WASHINGTON, DC – The moment Ryan Huska pulled Joel Farabee aside Saturday morning will stay with the 26-year-old for a long time.
I could tell later by the way he spoke, still a little wide-eyed and a little emotional.
Huska told the Flames winger he will be wearing the letter ‘A’ over his heart for future home games. And it was a huge blow for a player who had spent the past two seasons reshaping his identity, role and voice.
Farabee admitted that he did not want to “jinx it”, so he did not call anyone.
But he did what anyone in his shoes would do. He took pictures of the Blasty jersey hanging in his stall and the crisp white ‘A’ stitched over the Flaming Horsehead and sent them to his closest friends. He still keeps that photo on his phone.
“It was really cool,” Farabee said of seeing a jersey with the letters on it for the first time in his professional career.
“It definitely means a lot.”
It made even more sense that night when he played like a man determined to prove Huska right.
Farabee not only carried the letter on his person, he also had it in his possession. He took over the team goalscoring lead with a late breakaway winner, added two assists and walked away with Mikael Backlund’s red jacket as player of the game.
The foundation for that moment was laid hours earlier when Huska gathered five players – Farabee, Connor Zary, Kevin Bahl, Matt Coronato and Morgan Frost – to deliver the challenge. With Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar leaving after the deadline, the leadership vacuum became a reality.
“The door is open.” Huska told them. “I need more.”
Farabee has been donating more over the months. Huska picked him because of his energy, voice and willingness to put the team ahead of himself. Whether that’s polishing the center six, killing penalties, or filling holes that arise in the lineup on any given night.
“I feel like I’m in that age group where I’m no longer very young and not very old,” he said.
“I think my voice sounds better when I talk to younger men than when I talk to older men.”
When Farabee arrived in Calgary, he was still wondering what kind of NHLer he should be. He was a scorer his junior year, a skills man in college and a tweener in Philadelphia. But in Calgary, he found his niche.
“If you’re going to play in the NHL for many years, you have to realize who you are,” he said.
“I’m a middle six and I kind of understand that it helps on the power play and the PK. I take a lot of pride in filling that position, whatever the situation is.”
That is leadership. And that’s why he’s wearing the letter now.
On Monday, Kevin Bahl was in action for the A’s without the injured Zach Whitecloud, with Farabee stepping up to the plate again.
You don’t need a letter to lead.
Down 3-0 after a brutal first period, the Flames fought back with a three-goal second sparked by a sharp finish by rookie Matvei Gridin.
Then came the penalty kill that would be replayed in team meetings for years to come.
First, Blake Coleman scored a shorthanded run. Farabee then intercepted a bump back pass, raced deep into Washington territory and fed Yegor Sharangovich with another short. They had two identical kills, something Calgary hasn’t done since 2018. Only one NHL team has done it this year.
Washington came back in the bottom of the third inning to win 7-3, but the message was clear. This team is unbreakable. Not like Coleman. Not like Farabee. The young core is not forced to take the lead.
“We lost a good friend and teammate, but the guys that come here have something to prove and we have something to play for, and we want to prove that to the coaches here,” Farabee said.
“This will be the story of our team.” Coleman added of his courageous comeback from a failed third game.
“There will be no giving up in this room. We’re going to have guys fighting every night, and the game isn’t over until it’s over. I thought we had momentum going into the third, but we didn’t capitalize on it.”
This is the culture that Farabee, Coleman and Backlund are helping to build. “Technology alone does not win,” Farabee said.
Farabee is a bridge between eras, a player who has lived a tough life, embraced a role, and earned the respect of veterans and kids alike.
He’s the right man to wear the ‘A’ and I don’t get the feeling he’s going to stop trying to prove it.
