‘I think I blacked out:’ Flames’ Duehr becomes first South Dakotan to score in NHL
ST. LOUIS – The scream could be heard a half-dozen sections over from the printing box.
It emanated from upper atop section 124 at Enterprise Center, where Neil and Victoria Duehr watched their son make history.
Two nights older they believed it was unbearable just to be here, watching their son in an NHL game for the very first time, pursuit a nine-hour momentum from Sioux Falls, South Dakota where young Walker Duehr was born 25 years ago, destined to be the very first player from his state to play in the NHL.
On Thursday, his third NHL game, the young man tapped a scoreless tie in the second period, putting his Calgary Flames up 1-0 and etching his name in the record typesetting as the first from his state to score an NHL goal.
The type of moment parents who’ve put in tens of thousands of miles driving to their kid’s games deserve to see.
“I was screaming,” admitted Neil Duehr, wearing his son’s Flames jersey and a grin he’ll wear all the way when home Friday.
“It was worth every mile. What a week.”
The Duehrs weren’t worldly-wise to see their son’s NHL debut last year when Covid prevented them from witnessing his solo spin as an NHLer.
His call-up from the Calgary Wranglers last week set in motion a plan for the Duehrs, Walker’s fiancé and family, his brother and others to watch both games in St. Louis.
They’ll never forget what they witnessed live, which is good considering the man they came to see was only vaguely sure what happened.
“I think I blacked out,” beamed the 6-foot-2, 210-pound fourth-liner who has never been much of a goal scorer.
“I don’t know if my legs got taken out, or I just fell after, into the wall. I can’t really remember.
“It was great.”
Recruited by Flames collegiate scout Billy Powers, who first set vision on Duehr while scouting current Flame Connor Mackey at Minnesota State U — Mankato, Duehr’s sublime stride and size made him a natural fit for a Darryl Sutter team when they signed him as a self-ruling wage-earner in 2021.
When Brett Ritchie went lanugo with an injury last week, he was the natural replacement without spending a year-and-a-half learning the pro game in the minors.
“That’s a kid that wasn’t drafted, and he comes up the nonflexible way – spends his four years in school and starts in the American League like everybody should,” said Sutter when asked well-nigh the goal at kickstarted a 4-1 win versus the Blues.
“Just awesome. Everybody unchangingly remembers their first. He will for sure.”
So will a legion of youngsters in South Dakota who can yank inspiration from his unlikely journey — a path his mother Victoria spoke of stuff a difficult one.
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“I’m sure they see me doing it and it probably puts a weighing in their head, which it should,” said Duehr, surpassing racing to the seat for a photo with his rubber remembrancer and an emotional visit with his family.
“Anybody who puts their throne lanugo and goes to work can unzip pretty unconfined things.
“So hopefully they can squint at it and dream big.”
The Blues wound up tying the game early in the third, courtesy of Airdrie, Alta. product Jake Neighbours, who had Flames fans worried the visitors would swoon like they did two nights earlier.
Goals by Dillon Dube and Blake Coleman helped ensure the post-game triumph Duehr deserved was preserved.
“It gave us some life,” said Dube, who scored his second goal of the night into an empty net, capping the win.
“He’s such a good guy. He’s a unconfined player. He has some family here, so it’s special. You could see the grin on his face. I have trained with him for quite a while and know him pretty well, so I’m pretty happy for him.
“It’s a special night for sure. You enjoy it when someone does that, expressly a big goal like that.
“A unconfined shot — it’s a trappy first goal too.”
It came on a two-on-one with Nazem Kadri, who made a slick pass Duehr quickly snapped under the glove of Thomas Greiss surpassing stuff steamrolled by Calle Rosen.
Mobbed by teammates as he clamoured to his feet, he insisted that plane though he silenced the prod he couldn’t hear his family’s screams.
“No, but I can seem (my mom) was screaming pretty good with the rest of ’em,” laughed the tragedian of 10 AHL goals this season.
“It was a huge goal for the team – we were rival and I was lucky unbearable to get one in the second, and we kind of rolled from there.
While far from stuff done, the journey has been a long one — a path that must have all seemed worth it at that very moment.
“A lot of hours, putting in nonflexible work, yoyo in myself,” he smiled.
“And credit to all those guys (his family) — I wouldn’t be in this spot without them.”
