'My heart was melting': How hockey helped an autistic Calgary boy become the Flames' fire starter

Vicki Hall thought she'd never see her son A.J. inside of a roaring Saddledome. The eight-year-old boy is on the autism spectrum and experiences extreme sensitivity to sound — so much so that even small community hockey rinks were a no-go for most of his life.

But on Wednesday night, during the third period of a tight Flames-Canucks game, A.J. was the one hyping up the crowd, yelling for fans to "make some noise!" on the arena's jumbotron. The boy then slammed his hand down on the button to set off the Saddldeome's famous fireballs, whipping the crowd into even more of a frenzy.

"It was pretty awesome," A.J. said afterwards, donning his new Flames toque.

"My heart was melting. For a second, when I pressed the button, flames went everywhere and it was crazy," he said.

A.J.'s journey to becoming a hockey hype-man started when he was invited to join the SuperHEROS program, just over a year ago. The group is part of the Hockey Education Reaching Out Society (HEROS) and it helps children who have physical and cognitive disabilities become hockey players.

A.J.'s journey to becoming a hockey hype-man started when he was invited to join the SuperHEROS program, just over a year ago. The group is part of the Hockey Education Reaching Out Society (HEROS) and it helps children who have physical and cognitive disabilities become hockey players.

"It's amazing because when A.J. was first diagnosed with autism, they mentioned that they never thought he'd play hockey and to me that was something I had always hoped for him," said Vicki Hall, A.J.'s mom.

"So for him to, not only play hockey, but to be here and be able to cheer and be part of the experience, it always felt that it would be something that was outside his reach. To see him here and cheering for his team, it's pretty special for me," she said.

SLOW PROCESS

The process of becoming a hockey player was slow, at first. A.J. learned to skate on a small outdoor rink at a playground near the family's home, step by step, stride by stride becoming more comfortable on the ice

"As the weeks went by, A.J.’s confidence grew both on and off the ice. He did more things that scared him," A.J.'s mom would later write about her son's journey.

"His world got much bigger."

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A.J. joined the SuperHEROS group at the rink and scored the first two goals of his hockey career earlier this year, with Flames legend Lanny McDonald providing an assist.

"I wanted to be like Lanny McDonald and Matthew Tkachuk. I wanted to be a hockey player," A.J. said Wednesday night, just moments after he made the crowd cheer and shout in the same building two of his hockey heroes had done countless times. 

"A year ago, when we first got the call, I cried. When Kevin (Hodgson, the executive director of the HEROS program) phoned and said (A.J.) would play.

"He said 'your son is a hockey player' and I just kind of lost it," she added.