LAS VEGAS — Nikolaj Ehlers was only minutes removed from the biggest hockey game of his life, until the next one.
The buzzing winger so fast they call him “Fly” had hung three points on the board in an emotional win in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Same as he did in Game 4. He had vaulted atop all Carolina Hurricanes in assists (five), points (eight), and plus/minus (plus-5) in the series and had been named second star of the night.
But those Danes, they are known for their modesty and honesty.
“Personally, that was probably my worst game in the whole playoffs,” assessed Ehlers, whose family jetted overseas to hop aboard this ride.
“I’m excited but not excited to see my dad after the game tonight.”
If Heinz Ehlers — a 60-year-old professional hockey coach — were to nitpick his only son’s performance Thursday, he might find 57 varieties.
For Nikolaj’s trio of helpers, none nastier than his spinning setup on Andrei Svechnikov’s third-period strike, were sandwiched by two unnecessary and uncharacteristic delay-of-game penalties for firing pucks over the glass.
The Vegas Golden Knights drew life from the first one, as Pavel Dorofeyev opened the scoring on the ensuing power play.
“To do that twice in a game is not something I’m very proud of,” Ehlers said. “But you got to try and stick with it. Try to make up for it.”
Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour took solace, knowing neither Heinz nor Nikolaj would let a favourable result excuse a shaky process.
“That’s the key, right? Everyone’s going to have nights where you make some mistakes. But then he still had an impact on the game on a positive note,” Brind’Amour said. “He causes the first (Vegas goal) when he tosses it over the glass, but then who made the pass for Jordo’s goal? That was Fly. And then a great play on the power play (to Svechnikov). So, he always seems to find a way to contribute, and that’s a good mark on him.
“And, yeah, I’m glad his dad’s a hockey coach. So, I can trust he’ll take care of the other stuff.”
Heinz Ehlers was the first Dane ever drafted into the NHL, a fact his youngest son shares proudly.
The 1984 New York Rangers ninth-rounder never played in the Show but, since starring in the Swiss League and leading and coaching his national squad, has been inducted into the Danish Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. Heinz and Nikolaj recently pooled money to save their hometown club, the Aalborg Pirates.
If Carolina can post even a .500 record the rest of the way, Heinz will hit the ice and celebrate as Nikolaj joins an exclusive club of players to hoist the Cup and bring the bauble to Denmark. (Lars Eller became the first and only when the Capitals won the trophy in 2018… at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.) Nikolaj’s mom, Tina, and sister, Caroline, have joined the posse.
“(Dad) taught me a lot about hockey growing up and watched a lot of my games. And at the dinner table with my four other family members, we always talk about his hockey,” Ehlers said, before Game 1. “So, everyone is a part of this. And that makes it even more special that they’re all coming over.”
Hockey players, even the grown-up ones, will tell you they find an extra gear when Mom and Dad are in the barn.
All Ehlers did last week was snipe the Cup Final’s fastest opening goal in 50 years (25 seconds), then follow with a dirty deke, perforating a previously locked-in Carter Hart early. And the goalie, who now surrenders four a night, still hasn’t recovered.
“I mean, he might have been the most dynamic player out there,” Brind’Amour says. “Got us two goals on his own.”
Ehlers’s signing to Carolina as the most coveted free agent of a thin 2025 class has been a masterstroke for all parties. He was the only Hurricane to suit up for all 82 this season and has elevated to point-per-game status (17 in 17) in the post-season.
An impressive leap when you consider Ehlers put up a total of 22 points over his 45 playoff games and 10 years with the Winnipeg Jets — the deadliest edition of which got upset by Vegas in the 2018 Western Conference Final.
“You know, back in ’18, that was a missed opportunity for us as a team. We really had a great team and, unfortunately, weren’t able to get it done. But Vegas, even back then, they’re a tough team to play against. They have skill. They’re physical. They’re fast. They got the experience. A little bit of everything,” Ehlers says.
“When I came here, that’s what I wanted to be a part of — a team that makes it to the playoffs and has potential to do something pretty great.”
Even as the new guy in a tight room that has been battling spring after spring for the opportunity that awaits Sunday, Ehlers very much feels part of a welcoming group.
Despite eight 20-goal campaigns in Winnipeg, Ehlers had a challenging time cracking a Jets top line and power-play unit that ran through Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor.
The lines between the top-six and bottom-six are blurrier here in Raleigh, and Fly’s speed game befits Brind’Amour’s system.
“At the same time, all the inside jokes, you’re still figuring your way through those. I was part of those in Winnipeg for the last 10 years,” Ehlers says. “The organization has been unbelievable. So, I don’t think I personally have had any hiccups. I’ve been very comfortable from the start.”
Taylor Hall is another wandering soul who looks right at home. He says Ehlers isn’t overly physical, yet his fleet feet create the forechecking turnovers so key to the Canes’ success.
“Stylistically, it was a really good fit for him,” Hall says. “He was excited to get somewhere new and have a new opportunity. He’s a really easygoing guy that can fit in well with any situation, and we’ve really enjoyed playing with him and getting to know him.”
Ehlers’ refreshment shone on the night Carolina dispatched Montreal in the conference final, and his heartfelt message to Brind’Amour went viral: “Thank you for bringing me here.”
Canes GM Eric Tulsky’s mandate is accumulate as much talent as possible. And so, when the executive failed to lock up Mikko Rantanen or Mitch Marner, he turned to Ehlers, a much different type of forward. But one who sits tied with Marner for the Cup Final’s point lead.
“He just brings an absolutely dynamic level of skating and skill with the puck and a creativity,” Tulsky explains. “Nobody goes outside the structure, because it’s a very well-coached team, but he adds things to it that aren’t what we would ask a lot of players to do.
“Having that kind of ability on the team — someone who could just create scoring chances out of thin air — it always makes you more dangerous.”
More dangerous. And more Danish.
That the country’s greatest goalie, Frederik Andersen, was already in Raleigh encouraged Ehlers to sign.
Could they triple their nation’s list of Cup winners?
“There’s very few of us in the league,” Andersen smiles. “Having that chance to speak Danish in the room, finally, instead of listening to Russian and Finnish that you don’t understand, it’s been fun to give it back to them a little bit. So, we try to enjoy that really cool experience.”
A small, proud hockey country has its fingerprints all over this Cup run.
The only step now is for the Andersens and Ehlerses to get their mitts all over that silver thing — which will be in the rink and at risk of getting pulled out of its case this weekend.
“That’s how you build the next generation of hockey players. You gotta get them interested and get him watching. Obviously, it happens in Canada every year. Kids are sitting at home watching Sportsnet and all that,” Andersen says. “You see teams that go deep, how their communities rise.
Not even candid coach Heinz Ehlers will have a negative word for his son then.