It’s that time of year again. Love is in the air, and romance is on the ice. Valentine’s Day is almost here—the one day each year we dedicate to love, the ideals of soul mates and chocolate-covered strawberries.

But do you really just want to be another couple who gifts each other flowers, lingerie and that weird chalk candy? Or do you want something realer? One piece of advice lifestyle experts will sometimes give is to spend money on experiences, not things. Why shouldn’t this apply to your love life? Spend money on romantic experiences, specifically the most romantic experience there is: hockey games.

Sports games are a great place to take your date. They’re exciting, entertaining and one of the few places it is socially accepted to be publicly intoxicated (if you’re over 21, of course). Unfortunately for you, your options for wintertime sports are very limited in St. Louis. With the St. Louis Cardinals heading to Florida and the Rams out of the city, you’re stuck with the St. Louis Blues. Luckily for you, the St. Louis Blues play hockey, and hockey is the most romantic sport. Let me explain.

To start, hockey takes place on ice, as does another common romantic activity: ice-skating. Unlike going ice-skating, however, there is a zero percent chance that you fall on your face and look like an idiot if you take your significant other to a hockey game. Well, maybe not quite zero percent, if you’re chugging overpriced beer but certainly significantly lower than if you were to go ice-skating. Hockey is the best of both worlds! Ice-skating without the embarrassment!

Also, hockey players will consistently skate up very close to each other to talk. Are they talking trash (chirping, in hockey talk), or whispering sweet nothings? No one really knows! Look at all the romance that’s right there on the ice. If these 6-foot-5 Canadian men can find love at a hockey game, why can’t you?

But most importantly, hockey games are fun to go to. Dates are meant to be fun, so skip the pressure and awkward pauses of a traditional dinner date and go to a hockey game! There’s a palpable atmosphere at every hockey game I’ve ever been to, and it’s impossible to not get caught up in it. Did I understand the rules of hockey the first time I chanted, “You can’t do that” at a player who was just called for penalty? Absolutely not. Did I have a blast chanting anyhow? Absolutely.

Whether you know nothing about hockey, your partner knows nothing about hockey or neither of you know anything about hockey, you will both have fun. Try to sit in the nosebleeds with the season-ticket holders. They’ll be happy to have you there, and most importantly, you’ll be able to hear them react to every check, every shot, every save. You don’t really need to know how offside calls work or what an icing is. All you need to know is that you’re there, and everyone else is yelling, and it’s so infectious that you’ll be yelling, too. And there are very few things that are more fun than being in a group of people overreacting to a hockey game. There’s something about the atmosphere at the rink—it’s impossible not to have fun.

Relationships aren’t just about getting dressed up and going to a nice dinner. They’re not just about buying each other flowers and giant stuffed animals. They’re not even just about sex. I mean, all those things are great, but they don’t really mean anything if you don’t have fun together. Being in a relationship means enjoying spending time together, and trust me, you will enjoy the time you spend together at a hockey game. Really, it’s all about having a good experience with your significant other, and that’s what makes hockey the most romantic sport.