CALGARY — Setting the stage for the Flames’ goalie battle involves telling a tale that includes a Wolf, a rabbit named Tito, a Pomeranian named Nino, a head-on collision, exploding cans of whipped cream, a forest fire and two flat tires.
While Calgarians are familiar with the paths taken by Dan Vladar and Dustin Wolf to the team’s crease competition, the road travelled by Devin Cooley to Calgary is a hare-raising adventure worth telling.
No, not the one that has seen him play for six teams in the last four years.
Far more interesting is the drive that saw him and his girlfriend Natalie embark on a 22-hour journey from San Jose that turned into a four-day odyssey they were forced to take because no airline would allow their five-year-old rabbit (yes, Tito, who was named after the Vodka and has almost 2,000 followers on Instagram) to fly on board with them across the border.
“Crazy story,” said the 27-year-old Californian, who said repeated stops to recharge his Tesla seemed like the only slowdowns at first.
“We’d gotten Tito across the border, and hours later a pickup truck three cars ahead of us suddenly swerved into the ditch, swerved back over three lanes of traffic and smashed head-on with a semi-truck.
“Massive explosion, the guy in the truck goes flying out of the windshield, the pickup truck catches fire and starts a massive wildfire.”
It gets crazier.
“The semi was filled with whipped cream canisters, so they started popping like popcorn,” recalled the wide-eyed netminder.
“Everyone is getting out of their cars with fire extinguishers, trying to help the guy.
“We sat there for an hour, and the wildfire started spreading, so I’m like, ‘we’re gonna get trapped here, we’ve gotta get out of here.”
Just as the fire trucks showed up, they wheeled around for a four-hour detour.
“We go through Banff, and then at 1:30 in the morning, an hour from Calgary, we hit a pothole in the middle of the night and both tires, ‘boom.’”
Their only roadside option was to call the police, who put them and Tito in the back of the car for an overnight stay in a Canmore hotel.
The vehicle was towed the next morning and they jumped in a cab from the mountains to Calgary to complete the journey.
Suffice it to say, he’s hoping the ride from here goes a little smoother.
With six games of NHL experience to his credit, it would seem from the outset he’s a long shot to steal starts from the surgically-repaired Vladar and Wolf, the 23-year-old goalie of the future.
However, Flames goalie guru Jordan Sigalet has been such a fan of the six-foot-five, 192-pound prospect the Flames were considering trading for him had they traded Jacob Markstrom at last year’s deadline. Instead, they signed him as a free agent, offering up an opportunity to play that his stops in Buffalo and Nashville didn’t include.
Because he’d need to clear waivers to be sent down as the team’s third goalie, a strong camp from the late-blooming, University of Denver product would make for tough decisions by the club as Wolf is the only one who is waiver exempt.
Keeping three goalies isn’t a sustainable option, so stay tuned, as more drama is sure to unfold.
Already has.
“My dog Nino ran away from us two weeks ago,” said Vladar, injecting his own harrowing tale into the mix.
“For three-and-a-half hours I looked for him. I think my heart rate went to 250.”
Nino is now safe at home, as is Tito, giving both goalies their emotional support pets, of sorts.
“What’s interesting about rabbits is we eat the rabbits in Czechia,” chuckled Vladar, who has gotten to know Cooley, and heard all about “The Rabbit Story” since his arrival last month.
“Lean, fast meat. So, he better watch that rabbit.”
Joking, of course.
Speaking of lean and fast, Wolf is all business, as he feels his time has come to stake a claim on the no. 1 job.
“I feel like I’m as ready as I’m going to be right now,” said the diminutive junior and AHL star who finished with four straight wins as a Flame last year.
“Getting the opportunity to get my feet under me at the end of last year, feeling confident I can play at this level, has allowed me to come into this camp having everything I can to prepare me to take a job.
“It’s a great opportunity for myself and the other goalies here.”
Vladar insists he’s pain-free for the first time in years and will be tough to outplay, but with just one year left on his deal, it’s possible Wolf and Cooley ultimately finish the season together, armed with one-way contracts next year.
If so, Cooley admits he may just call Calgary home, avoiding the drive he can’t get out of his mind.
“I don’t want to do that drive again — we may just leave the car here and stay for the summer,” he laughed.
“(Natalie) is kind of on board with that.”
So is Tito, as long as he can avoid meeting Vladar.