There were smiles, fist-bumps and hugs all around at WinSport Saturday morning, as three members of Team Canada’s support staff returned to the Flames fold.
The trio - Head Team Physician Doctor Ian Auld, Head Therapist Kent Kobelka, and Media Relations Director Sean Kelso - had front-row seats for Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off thriller in Boston.
And front-row seats, too, to the celebration that followed what’s quickly turned into one of Canada’s defining sporting moments, a 3-2 overtime triumph over the United States in a championship game for the ages.
“Just talking about it, it still brings chills. It was an amazing experience to be a part of,” Kobelka said. “You’re with the world’s best athletes, that were there, best-on-best. Just to see the importance - how they felt, how important it was to them - we didn’t know how the tournament would be, it’s a new tournament, right?
“It felt like that Game 7, Stanley Cup feel, it felt like that urgency, that passion.”
“I think just being around the very best - from all four countries - was just an incredible opportunity,” added Kelso. “The game desperately wanted it, after having a 10-year hiatus for best-on-best, and it didn’t disappoint.
“It lived up to its billing - every game was unbelievable - the atmosphere in both the Bell Centre and TD Garden was like something I’ve never experienced before. It was high-stakes hockey at its best.”
Thursday’s championship game drew massive TV ratings - and certainly dominated water-cooler conversation across the country Friday morning. Connor McDavid’s overtime winner served up one of those ‘where were you?’ moments, like Paul Henderson and Sidney Crosby did for Canada before him.
“It was a bit surreal, for sure, but for me, it was just a great opportunity to be around some of the best players in the world, and represent not only Canada, but the Flames organization,” said Auld. “It seemed to me like it was a little more than just hockey, it felt like there was a hockey game, but it was a bigger thing as far as the nationalities playing against each other. It definitely super-charged it, but afterwards it was great relief; great for Canadian fans, Canadian hockey.
“Pretty humbled to be a part of such a pivotal game in Canadian hockey history.”
The overtime winner followed several heart-in-throat moments, but from ice level, Kobelka described the mood on the bench as kind of a quiet confidence.
A moment - a day - waiting to be seized.
“You go into overtime and you don’t know what’s going to happen,” he recalled. “Our goalie made some saves that were out of this world, so then you just started to feel that ‘OK, he’s taking care of his end of the ice, and someone’s going to be a game-breaker.’ You could just feel it, from the coaches on the bench there was nothing but a positive energy.
“You kinda saw the play develop, you saw Connor get to that spot where he was just open. Right from our vantage point, it was just perfect and it was just like ‘Amazing!’ And then it’s like ‘Wow, this really happened!’”
“It was pretty tense, as you can imagine, right? Knowing that one shot ends it all, either way,” Kelso added. “(Jordan) Binnington was just unbelievable in net for Canada, so everyone was beyond thrilled that he brought his very best, at the biggest moment.
“Of course, if anyone was going to end it, it was going to be a superstar - at least that’s the way it felt - Connor stepped up, and was a Canadian hero.”
For the three longtime Flames staffers, that lifelong memory doesn’t happen without support from home.
From co-workers, club and family alike.
“The Calgary Flames have been extremely supportive, every time Canada has asked for - whether it’s Kent Kobelka, Dr. Ian Auld, myself - whoever it is, the Flames have always supported us in that,” Kelso explained. “We wouldn’t be in those positions if it wasn’t for the Flames allowing us to be a part of it. That goes back from ownership, to management.
“Sometimes it does take us away with some of the things with our club, but they recognize that it’s very important and that we’re able to go and represent our club team at those international events, it’s massive.”
The trio have logged heavy miles here at home, too, forming long-standing relationships that extend beyond the rink - and the road.
“I’ve been working with Kent for decades, he’s my best friend. To have him, and work with him, it made it super-comfortable dealing with a super-charged environment, with new GMs and new players that I didn’t know,” said Auld. “I’ve known Sean Kelso for 20 years as well. It was pretty cool to see them after the final goal went in, give ‘em a hug.
“It’s a lot of years of work that came into that moment and made it even more special.”
The trio is hopeful they’ll get the opportunity to do it all again on the international stage at this time next year, as part of Canada’s entry to the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
Their work at the 4 Nations Face-Off - and with the Flames - serving as the perfect aperitif.
“This event, I think, paved the path just with relationships with all the different coaches, GMs, players, support staff. I hope we did a good enough job, and did our job to the point where they’re going to take us to the Olympics, that seems to be the plan,” Auld said. “As a kid, I wanted to go to the Olympics as an athlete - that didn’t work out - so this will be my first opportunity to go there as a support staff worker.
“My wife’s going to be there with the women’s team, the two of us at the Olympics is going to be a pretty unique experience, pretty cool for sure. I’m looking forward to it.”
They’ll share this week’s memory together - with family members who trekked East and Canadian teammates, too.
Representing the Flames, representing city and country, in an indelible moment in Canadian hockey history.
“With Kels, with Doc Auld, obviously we’ve spent a lot of time together, so it was really cool; it’s just extremely special when you share it with your co-workers and family,” said Kobelka, whose wife and daughter were with him in Boston. “We sacrifice a lot, so when you get to do that, and have your loved ones there - and friends - it’s an unreal experience.
“We’re just assisting the process, but it’s great to be a part of it.”
