CALGARY — Ten-year-old Kade Heisler walked into the Calgary Flames dressing room to meet his idol, handed him a birthday balloon, and apologized.
“Sorry for what?” asked Dustin Wolf, beaming at the sight of the young viral-video sensation.
“For losing your focus,” responded Heisler, alluding to the two goals scored on Wolf after Tuesday’s stick exchange melted hearts around the globe.
“Not at all,” said Wolf, inviting him to sit next to him in his stall before signing the stick.
“I’m glad it worked out the way it did. The smile on your face means the world to me. That’s what it’s all about.”
By now, you’ve seen Heisler’s beautiful reaction to having his sign recognized in the stands by Wolf during a TV timeout, and bursting into unabashed tears of pure joy as he cradled a game-used stick sent to him by Flames trainer Mark DePasquale.
Wolf didn’t see the priceless reaction in real time, but melted after the game when shown the video that has circled the globe for its purity.
It prompted the team to invite Heisler and his family — parents and four siblings — to the Dome to meet Wolf after Thursday morning’s skate.
“I saw the video afterward and just the pure emotion, love and the happiness… it goes a long way,” said Wolf, whose status as one of the most beloved players is getting a well-earned boost.
“To take a couple seconds out of your day to make someone else’s better is what we want to do.”
After all, he knows what it feels like.
“I was in the same position with Quickie (Jonathan Quick),” said Wolf of his childhood idol growing up in Los Angeles.
“I was very fortunate to get a couple pictures of him over a few different years, and it’s sad to see him hang ’em up, but to get to play against him and see him across the ice a few times is certainly a dream come true. That’s the stuff you dream about as a kid.
“We’re very privileged. We’re in an unbelievable position to support others, to make other kids’ days, make families’ days, and try to go above and beyond when you get the chance. It doesn’t seem like it’s a whole lot to you when you’re doing it, but it means so much to them.”
More than Wolf could ever have known.
This hasn’t been an easy year for Heisler.
Just before Christmas, the resident of nearby Carstairs, Alta., quit hockey because he was bullied by a teammate.
The young man walked away from the game he loves.
“It started out with names and stuff, and then it turned into physical,” he told Sportsnet. “It wasn’t fun anymore.”
Looking on with pride as her son was interviewed by several local TV stations Thursday, his mother, Kimberly Komarniski, said the sign he made declaring Wolf his idol has plenty to do with the fact the Flames goalie is the smallest in the NHL.
“He gets picked on for his size a lot and that’s where his admiration comes from for Wolf,” she said. “We were just hoping for eye contact, or for him to see the sign. To get a thumbs up from Dustin was above and beyond, then the stick was mind blowing.”
As has been the fallout — something the young man has taken in stride as he started being hounded for interviews TV and radio stations around North America early the next morning.
“I like Wolf because he proves that size doesn’t matter,” said the pint-sized goalie, who will be the shortest player on the ice when he starts skating with his new team, the U-13 Renegades, this fall.
“If you’re short or tall, you can still cover the same amount of net. Wolf doesn’t let his size hold him back. He turns it into motivation.”
The day was also a big one for Kade’s 12-year-old brother, Jayden, who has battled cystic fibrosis since birth.
“When the day comes for his Make-a-Wish, it’ll definitely have something to do with the Flames,” said Kimberly, who added that daily treatment and a new drug has helped with their outlook on the disease, which causes severe respiratory and digestive issues.
“He eats and breathes the Flames. He is an encyclopedia for the Flames, and he’s a huge Dustin Wolf fan too.
“This means the world not just to Kade, but all of us. It’s like a dream come true.”
That’s the thing about being kind — you never know how much it can mean, and to how many.
Small gestures — no pun intended — can have big impacts.
And while most players understand their power, and wield it appropriately with acts like these every day, it was Kade’s reaction that made the moment so powerful.
“Those tears of Kade’s the other night, those were just pure gratefulness,” said mom.
And that’s why it hit home with the millions and millions who’ve seen it.