SAN JOSE – When Dustin Wolf’s mom was pregnant with him, the story goes that while she attended San Jose Sharks games her son would kick up quite a fuss.
It was as if he couldn’t wait to play at the ol’ Shark Tank as an NHLer one day.
On Tuesday, 22 years after the kid from nearby Gilroy was born, he finally got that chance.
Mom and dad weren’t on hand, but a good chunk of Wolf’s relatives were there to see it live, including his grandmother.
“It means the world to me,” said Wolf, who capped his 15th NHL appearance with a 3-2 overtime win.
“I’ve played a few games at the American League level in this building, and to have my grandma and my aunt and uncle, and obviously my grandpa looking down on us today…it’s a dream come true to be able to take part in a game here.
“And hopefully many more.”
Oh, you can bet there will be for the Flames’ goalie of the future, who has his adopted hometown in southern Alberta cheering him on.
“Coming from a small town and playing against your hometown team is something you obviously dream of,” said Wolf, an undersized seventh-round pick who has done nothing but prove doubters wrong throughout his three years as a pro.
“The goal on the trip is to get wins, and to get a win in front of my family is pretty special.
“They’ve been by my side from the start.”
Making 20 saves, including a sparkling glove snare in the dying seconds of the second period of a 2-2 game, Wolf also had to make a big stop in overtime on Mikael Granlund while the Flames killed off a penalty.
It all set the stage for Andrei Kuzmenko’s successful rebound on the power play, sending Wolf skating quickly down the ice to join a group hug, much like the one his jubilant family huddled up for in the stands.
“I didn’t (see them), no, I was trying to give Kuzy a hug as fast as I could,” beamed Wolf, who said only one thing could have made the night better in a rink in which fewer than 10,000 were on hand in the once-raucous rink he grew up in.
“I would have liked to have seen a crowd like it was ten years ago, but it was certainly pretty special.
“This is the first time my grandmother has gotten to see me play live in the NHL and I think she was pretty excited for this to happen.”
So were his parents, who watched from Seattle.
The rest of his teammates were also jacked, including call-up Ilya Solovyov, who was the first to mob his Wranglers teammate afterwards.
“Yeah, well they care for each other so they know when it’s an important night for someone and this was one for sure for Wolfie,” said Flames coach Ryan Huska.
“I thought he was good tonight.
“He didn’t get a lot of work in the second and third period, which I was happy with. But I thought when he had to make some saves he did a good job and he looked calm and composed tonight.”
The Flames were down 2-0 against the league’s worst team just a few minutes into the second period, before Rasmus Andersson got the Flames on the board.
A goal by Nazem Kadri on the suddenly-hot power play tied it late in the second and set up an entertaining third period between two teams whose fan bases didn’t necessarily appreciate their playoff-less teams accruing one point each in extra time.
Huska credited a Kevin Rooney blocked shot in the dying seconds of regulation with perhaps being a game-saver.
It was all part of the effort to give the young netminder the win he’d dreamed about for so long.
“I’m sure he was really excited about today, that his friends and family can come out and spectate and see him live in an NHL jersey, so very happy for him,” said Kadri.
“I think he made some big saves at key times and we were able to score some timely goals to help him out.”
Tuesday’s win was the first road victory of Wolf’s career. Fitting that it came against the Sharks, as they were also the team he beat for his first career NHL win at the end of last season.
The Flames’ next stop is Los Angeles, where a Thursday night game will be followed by a tilt in Anaheim on Friday when it’s likely Wolf will get yet another California crease assignment.
