each professionals, Luke does his personal factor and he or she does her factor with a bunch of ladies who play professionally.
“She’s labored loopy laborious to get to the place she is,” Luke mentioned. “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 nicely the turnouts have been by way of attendance and the way nicely the league’s going. Clearly, it’s actual younger, however hopefully good issues to return for each her and the league.
“Sophia does a bit little bit of all the things. I’ve seen her play in faculty, and much like me, simply seeing the transition from her faculty recreation to professional is absolutely cool. She’s very well-rounded. I’m simply having a blast watching her have enjoyable and simply hope her and her staff does nicely.”
Foligno bought to learn the beginning lineup within the locker room for PWHL Minnesota’s first-ever residence recreation. Two of his younger daughters have been by his facet, and he hoped it might make an impression lengthy into the longer term that ladies have been about to play knowledgeable hockey recreation.
“And my women know who Sophia is for positive,” Foligno mentioned. “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 individuals which are obsessed with what they do and help 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 lady, 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 staff to participate on this planet championships. In 2017, he captained the U.S. to world juniors gold.
He’s simply excited that in this brief keep he’ll get to soak up one among Sophia’s video games.
And to hang around together with his greatest buddy, their spunky 4-year-old French Bulldog, Rocco.
“Luke misses Rocco greater than me when he’s away,” Sophia mentioned.
“He’s my favourite,” Luke joked. “However Sophia would possibly take a bit higher care of him than I might in San Jose, so he stays right here. It’s at all times robust 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 a very good 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 mentioned, 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 desires.
Even Grier mentioned, “I hear it in Luke’s voice when he talks in regards to the league and talks about Sophia. He’s so pleased with her and will get such enjoyment watching her play hockey.”
“I believe we’re each tremendous grateful that we, one, met in faculty and bought to play faculty hockey, however then to proceed our careers each professionally,” Sophia mentioned. “It’s an excellent distinctive expertise. It’s very nice to only have another person that’s going by way of the very same factor as you. Our seasons are happening on the identical time. We get to speak in regards to the highs and lows.
“To have somebody like that as your associate is absolutely particular for us.”
(High pictures courtesy of Sophia Kunin)
