'A Pretty Cool Experience'

SEATTLE — On this practice day in the Pacific Northwest, Dusty Nickel is one of the first guys to the rink. 

The Flames arrived in the Emerald City after midnight, zipping up the Coast after a 2-1 win Monday in San Jose. Nickel, the team’s full-time emergency back-up goalie (or EBUG, for short), takes the ice in his Flames gear to stand between the pipes for NHL shooters.

A dream come true, right?

Monday in the SAP Center press box, shortly after Adam Klapka opened the scoring in the first period, Nickel marvelled at the sheer velocity the 6’8” winger placed on his high slot shot, torquing his stick in a way only a man of his size and strength could do. 

His is the kind of shot that leaves softball-sized welts in places that padding doesn’t quite protect.

But Nickel, 35, stands in there. Living the dream for his hometown NHL club thanks to new regulations instituted by the League this season.

“It's been awesome,” Nickel said of his new, seasonal gig. “It's a pretty cool experience to get along to be able to go on the road with the guys, travel on the plane, stay in nice hotels. 

“I’m still skating a lot. It's been a great experience so far.”

A former netminder in the AJHL, SJHL and at Mount Royal University, Nickel has plied his trade in the family construction business, while in seasons past serving as the local EBUG in Calgary.

The side gig hit a new level back in November of 2023, when then-Flames netminder Jacob Markstrom fell ill right before a home game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Nickel was pressed into duty as the backup, taking warmup and sitting on the bench as Dan Vladar and Calgary scored a 2-1 overtime win.

History repeated itself last week in Edmonton, when netminder Devin Cooley was forced out of the contest after 20 minutes with a lower-body injury, Nickel abandoned his press-box  seat at Rogers Place for a spot in the dressing room.

“I saw him get hit, so I got a little bit of a heart rate spike there. A little more heightened awareness at that point,” Nickel recalled. “I just kept checking my phone, and watched how he was doing and he seemed to be okay. Skated off the ice fine. Then just before they were going on the ice (for the second period), Barbs (Goaltending Coach Jason LaBarbera) texted me and told me I’ve got to come down and get dressed. 

“I was pretty calm. I got in the room and Cools was in there. We just ended up watching the game in the dressing room, trying to keep it light.”

Part of what makes Nickel tick, though, is his outgoing nature. And that’s resonated with the Flames netminding team of Dustin Wolf, Cooley and currently, Arsenii Sergeev who, like the larger group, have welcomed him into the full-time fold this season.

“It's great. It gives the team a little more flexibility with what we can do in the mornings, or if it's a day off where one of us aren't skating,” Wolf said. “You can fill the void, especially with like guys that are injured skating early in the morning, giving them a target to shoot at. 

“You get into January, February, March, where maybe you're a little more fatigued than you were in September, and, um, just kind of gives you an out; you don't feel as bad not going out there, leaving the boys with nothing. And I think the boys all love him being around. He's a fun dude and puts the work in.”

“They're awesome,” Nickel added. “They've kind of just included me as part of the goalie union here. We have some great chats, some great laughs, and we talk goalie stuff, life stuff. It's been great. 

“It's got to be nice for them, too, I guess, to be spelled off every now and again, too. I think that was part of the design of the role. It can be a long season, especially for goalies.”

And now that Nickel has gotten a couple of trips in, a month of regular-season work under his belt, those eyes aren’t quite as wide, either. 

But with six months of regular-season hockey still left to play, that experience in Edmonton has taught Nickel to always be ready.

In case of emergency. But ready, too, to live out the NHL dream.

“I happened to be just in the right place at the right time,” he said. “When I heard about it, I was like, ‘I want to work, take on that role and do the job the best that I can.’”