Kiefer Sherwood's wife Ariela drops 3-word reaction to beau's season opening goal for the Canucks

Vancouver Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood made an instant impact on Thursday night scoring the team’s first goal of the 2025-26 NHL season during their home-opening win over the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena.

His wife Ariela Sherwood shared her excitement on Instagram, reposting a highlight clip of her husband’s goal with the simple three-word caption:

“Hockey is back 😜”.

The clip was originally posted by the Canucks Instagram account and showed Sherwood firing a shot in front of a packed Rogers Arena crowd. Sherwood’s goal came at 14:53 of the first period, with an assist from Drew O’Connor, giving Vancouver an early lead that they never lost.

via Instagram /@ariela_sherwood

The Canucks broke the game open in the third period with four more goals. Filip Chytil scored twice, while Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Brock Boeser each added one. Thatcher Demko made 17 saves for Vancouver, while Calgary’s Morgan Frost scored the only goal for the Flames.

The game also marked Adam Foote’s first regular-season win behind the Canucks bench. Vancouver went 0-for-4 on the power play but controlled the pace through strong even-strength play and tight defensive structure.

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Kiefer Sherwood opens up about the early challenge in his relationship

Earlier last month, Kiefer Sherwood and his wife Ariela shared a more personal side of their life in the team’s new “Going Home” video series. In one segment of the video, Sherwood revealed that one of his biggest early challenges in their relationship had nothing to do with hockey but with Ariela’s dog Luca.

Sherwood shared that he grew up allergic to dogs and admitted that meeting Luca for the first time was a battle. But over time, that changed completely.

“At the beginning of our relationship, I was like, ‘it's going to be me or the dog’ because my allergies were so bad when I was around him,” he recalled with a laugh.

“It’s funny how things come to be, because now he’s like a kid. He’s got so much personality, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Sherwood said. “That’s a game we’ve created this summer where I feel like the quarterback and he’s the wide receiver.”

Ariela added that fans only see one side of Sherwood on the ice and shared that he is much calmer and more affectionate at home, especially with Luca.

Luca’s special role in the couple’s lives even extended to their wedding day. The pup served as ring bearer at their July 26 ceremony at the Cherub Garden within Stonepine Estate in Carmel Valley, California.