Military dad returns from deployment to surprise son at 2025 Memorial Cup.

It is moments like this one that make professional sports as special as they are.

As fans we often view professional athletes through that very same lens, fandom, and it can become easy at times to forget that the men and women wearing our favorite crests are human beings with lives of their own. You never really know what someone might be dealing with in their personal lives and this past week we were treated to a beautiful reminder of that fact.

On Friday night the Rimouski Oceanic kicked off the 2025 Memorial Cup against the Medicine Hat Tigers and they did so in rather unique fashion, surprising one of their own players with what will no doubt go down as one of the most memorable moments of his life. That player was none other than Oceanic defenseman Olivier Theberge who had no idea that there was a very special guest in attendance just for him.

As the pre-game ceremonies rolled along the Memorial Cup trophy was eventually carried out onto the ice so all of the players on the ice could view what they were competing for with their own two eyes, but this time around the man carrying the trophy out onto the ice was of special significance to Theberge. That's because Theberge's father had been deployed with the Canadian Armed Forces in the country of Latvia but, after making a special request, he was able to receive permission to leave his deployment in order to see his son compete for the 2025 Memorial Cup.

You could feel the emotion in the building as Theberge realized what was going on, skating over to the father that he had not seen in the flesh for some time. The two men embraced in a beautiful hug, one that was made rather comical by the fact that Theberge, in his full hockey gear, dwarfed his dad who was proudly wearing his military uniform.

A great show of class on the part of the Oceanic and a fitting way to open the tournament when you consider the fact that the Memorial Cup was established by James T. Sutherland, a captain in the Canadian armed forces during World War 1, to honor those who died in service to their country during World War 1.

Here's a look at the video: