Dustin Wolf pays tribute to Flames legend Miikka Kiprusoff with 2004-inspired look

When Dustin Wolf found out the Calgary Flames would be sporting throwback jerseys to pay tribute to their 2004 Stanley Cup final run this season, he knew what he needed to do.

The ‘Black C’ uniforms will be rolled out when the Flames play the Vancouver Canucks (Dec. 26), Detroit Red Wings (Oct. 24), San Jose Sharks (Dec. 29) and Tampa Bay Lightning (Jan. 7) — their four playoff opponents in ’04 — but Wolf wanted to take the back-in-the-day vibes a bit further.

And so, during Saturday morning’s practice at the Saddledome, the goaltender unveiled a Miikka Kiprusoff-inspired look that included new pads and an eye-popping mask with skulls on a black background.

“When I saw and heard about the jerseys we were going to wear this year, I tried to pull some inspiration from the past and I thought it was a pretty easy replica to find exactly what he was wearing in ‘04,” Wolf explained. “He’s such a big presence in the city and obviously his numbers are hanging from the rafters, so to be able to share that and be part of it is pretty special.

“I just tried to find pictures of exactly what he was wearing with those exact jerseys. His style was a little unorthodox, he switched around with different brands, but I just went to CCM and said, ‘Hey, can we replicate something like this?’ and normally they’re able to print it out, but they were actually able to stitch everything on, which is nice.”

Wolf also made sure to check in with Kiprusoff and the goaltender’s old mask painter before going ahead with the plan, and received the thumbs-up from both.

The results are striking and should add to the sense of occasion as the Flames organization celebrates the run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final that brought the city to life back in ‘04. 

Wolf was only three years old when that magical run took place, so doesn’t have strong memories of what went down. But he’s been in Calgary long enough to know what it meant to the city.

“I mean, anybody that’s been around talks about it,” the 25-year-old Wolf. “It’s important and oh-so-close to putting another banner in the rafters, but it’s now our job to put ourselves in a position to get a good opportunity to do that again.”

After starting the season 1-6-0, the Flames have a long way to go before they’re contending for a Stanley Cup again. But the last season at the Saddledome before the move to Scotia Place is giving fans lots of opportunities to reflect on the good times at the old barn.

The ‘04 Cup run was among the best, and Wolf wanted to make sure he could add to the festivities in any way he could.

“(Kiprusoff) was just a guy that was unorthodox in the way he came to the rink and played,” Wolf said. “He played his nuts off every night and was a character from all the stories I’ve heard. To be in similar gear and a mask, it brings you back. I was only three at the time, so hard to think back to that time, but pretty neat to be able to share it.”