Flames newcomers anticipating their debut
Brett Kulak can only assume that, for his mom Laura, Wednesday will be much like the other day when she saw the Calgary Flames defenceman on her TV.
“I was in the news the other day doing an interview,” chuckled the 21- year- old. “She said she teared up watching me. She gets nervous. She’ll probably cry ( on Wednesday).”
Kulak’s parents — Laura and Gil — are soon going to be accustomed to the Queen Elizabeth 2 Highway, much like they did when he was playing with the Vancouver Giants and they’d watch him in Western Hockey League action against the Calgary Hitmen.
Of course, they saw him play his first pre- season game against the Edmonton Oilers in split squad action.
They also took a break from farming their canola and barley grain fields just west of Stony Plain and were also on hand for the Flames final pre- season tilt against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday — shortly before Kulak was unofficially named the team’s sixth defenceman. But Wednesday is for real. “My dad did have a shift he was supposed to work at the powerplant, too ... but he said he called in and was going to take it off,” said Kulak with a chuckle. “There will be a lot of emotions in the building — I’m sure for my parents, as well. It’ll be exciting. Last year, my first game was the last of the regular season. But this year I’m sure the atmosphere will be a lot different. “I’m excited about it.” He’s not the only newcomer that’s anticipating his home rink debut.
For Dougie Hamilton and Michael Frolik — the other two newcomers to the squad, besides Sam Bennett — they are pumped to make a good first impression.
“You want to keep it kind of simple at the start,” said Frolik who has experienced NHL lidlifters with the Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Winnipeg Jets. “Short shifts and play hard. It’s exciting to start again, it’s been a long break. You still want to keep playing your way and the same game. I’ll be a little bit nervous, I’m always a little nervous in the right way. But when I step on the ice, it kind of goes away and I just hope we win.”
The home opener will be different for Hamilton, too, as a former Boston Bruin.
Even though he’s an NHL veteran of 178 games and Wednesday is No. 1 of 82, he’s in a new city with a new jersey and playing for an entirely different organization.
“It’s just exciting to get going again,” Hamilton said. “It’ll be a lot of fun with the fans here and experiencing that for the first time. It should be a pretty electric crowd.”
For Kulak, who toiled between the AHL and ECHL for a portion of the 2014- 15 season, Wednesday is meaningful in a different way.
Sure, he made his NHL debut at the end of the season when he played in the team’s final regular season game at Winnipeg and spent some time as a Black Ace during the Flames playoffs.
But — right now, at least — he’s an everyday NHLer.
“It’s all about enjoying it,” said Flames head coach Bob Hartley. “It’s not his first game but ... ( Wednesday) is a different game, it’s a different setup. It’s not a test for him, it’s a role. It’s a job. Despite he’s a young defenceman, he’s deserved it. He’s played so well in camp.
“He’s really growing ... that’s the reason he’s still here.”