CHICAGO – When the Flames charter went wheels up Sunday heading to Chicago, GM Craig Conroy walked to the back of the bird to give Rory Kerins the news he’d been waiting to hear since he was a kid.
He was going to make his NHL debut, suiting up in Monday’s tilt against the Blackhawks (5:30 p.m. MTN, Prime).
“Really cool,” said Kerins Monday morning in the Flames dressing room following their pregame skate at the United Center. “Moment I’ll never forget, for sure. Was a bit nervous leading up to today, but I’m in my routine now, and feel pretty good.”
After all these years of hard work, does it feel somewhat surreal?
“Feels pretty real right now, I can tell you that,” he said with a smile and chuckle. “It’s gonna be an awesome night, cool doing it in this building, too. I grew up watching the Blackhawks a lot.
“It’s going to be fun.”
His family will be there, of course, for the historic night. Mom Lauranne, dad Scott, brother Liam and sister Ciara, hopped a plane from Toronto when they got the word, while his girlfriend, Emma, flew to the Windy City from Calgary.
“They were just like ‘how do we get there?’,” said Kerins recalled when he told everyone the good news. “That was their reaction, they’re super-excited and happy for me. It’ll be fun to see ’em after the game, for sure.”
Recalled by the Flames on Friday from the AHL Wranglers, Kerins is currently leading that league with 21 goals, and has 34 points so far this campaign. His dominance in the ‘A’ made him the logical callup when Connor Zary was sidelined with an injury.
“Playing with some good players, capitalizing on opportunities to score,” he said of his success with the Wranglers. “It’s just the team, and the opportunities I got early in the year.”
Now, he gets the chance to capitalize on another big opportunity.
“Just take it all in,” he said of the advice he’s got from his new teammates. “They all said it’s a great building to have your first game in, so I’m just gonna try and enjoy it as much as I can, and hopefully put on a good performance, too.”