‘Wolf, you are my idol’: Flames netminder gifts stick to 10-year-old fan in the stands

Over the boards and into the stands, hand to hand, Dustin Wolf's stick went during Tuesday night's Calgary Flames game. It found its way to a 10-year-old boy with a sign saying, "Wolf, you are my idol." (Kimberly Komarniski)

Over the boards and into the stands, hand to hand, Dustin Wolf’s stick went during Tuesday night’s Calgary Flames game.

It found its way to a 10-year-old boy with a sign saying, “Wolf, you are my idol.”

Calgary’s netminder told reporters later that evening it was about making a kid’s day.

Kade Heisler’s mom, Kimberly Komarniski, said the moment meant more than a day to her son, who is a young hockey player himself.

She said it’s something he “will cherish forever.”

In the stands, Heisler hugged the gifted stick, the tears of pure joy impossible to hold back.

Komarniski said the 10-year-old “has always admired” Wolf.

Heisler said Wolf, smaller than most NHL goalies at six feet tall and 166 pounds, “proves size isn’t everything,” which gives him confidence.

“He doesn’t let his size hold back. He turns it into motivation—something I relate to and I think of when I step on the ice,” he told CTV News.

“I try to learn from (him).

“I connect with his calm mindset, work ethic and determination, knowing that being smaller means you have to outwork others.”

Heisler said Wolf shows, “I don’t need to change who I am.”

“He represents what I want to become—a goalie who turns what others look at as a weakness into strength,” he said.

Thank you

Komarniski wrote a “thank you” note to the Flames.

“This season has been especially difficult for him, as he made the tough decision to step away from hockey earlier than expected due to being bullied by a teammate,” Komarniski wrote.

“Despite how much he loves the sport and his position, he handled it with remarkable strength and maturity, holding his head high and walking away with dignity.”

Komarniski said, “That’s why this moment was so powerful.”

“To see someone he looks up to so much acknowledge him—first with a thumbs up, and then by giving him his stick—was simply unforgettable,” she wrote.

Later Tuesday night, the Flames shared video of the moment on social media.

“This is what it’s all about,” the Flames posted.

“Wolfie spotted this young member of the C of Red and made sure one of his sticks made its way over.”

Lasting impact

Heisler plays in the Carstairs Minor Hockey Association.

On Wednesday, president Christofer Atchison said the association “was so excited to see the news of Kade receiving Dustin Wolf’s stick.”

“It is incredibly special to see the power of the hockey community and the connection between us all, regardless if you’re a U11 goalie from Carstairs or, in this case, a professional goaltender in the NHL,” he said.

“We are very fortunate to have the Calgary Flames and the Flames Foundation continue to be incredible supporters of our hockey community and are so happy that Kade was able to have this moment.”

Atchison said he’s sure the moment “will leave a lasting impact on him and other players in our community.”

Happenstance

Komarniski said her son wasn’t originally supposed to be in that area of the stands to be spotted by Wolf.

Her oldest son, his friend and she were set to go when she purchased two additional seats for her younger children.

The older kids took the new seats; she and the younger pair took the seats where Heisler’s sign caught Wolf’s gaze.

“I believe everything happens for a reason,” she told CTV News.

Second part

On Thursday, Heisler and his family were at the Flames’ morning skate.

The 10-year-old met his idol in the dressing room after the team came off the ice.

Wolf says he knows the impact an athlete can have on a kid and is glad for the opportunity.

“It’s little actions like this where maybe it doesn’t seem like too much to me, but it means the world to him,” Wolf said.

“That’s what it’s all about.

“Making kids’ days and making people happy is what you want to do, and (I’m) very grateful it worked out the way it did.”

Heisler said as soon as he heard about the meeting, he “started tearing up again.”

“I was excited and thankful and happy,” he said.

In her “thank you” note, Komarniski wrote, “This interaction was beyond anything we could have imagined.”

It’s about more than a stick—for the family, there’s something special about Wolf.

“(Kade’s) even picked up his signature jump, which we always smile about, and his older brother proudly owns a signed Wolf jersey,” she wrote.