Chatting earlier this week about his love for the Toronto Blue Jays, Connor Zary guesstimated that he caught at least a chunk of about 130 games this season.
The Calgary Flames’ forward was clearly paying attention.
As part of Wednesday’s thrilling comeback in Edmonton, Zary batted a puck out of mid-air for his first goal of the new campaign.
If it was a swing-and-a-miss, it could have been a much different ending.
Goalie Stuart Skinner (74) of the Edmonton Oilers, stretches for a puck batted out of the air by Connor Zary (47) of the Calgary Flames at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. Photo by Shaughn Butts-Postmedia
If the Saskatoon-raised winger hadn’t exercised the perfect amount of patience, this power-play marker would have been overturned due to a high-stick.
And if you didn’t know better, you might think this was his most emphatic celebration in months. Not exactly.
“I’m fired up,” Zary said of the Blue Jays’ playoff run, which will continue now that they’ve eliminated the New York Yankees and advanced to the ALCS. “I was saying to a couple of the guys, I don’t remember the last time I jumped up or yelled at my TV. Like, when Vladdy (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) hit that grand slam, I was fist-pumping like I had scored a goal or something like that.”
In that case, there was plenty to fist-pump about Wednesday.
A shootout victory in Edmonton, where the Flames erased a three-goal deficit to spoil opening night for their provincial foes.
And a series win for the Blue Jays. They will now face either the Detroit Tigers or Seattle Mariners in the ALCS.
“I probably watched 80 games this year, and I went to six in-person,” said Flames centre Morgan Frost, who hails from Aurora, Ont. “So yeah, I’m following like crazy. It’s been fun. Me and my dad, we talk about it all day. This guy is on Twitter non-stop. He sends me, like, 50 tweets a day, who’s starting and this and that.
“So he keeps me in touch, but I follow very closely too. It’s been exciting.”
The excitement is only building.
The Blue Jays are headed to the ALCS for the first time since back-to-back trips in 2015-16.
One of the iconic moments from that era was Jose Bautista’s bat-flip celebration after a clutch home run, and Flames star Nazem Kadri — the hero in the eighth round of Wednesday’s shootout — admitted that Guerrero’s bases-clearing blast in Game 2 against the Yankees had him in flashback mode.
“It was ‘Oh my God,’ gave me some Jose vibes,” said Kadri, who grew up in London, Ont., started his NHL career with the Maple Leafs and will often wear a Blue Jays hat during media interviews. “Obviously, these kind of epic runs are fun to remember and fun to be part of. Last time, I was there and the city was just electric. It’s much the same this time around.”
For fourth-line thumper Ryan Lomberg, who racked up a team-high seven hits in Edmonton, it’s much the same as another recent run that seemed to unite sports fans from coast to coast.
“It’s cool because it’s like the Raptors. It’s Canada’s team, right?” said Lomberg, who was raised in Richmond Hill, Ont. “So you have guys from all over Canada that care about the Jays just as much. I grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, so I was there and able to attend more games. But you talk to guys from out west and stuff, they’re just as dialled in, which is cool.
“You know, I’m not the biggest of baseball fans but when the Blue Jays are competitive and good, it’s a great time to be a baseball fan.”
Leon Draisaitl #29 of the Edmonton Oilers battles against Ryan Lomberg #70 of the Calgary Flames during the second period at Rogers Place on October 8, 2025 in Edmonton, Canada.
Besides, even if you don’t have a complete understanding of how the stat-heads calculate WAR or a strong opinion on shift strategy, you can appreciate the way that Vladdy, George Springer, Kevin Gausman & Co. are currently rolling.
The Flames needed contributions from throughout the lineup to claw back in Wednesday’s curtain-raiser against the Oilers, much like the Blue Jays had to nearly empty the bullpen in the clincher at Yankee Stadium. They used a total of eight arms en route to a 5-2 win in Game 4.
Having completed their own climbs to the highest levels of hockey, the Flames can also marvel at Trey Yesavage’s meteoric rise from starting this season at Single-A to striking out 11 batters in his playoff debut.
“Everybody respects a team that is clicking and playing well,” Lomberg said earlier this week. “As an athlete, you like seeing people perform at the top level and execute.
“It’s great to see them, from this perspective, so far taking care of business.”
Great for everybody except for maybe Matt Coronato.
The Flames’ sharpshooting right-winger is from Long Island. He’s a Yankees fan and, yes, he has some bets to settle up after the ALDS.
“I called him when it was, like, 11-0 (in Game 2),” grinned Zary, one of Coronato’s closest pals. “But I wasn’t even calling for that reason. I was like ‘Man, you sound a little upset. Is there something going on?’ It’s fun, right?”