Flames’ Dustin Wolf steals spotlight from Celebrini, Sharks in hometown

SAN JOSE — Somewhere off the coast of Mazatlán, the Pacific cruise Dustin Wolf took his fiancée on during the Olympic break included a lovely interaction with a Calgary Flames fan from New Zealand who recognized the young netminder. A reminder, even thousands of kilometres from home, that his name is spreading fast.

The kid from San Jose has indeed done well to make a name for himself in short order, just like he did again Thursday night with 34 saves in a 4–1 win over the hometown Sharks team he grew up watching from the stands. On this night, with close to a dozen family members looking on in their red hoodies, he turned aside one of the world’s hottest players, Macklin Celebrini, who had nine shot attempts in the game.

This was supposed to be Celebrini’s night, as a rare sold‑out crowd showed up to salute the Olympic star, whose stock exploded in Milan where he led all scorers with five goals. Instead, the player of the game was Wolf, who famously kicked relentlessly in his mother’s belly whenever they attended a Sharks game during her pregnancy. The building that once stirred him before birth now fuels him as a professional, and on Thursday he owned it.

“It’s awesome,” said Wolf of his latest homecoming triumph. “Anytime you get to come close to home is awesome. And anytime in the second period, I always find myself looking up to where I used to sit as a season ticket holder for a number of years, and it’s pretty cool to be on the other side of it now.”

He paused, smiling at the thought of the familiar faces in the crowd. “I had my aunt and uncle and my grandma, who loves to come to the games when we’re in town. So glad to have them around. I couldn’t tell you the seats we used to sit in, I just know the general area of it was in their zone up to my right.”

If the moment felt big for Wolf, it was because the Flames needed him early. They were outshot 17–6 in the first period, sluggish after a long break and a long week. The Sharks, energized by the Celebrini tribute and a rare full house, came out flying. Wolf simply absorbed it all.

“I mean, it took us a little bit to get going, which is understandable,” Wolf said. “We’ve had a long week, long couple weeks off. But I think we showed our resilience there. In the second period, we found a way to get the tying goal off a great play, and we just showed up in the third and played an outstanding period, and they didn’t get anything. And you know, that’s how we have to play to win tight hockey games.”

The tight hockey game part was made possible by Wolf’s calm, almost surgical presence. Celebrini, fresh off his Olympic explosion, tested him repeatedly. The crowd buzzed every time the 20‑year‑old phenom touched the puck. Wolf silenced them each time.

“He’s a heck of a player, man,” Wolf said. “It’s frightening seeing him come down. He’s only been in the league for two years, but it’s gonna be exciting to watch him going forward.”

Flames coach Ryan Huska didn’t mince words about his goaltender’s impact.

“I’ll go back to the first period,” Huska said. “It could have been a much different game if he wasn’t on his game tonight. He made a lot of great saves. And it’s not just the first period, it was right through the game. That was one of the nights where, when you watched him in there, how calm and cool he looked in the net, you knew that they weren’t going to get many by him tonight.”

As for Celebrini, Huska acknowledged the challenge. “He’s one of the most dynamic players in the league right now, and he’s a dangerous guy every time he’s on the ice.”

But the Flames had their own difference‑makers. Nazem Kadri’s line, with Connor Zary and Joel Farabee, tilted the ice when Calgary needed it most.

“I liked Connor,” Huska said. “That line tonight was our line that had the most juice, I thought. I thought Naz was good tonight, Farabee played well for us. They had a little bit more urgency than some of our other lines tonight. It just seemed like they were going to impact the game the right way. And they did.”

Zary, who scored the tying goal, made sure to credit the guy behind him.

“There was no doubt we were outplayed early on,” Zary said. “They had 17 shots in the first, and he held strong and played like Wolf always plays. It’s always nice having him back there when we don’t have our best and allows us to find our game.”

Kadri echoed it: “Wolfie held us down for the first 20 minutes, and we were able to score a few goals for him. He was definitely ready to play. Hometown game for him, and I think it gives you a little cool extra juice. So it’s nice for him to enjoy that.”

Wolf enjoyed it, all right. Another night in San Jose, another memory, another step in a career that keeps expanding — whether in Calgary, Mazatlán, or anywhere in between.