DUBE’S DEBUT A THRILL FOR GRANDPA BOB
Flames rookies have plenty of support for first NHL game, writes
VANCOUVER Grandpa Bob once made a seven-hour-and 44-minute drive from Cochrane to Wilcox, Sask., to watch his grandson practice with the Notre Dame Hounds and took him out for dinner only to turn around and drive back.
So, you’d think he was going to miss this one?
Dillon Dube made his NHL debut Wednesday at Rogers Place in Vancouver in front of his parents Paris and Suzy, his billet parents from his days with the Kelowna Rockets, Vinay and Sarah, and Grandpa Bob.
As the Calgary Flames winger stood on the bench listening to Mark Donnelly belt out the Canadian anthem and waiting patiently for the puck to drop on his childhood dream, there was nothing that made him beam more than knowing Grandpa Bob was there.
That his first shift — eight seconds long — caused the first Flames power play of the 2018-19 season as he drew an interference penalty from Erik Gudbranson was not only seen by piles of friends, family and fans watching Sportsnet, it was seen by some of the people who made the biggest impact on Dube’s career.
Including 81-year-old Grandpa Bob who, Dube said, was “the older guy that has eyebrows like me” if you were trying to pick him out of Wednesday’s crowd.
“At the start, we didn’t know if he wanted to come because, honestly, I didn’t even know I’d be here,” Dube said before the game. “We didn’t want to get our hopes up. But when it happened, he was like, ‘Well, maybe I should make my way out here.’”
Dube and defenceman Juuso Valimaki were two of the biggest surprises at Flames training camp. They were so impressive they cracked Wednesday’s opening day lineup.
But the fact that Dube, 20, is just kicking off his NHL career doesn’t stop him from asking Grandpa Bob for a ride to the rink every now and then.
“He still comes to my practices every day, and always asks if it’s all right if he comes,” said Dube, who played Wednesday’s game on the left side with James Neal and Derek Ryan. “All the guys know him at The Edge (where Dube trains) and at the rink. I think it’s pretty special, what he’s done for me and now he gets to come … it’s the most proud I’ve been for someone to watch me play hockey.
“It’s really cool.”
Also filed under the “really cool” category was the fact that Valimaki’s family made the trek to Vancouver all the way from Nokia, Finland, arriving just a few hours before Wednesday’s game. His parents Tommi and Mia, his older sister Laura and youngest brother Rasmus are also attending Saturday’s home opener in Calgary.
“It’s good that it’s here quick,” said the 19-year-old, the 16th overall selection in 2017. “I haven’t had too much time to think about (making his NHL debut) so I just want to keep it going.”
The two players exchanged a look and a grin on Wednesday at the Flames’ morning skate that said, “I can’t believe it.”
“When we woke up, we had a couple laughs and smiles and said, ‘Today’s the day,’” Valimaki said.
ASSISTANT TKACHUK
Only two years ago Matthew Tkachuk was an NHL rookie, carefully walking the line in the dressing room between respectful teenager and proving — successfully — he belonged.
His emotional, hard-nosed play and innate hockey smarts spoke for themselves as he cracked the Calgary Flames roster in 2016-17. The 20-year-old is a quick learner.
Now Tkachuk is part of the Calgary Flames’ leadership group as he and Mikael Backlund were awarded alternate captaincies at a team dinner on Tuesday, and had an “A” sewn on their jerseys as the team kicked off its campaign in Vancouver.
“I go about everything the same way but, yeah, it’s something that makes me feel pretty good,” Tkachuk said. “Being able to help guys like the way G (Mark Giordano), Monny (Sean Monahan) and Backs (Backlund) helped me, all those guys I’ve played with before have helped me feel comfortable around here and allowed me to take that role, but feel comfortable and try to help the team out. I try to let my play kind of speak for itself.
“I have no idea where it came from or who made that decision. It’s definitely making me feel pretty good.”
Both had been wearing the “A” throughout training camp with the off-season departure/ buyout of Troy Brouwer and join captain Mark Giordano and fellow alternate captain Sean Monahan. Giordano saw this coming. “I just look at him as a guy every night who brings that fire,” he said of Tkachuk. “He drags a lot of us in there into the battles and gets us engaged in the game. That’s why he’s a leader. Having a dad who played as long as he did, he gets the situations that come up in the room. But it’s good. It’s good to see our young guys, Monny as well, becoming true leaders.
“That’s the future of our organization.”