CINCINNATI — Stuart and Melissa Kirk are often asked which Michigan hockey player they’re related to.
The Saline couple has no blood-ties to anyone within the Wolverines organization but that hasn’t kept them from showing continual support for the team over the last 12 years.
“Part of the love we have for Michigan hockey is the friends we make on the team,” Stuart Kirk said Saturday from his seat at Michigan’s NCAA regional final in Cincinnati, Ohio. “We feel privileged to call the players and their families our friends. We’re just crazy fans.”
This weekend was much like the majority of hockey weekends over the last decade. Home or away, the couple makes an effort to attend every game it can.
So when Michigan’s NCAA semifinal opponent was revealed on March 20, the Kirks began planning their trip to Cincinnati. They were in attendance for the team’s 3-2 overtime win over Notre Dame on Friday, and returned Saturday to support their team against North Dakota.
Donning maize and blue hats, jackets and jerseys, the couple were some of the first spectators to find their seats in the lower bowl at U.S. Bank Arena. Before the opening faceoff, several players’ parents and Michigan fans stopped to say hello to the familiar faces.
“Those friendships transcend the years and we are fortunate to be able to keep in touch with so many of the players who have graduated,” Stuart said. “I’m from Canada so hockey is in my blood.”
Upon marrying Melissa in 2002, the Ontario native and computer programmer moved to Michigan and began trying to convert his wife into a fan of his favorite sport. The love of hockey wasn’t a mutual one until Melissa’s Michigan debut.
“During my first game, we went to Yost (Ice Arena),” she said. “We were in the student section — standing of course — and we saw the goalie takes his gloves off and start fighting.”
The Kirks have since traveled around the country following their beloved team. Their farthest trips have been to Alaska, where the Wolverines used to play during their time in the CCHA. This year they’ve been to cities as far as Boston and Manhattan.
One of their favorite traditions is taking seniors out for dinner at Morton’s Steak House in Troy, following the conclusion of their final season. They’ve done so with a handful of graduates, including Carl Hagelin, Louie Caporusso, Kevin Lynch, Luke Moffatt, Zach Hyman and Brennan Serville.
“It’s the least we can do to thank them for four years of amazing hockey and friendship,” Stuart said. “We wish them all the very best for their futures.”
With high hopes that Michigan will be playing in next week’s Frozen Four, the Kirks have already made plans to fly down to Tampa, Fla. While there, they’ll of course make a stop at their favorite Florida destination, Disney World.
“We absolutely think they can make it,” Stuart said. “When the first line is clicking, and with the progression of Steve Racine working with coach Steve Shields, this is a force to be reckoned with. It’s been a crazy train and we’re on it until the end.”
Justin P. Hicks is a sports reporter and storyteller for MLive / The Ann Arbor News. If you have a unique story you’d like to share, you can reach me at jhicks3@mlive.com. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and MLive.
