The Real MVPs: Inside the Canucks’ Moms Trip with Tonja Stelly

Professional hockey is built on routine – flights, morning skates, team meals, the cadence of an 82-game season, and a collective pursuit of something bigger than yourself. It’s a brotherhood, and every so often, that routine makes room for something more personal.

This week, as the Vancouver Canucks embarked on their Moms Trip, a special sisterhood is forming over team dinners and fun outings, on arena concourses, and more meals than anyone anticipated.

Tonja Stelly has a unique place in the sports world.

She is the mother of the only NHL-NBA brother tandem with her sons, Tyler Myers and Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes.

Now, she’s adding a first of her own. Seventeen seasons into Tyler’s career, she’s experiencing her first Moms Trip in either league, stepping fully into the day-to-day routine of a NHLer. There was an opportunity to attend one years ago when Tyler was in Buffalo, but with Quentin still a youngster, the timing didn’t align.

“We're so appreciative. I’m so thankful that I get to be here and share these moments,” Tonja said. “I hope they [the Canucks] realize they are recreating a bond that's always been there, but you get that little spark again."

As the moms boarded the plane, they were greeted with swag bags complete with Canucks jerseys, custom black sequined embroidered jackets, and some spa essentials meant to soften the edges of life on the road.

Tonja has watched Tyler interact with coaches and teammates and realized following the Canucks’ schedule means committing to the fueling schedule of elite athletes. The moms have quickly realized just how often that means sitting down at a table and have gotten a kick out of trying to keep up.

“We meet them for breakfast, the players go to morning skate, we walk over and watch, then we come back and eat again, but we’re not the ones working out,” Tonja laughed.

Beyond the meals and the fun, although Tyler just turned 36 years old, Tonja was hopeful to see whether the life lessons she emphasized, like being polite and treating everyone with respect stuck. She confirmed that Tyler passed the test “with flying colours.”

When asked about her proudest moments as Tyler’s mom, her answer wasn’t about awards or milestones.

“As a husband and father,” Tonja said, adding, “I watch him as a professional athlete and the demands that are placed upon his time, and to see him make time for those important moments daily, with his wife, Michela or with his children, has been very empowering for me.”

“Both of them [Tyler and Quentin] know I'm insanely proud of them from a work perspective. It changes because you're proud of them when they're younger, and as they get older, you're happy for them, for whatever those little successes are. You’re happy that all their hard work, commitment to their craft, and sacrifice they and their family make pays off.”

The trip’s stop in Salt Lake City made it the second time Tonja has been to the Delta Center. Her first time in Salt Lake City was in 2023 when Quentin participated in the NBA Rising Stars Game during NBA All-Star Weekend. She’s also no stranger to Vegas, though she’s looking forward to checking out the Sphere for something new.

While she’s making memories with her son and getting to know the other moms, she’s reminded of the shared experiences of parenting professional athletes, particularly in the early stages of their careers.

“You still have the same concerns as a mother when your child is playing overseas, and you're trying to stay in touch with them and understand their journey,” Tonja said.

“Some of these kids are only in their second or third year in the league. I see it through these moms' eyes, and it brings back a lot of moments of happiness and worry, and a mix of emotions."

When Tyler was 10 years old, and Quentin was just a newborn, Tyler asked Tonja if he could move to Canada with his dad and stepmom to play hockey at a more elite level and see how far he could take his talents. Tonja agreed to it for one year, but Tyler loved it and was thriving, so he stayed. Sacrificing time together wasn’t easy, but she said Tyler was surrounded by family that shared the same message about life, and they were committed to helping him achieve what he loved to do.

Tyler never shied away from the work, in fact, he lived for the weekends. The 6 a.m. ice times, practices on birthdays, Christmases, and other holidays; if there was a chance to practice, he took it. So, when Tyler’s birthday fell during the Moms Trip, it felt fitting.

“We had a little birthday party with the kids at home [in Vancouver] and then it was like, ‘Okay, let's get on a plane and go to hockey’, and I laughed thinking, ‘Wow, nothing's changed,’” Tonja said.

Summers were spent back in Texas, and the rest of the year they made up the distance with phone calls and videophones – the FaceTime of 2000 – powered by dial-up internet. The connection was a bit blurry and occasionally cut out, but it was necessary to make it work.

When Quentin entered the NBA five years ago, those early-career emotions came flooding back.

“Those emotions have been back for me over these last five years. They’re [the players] are trying to make their way; they're trying to figure it out. It's like with any job, you've got to come in and figure out the pecking order, how the organization works, what the goals are, and what the team is trying to accomplish that season,” she said.

A veteran pro sports mom, Tonja encouraged the other moms to continue taking it one day at a time and trust the process because it does get easier. Having a chance to catch up with some of the younger Canucks and their moms, she says the values they’ve instilled in their children will help carry them through the journey.

“You have to believe in the foundation that your family has provided for them, because they wouldn't be where they are today without that foundation,” she said. “You can tell these players, have gone through adversity at some point in their journey before having to be out ‘on their own’, and you can also tell that the moms provide them with that subtle confidence and you can see it you can see it in the players too.”

Relating to each other on a level most people can’t fully understand has been a great bonding experience for the group and it is something that Tonja is deeply passionate about. She’s now retired, but was a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley, and she understands both the business of professional sports and the realities families face as they navigate through it.

Through Tyler and Quentin’s journeys, she’s gained a wealth of knowledge that she now shares with parents and their children.

She has spoken for Adidas, Nike, and the University of Houston, helping prepare young athletes heading to college and entering the NIL landscape. She’s also participated in panels at USA basketball camp and is currently exploring collaborative educational initiatives with the University of Houston and the NBA – working alongside other NBA moms to create resources for players and families on topics ranging from NIL and taxes to transitioning from college to professional sports.

“To be around other people who are going through it, or have gone through it, just like with any job is important. Those are the people you want to sit and talk to and go, ‘How do I not recreate the wheel here?’" She said.

Apart from the destinations and behind-the-scenes access, what will stay with Tonja from this trip is the connection. Around shared meals and moments between games, the moms found common ground in stories only they can truly understand – early mornings, long distances, proud milestones, and the constant balancing act of letting go while staying ready to jump in when needed.

There’s comfort in that kind of understanding.

For Tonja, it’s been fun to spend quality time with Tyler and get to know his teammates and the moms. While their sons chase dreams on the ice, the foundation beneath it all is built on steady encouragement, shared wisdom, and women willing to support one another through every season of the journey.