Before the tears started streaming down her face, Katie Stajan remembers the chill that ran through her body.
It had been almost three weeks of intense emotional outpourings since she and husband Matt had lost their first child shortly after birth, and one never knew what the next day would bring.
Matt had decided after almost two weeks of grieving he would return to a Calgary Flames team that was nothing but supportive throughout their horrific ordeal.
It felt comforting and safe.
Felt like home.
Little did he or Katie know that while surrounded by 20 teammates in the hostile environs of Edmonton’s Rexall Place he’d experience a moment they both consider the most magical of his career.
"I remember it so vividly," said Katie, who was watching in her Calgary home with her parents on March 22, 2014 as Matt played his third game back after their tragic loss.
"I couldn’t believe he got a penalty shot because that doesn’t happen very often for him. And I just felt like it was going to go in and he has an angel watching over him and this is going to be for him."
After winding his way in on Viktor Fasth, Matt lifted a backhand under the netminder’s glove for one of his 146 career goals.
None meant more.
As he rounded back towards the bench he let out a scream and pointed skyward for his son.
His name was Emerson, and he would have turned four earlier this month.
"I had this chill go down my whole body and I watched as the goal went in and I just started bawling my eyes out," said Katie.
"My family was all there and we just kind of hugged. We all silently knew who that was for and when he pointed up to the heavens I’ll never forget that. It was just raw emotion and that’s what he felt in that moment. He knew who it was for – that was his first goal since coming back."
When he reached the bench, the ever-popular Stajan was immediately embraced by teammates, including Brian McGrattan, who’d been so instrumental in helping Stajan mend his broken heart.
"I told him I loved him," said McGrattan when asked what he whispered to Stajan in front of the bench.
"It was emotional for everybody – probably the most heartwarming moment of my career on the ice. His tragedy really rocked the team because everybody was so close. For him to come back and play the last 11 games, it really gave everybody a boost. When he scored…incredible."
Fact is, had Stajan not come back to play the last 11 games that year he might never have hit the milestone he’ll celebrate Wednesday – becoming the 319th player in NHL history to play 1,000 games. After all, there are only eight games left this year and it’s uncertain whether a team will sign him to another deal.
"For my family it was a special moment we’ll cherish forever," said Matt, who also had three assists that night.
"It was the most memorable moment of my career after all my family had been through."
He’s had plenty of time to think about his 15-year NHL journey of late, leading up to his 1,000th game Wednesday at home against Anaheim.
However, the 34-year-old centre doesn’t need a silver stick to reflect on that special moment when life and sport so brilliantly intersected.
He and Katie are reminded daily of The Emerson Goal, as they call it.
"We still have that puck framed now and it’s in Elliot’s room – we have a plaque for it," said Katie, who was blessed with a healthy son 364 days after Emerson’s passing.
"That’s one I know Matt will never forget and his teammates won’t either. The guys had been so great.
Matt felt ready to go back, knowing if he had to stop he had that option. Being around the guys was really helpful for his healing and grieving. It was all just a complete shock. We didn’t have any time to plan for it – we went into the hospital thinking we were going to come home with our son."
Katie received so much love and support from other players’ wives and girlfriends, too, which has had a tremendous impact on their lives moving forward.
The Stajans have since held fundraisers for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Foothill Medical Centre to help others who’ve lost children too early. They’ve felt so indebted for the embrace of Calgarians they plan to call Calgary home moving forward.
Despite the fact Matt’s contract ends in a few weeks, they just bought a new house – a house filled with dozens of family members this week who have flown in to watch his milestone achievement Wednesday.
It’s a home they’ll be proud to bring another son home to in July.
Yes, Katie is pregnant again, with another boy.
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“My family was all there and we just kind of hugged. We all silently knew who that was for and when he pointed up to the heavens I’ll never forget that.”
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On and off the ice, Matt said the ups and downs of his career and life have made him a better player and person – something only time can teach.
"I think early in your career as a young guy you tend to worry more just about scoring and all the offensive stuff because that’s the flashy stuff everyone talks about," said the former second-round pick of the Leafs, who he played with for seven seasons.
"But it’s not about that – and if you can figure that out you’ll last a long time."
Adapting is what Stajan has done best as a player, arriving in Calgary as a second-line centre who quickly found Brent Sutter’s doghouse after being acquired as part of the Dion Phaneuf swap in 2010.
The Mississauga, Ont., native has since re-signed with the team twice while adjusting to roles as a third- and fourth-line pivot, which he is now.
The thrill of scoring his first NHL goal with the first shot in his first NHL game has been countered by times when he wondered if his career was soon over.
He lists his lone NHL playoff goal as his second-best moment as the dramatic marker capped a wild comeback against Vancouver in 2015 when he scored the series clincher.
"When you first come into the league you’re just trying to make it to the next day," he laughed.
"Next thing you know you’re at 1,000."
And how special to be able to do so with the love and support of more than 20 family members who’ll be on hand tonight to celebrate yet another high.
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