Rush fan proposal outshines weekend game

Two Saskatchewan Rush fans weren’t feeling the sting of Saturday’s Saskatchewan Rush loss to the Calgary Roughnecks as they left Sasktel Centre.

While the Rush had trouble on offense, it was Rupert Klyne scoring big between the first and second quarters when he proposed to his girlfriend, Kandus Haughn.

Klyne pulled the act off during what looked to be a sponsored segment. Rush in-game host Daniella Ponticelli asked the couple to answer questions about each other on a white board as they stood back-to-back.

“I kind of thought something might be happening, because he kind of dropped a few hints over the week, but I didn’t think this was going to happen,” Haughn said afterwards.

After a small countdown, Klyne and Haughn had to turn sideways to reveal each answer.

First, the couple answered what each other’s favourite movie was. Then, it was their ultimate pet peeve. Then, Ponticelli asked a slightly more pointed question:

“What year do you think you’ll be engaged?”

As Haughn hurried to write her answer, Klyne got down on one knee and pulled a ring from behind his back. Haughn turned around completely unaware as 13,426 fans inside Sasktel Centre erupted in applause.

We 💚 everything about this. Congrats Kandus and Rupert! pic.twitter.com/KbK2sZ9tQQ

— Saskatchewan Rush (@SaskRushLAX) February 10, 2019

“I was in shock,” she said.

Klyne never took himself as the grand gesture-type, but decided to pay Haughn back after receiving some thoughtful gifts lately.

“She flew my son down from Winnipeg in for my fiftieth birthday, so I figured ‘hey, I need to make this a little more than what she made my fiftieth.'”

“So we had 13,476 people at our engagement party.”

Klyne said more than two weeks of planning went into the proposal, but the specifics didn’t come together until last Wednesday, just three days before the game, when a Rush employee called Klyne with a complete rundown.

“I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but the way he did it was amazing.”