"It's touching": Flames fans give roaring ovation to Kylington

His team may not have gotten the result they wanted, but last night was a night Calgary Flames defenceman won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

Oliver Kylington made his return to the Flames blue line after a 20-month absence. The 26-year-old sat out the entire 2022-23 season due to mental health struggles, and missed the first half of he 2023-24 campaign as well. His journey to get back to where he is hasn’t been easy, and Flames fans respected that by giving him a very loud ovation when his name was announced as part of last night’s starting lineup.

We love you Shilly! pic.twitter.com/lrOdlZUCEw

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 26, 2024

“It’s touching, for sure. It really is,” Kylington said after the game. “I just want to give it back. I just want to show my abilities on the ice, and I think that’s my way to give it back. I have to work hard and keep going here. I want to show my best.”

“When you see people writing to you, people cheering for you, applauding you, it really touches you in a way I wasn’t expecting. It means a lot.”

Oliver Kylington talks about returning to the lineup this evening. pic.twitter.com/Gdk7VBUWRr

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 26, 2024

All in all, it was a solid showing for Kylington, who had one shot on goal and two blocks in 13:16 minutes of ice time. Despite the long time off, he continued to get shifts in the third period as head coach Ryan Huska shortened his bench. Jordan Oesterle wound up being the odd man out, not logging a single shift in the final frame.

Unfortunately, the Flames were unable to pick up a victory in Kylington’s return, falling to the Columbus Blue Jackets by a 5-2 final. They have now lost four straight, and sit six points shy of the Nashville Predators for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Their next chance to get back in the win column will come tomorrow night versus the Chicago Blackhawks. After that, they will enter a week long break as the All-Star game is set to take place on February 3rd.

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