Families of military service men and women pay a high price of separation which is even more difficult during the holiday season. That's why this moment when the St. Louis Blues surprised one US Army family with a reunion they didn't expect is all the more special.

Thomas Phares is an air traffic controller with the 1st Infantry Division according to details shared at the official NHL website. He wasn't supposed to return home until March of next year. The St. Louis Blues salute a military family at many of their games. His wife Sarah and their 2 daughters were the chosen family for this honor at Saturday night's game in St. Louis.

The Blues had a special surprise for the Phares family. This never gets old.

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It gets better. Sarah is 8 months pregnant with the family's third child which means Thomas will be home for that special moment, too.

You can see even more behind-the-scenes video and backstory at NHL.com.

Oh, and the St. Louis Blues won Saturday night's game versus the Canadians marking their 7th straight win. A pretty special night all the way around.

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