CALGARY – Performing at SeaWorld, or in front of the C of Red.
As Michelle Wolf sees it, those were the two career paths her son Dustin started paving for himself at a very young age.
“Pretty much as soon as he started skating in preschool hockey was his thing, and he said, ‘I’ll play in the NHL,’” she smiled, confirming the diminutive Californian spent almost every day of his youth preparing for the unlikely NHL success he’s enjoying as the league’s most prolific rookie.
“It was either going to be that or he was going to be a dolphin trainer.
“He loved dolphins. It was either about hockey or dolphins.”
Likely an NHL first, in terms of fallbacks.
Smiling at his mother’s revelation, the Calgary Flames netminder admits he has long had an affinity for Flipper and friends.
“I do love dolphins,” confirmed the soft-spoken native of Gilroy, Calif., whose comfort in the spotlight has allowed him to slowly reveal more and more of the personality behind the mask.
“Living by the water, I like marine stuff. But I don’t think I could ever have done that. It’s fun as a kid, right? Going to SeaWorld was always interesting.
“But there was no plan B, it was Plan A all the way.
“Otherwise, I’d be doing something within hockey. Thankfully we don’t have to talk about that. At least not yet.”
No, after years of proving conclusively in junior, the minors and now the NHL his talent could overcome his size, Wolf needn’t worry about wearing wetsuits and whistles to work.
A 38-save win over the best and most potent team in the league on Saturday punctuated the fact that not only has he taken over as the Flames starting goaltender, but should be considered a front-runner for the Calder Trophy.
No other rookie has had an impact on his NHL team as profound as the one Wolf has had in his first full year with the Flames.
Piecing together a 16-7-2 record with a 2.50 goals-against average and .917 save percentage, he sits among league leaders in almost every category.
He is the organization’s most coveted building block, its most marketable asset, and is the biggest reason the Flames still cling to the west’s last playoff spot.
Approaching his craft, and the media, with a steady, measured approach that suggests nothing has overwhelmed him in his climb to star status, he’s simply continued the dominance he’s exhibited at every level.
“This is just him, this is his normal,” shrugged Michelle, exhibiting the same confidence her son has exuded throughout his three-eyear climb from AHL superstar to NHL regular.
“I had no doubts. I know goalies typically come up and take a little longer. It’s a tougher league, and he’ll tell you this is a lot harder, and mentally and physically it’s more exhausting.
“But you know when they talk about, ‘oh, goalies shouldn’t really play back-to-back at this level?’ I don’t have a single doubt that he can do it. I’ve seen him do it his whole career, every level. It’s like, it’s gonna be that much harder, but he still goes and crushes it. It’s just who he is.”
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But just when you thought it was safe to assume nothing fazes Wolf, he reveals there’s one thing he fears.
“I hate sharks,” chuckled Wolf, whose legendary kicking in his mom’s womb while she attended San Jose Sharks games might have had more to do with terror.
“I love marine life, everything but sharks. They can stay away. I’ve surfed, but I think about sharks 100 per cent of the time. Scary stuff.
“People go out there and they sit on their boards in the middle of the ocean. I’m like, ‘I can’t do this.’
“I stick to water parks and lakes.”
And frustrating opposing shooters.
Starting 11 of the last 14 games for the Flames, Wolf is on an 8-2-1 tear that has kept the Flames in a post-season chase few thought possible.
Those who had Macklin Celebrini, Lane Hutson and Matvei Michkov as their mid-season Calder finalists will have plenty of opportunities to see why Wolf should be in that pack.
His play moving forward will play a huge role in determining where the Flames end up, which puts quite a lot of weight on that six-foot, 166-pound frame of his.
Based on how well he’s handled himself throughout his ascent to this point, you get the feeling he’s up to the task.
“He just takes it all in,” said Michelle, whose son showed rare emotion when drafted with the fourth-last pick of the 2019 draft.
“He doesn’t stress too much. He doesn’t have much of a pulse.
“He was meant for this.”