Flames' Walker Duehr's family goes nuts following his first NHL goal

There are stories like these that just kick off the day right. When forward Walker Duehr was called up by the Calgary Flames earlier this week, to finally make his NHL debut against the Blues in St. Louis on Thursday night, his family knew they were coming to see him play. 

His parents drove nine hours from Sioux Falls, South Dakota where their son was born 25 years ago. When he scored the first goal in a Flames' 4-1 win over the Blues, he became the first South Dakotan to score a goal in the NHL last night. And you could hear his parents screaming from the stands, going nuts for their son's unforgettable tally.

“I was screaming,” admitted Neil Duehr, wearing his son’s Flames jersey, per Sportsnet. 

“It was worth every mile. What a week.”

This is a wonderful memory the Duehr family will cherish forever. The Duehrs, Walker’s fiancé and family, his brother and others all drive to come watch both games in St. Louis and will be able to describe every detail to the young forward, who said he blacked out in the moment. 

“I think I blacked out,” smiled the gritty fourth-liner. “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.”

Duehr admitted that even if his first NHL goal silenced the crowd in St. Louis, he did not manage to hear this family going nuts in the crowd.

“No, but I can assume (my mom) was screaming pretty good with the rest of 'em,” he laughed.

“Credit to all those guys (his family) — I wouldn’t be in this spot without them.”

Gotta love this story and family. Well done, Duehrs! 

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