A failed proposal that was caught on the kiss cam at a National Hockey League (NHL) game had the crowd gasping across the arena last week.
The wince-worthy moment went viral on Twitter, as videos taken by hockey fans showed a shirtless man kneeling on one knee before a woman in the aisle of New York’s UBS Arena. As seen in the video, the words “PLZ SAY YES YES YES” were drawn across the man’s bare chest, according to viewers.
The woman appeared to be shocked as she held her hand over her mouth.
What happened next sent the crowd into a frenzy. You see the woman kneel in front of the man, say a few private words to him, and literally bolt out of the arena. The confused and rejected man laid a hand over his heart, got up, and sat alone in front of nearly 20,000 people, where he then grabbed his solitary beer.
— Roger Farina ❌ (@roger_farina) October 14, 2022
Social media quickly erupted in comments about the event, with many coming up with theories over whether the proposal was real or staged. However, David Marcus, a spectator who filmed the scene close-up, did not believe it was a stunt.
Crazy view of the islanders game proposal that went wrong . She said no! No! No! I felt so bad … he was sitting there shirtless for 2 min tearing up. For all those saying it was fake, I was there and it was most certainly not fake pic.twitter.com/n1z0UR9n5c
— David Marcus (@Davidmmarcus) October 14, 2022
Jaime Bronstein, a licensed relationship therapist and author said that surprises can keep a relationship “playful, fun, and light-hearted.” However, couples should communicate in advance about their expectations surrounding the proposal.
“It’s healthy to discuss comfort levels regarding various types of proposals,” Bronstein said. “For example, public versus private, extravagant and lavish versus understated, or destination proposals versus local.”
To those who have been dealt a blow by rejection, Bronstein offered the following advice, “Rejection is protection. If it doesn’t work out with one person, it just means the right person will come along at some point,” she said.
