It's once again Valentine's Day; a holiday in which romantics meticulously plan sincere expressions of affection for their loved ones … or wait until the last minute, run to the drug store, buy a poorly stitched-together teddy bear and a box of chalky candy hearts on the way home from work.
Ah, but the candy heart can be so much more than the last item left on the shelf. It can also communicate feelings or reveal true emotions, in a delicious bite-sized form.
Which is probably why so many NHL players, coaches and personalities have created their own candy hearts for this Valentine's Day that we invented and then Photoshopped collected in this handy gallery. Enjoy!
The following were created by Wyshynski and Mooney (who did the Tim Thomas one up top).
And here … we … go.
Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby.
Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.
New York Rangers Coach John Tortorella.
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien.
NHL VP of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan.
Phoenix Coyotes winger Raffi Torres.
Chicago Blackhawks stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
Vancouver Canucks star Daniel Sedin.
Center Scott Gomez. Of the Montreal Canadiens. Coached by Randy Cunneyworth.
NBC and TSN broadcaster Pierre McGuire.
And finally ...
The Phoenix Coyotes.
Created by Greg Wyshynski and Harrison Mooney/Puck Daddy. Couldn't have done it without you, online candy heart maker. Go there and create your own!