Mammoth Players Make Memories with their Moms

The early days of any NHL player’s career starts with parents driving their sons to practices, watching them play hockey, and being their biggest supporters. When a player makes it to the NHL often they’re playing far away from home, driving themselves to games, and talking with their loved ones on the phone after a game. However, with the Utah Mammoth’s Moms Trip, players had the opportunity to bring their moms along for a few days in their lives.

“It’s cool for the player, it’s cool for the moms, it’s cool for everybody,” head coach André Tourigny said of the trip. “We all know the impact our moms had on all of us, so I think it’s great to have them around.”

“It's awesome,” Barrett Hayton shared on the Moms Trip. “For us living in it every day, you don't think too much about it but growing up and with them always being around your hockey and then I guess, ten years later, they get to kind of see what it looks like now. It's just fun to share that time together and I think that's something they really enjoy. We're thankful to have them and thankful the team puts it on. It's got a special itinerary and it's going to be fun.”

For many of the moms in attendance, this year’s Moms Trip is the most time they’ll spend with their sons during an NHL season. Sophie Meredith, Brandon Tanev’s mom, had already planned a trip to watch her son play in Utah, and extended it for the Moms Trip. This opportunity gave her even more time with her son.

“Spending time with them,” Meredith said of what she was looking forward to the most. “At Christmas time they may have a few days, they can’t come home. So just one-on-one with them and just enjoying (the time with) them. It’s been really nice.”

Veteran defenseman Ian Cole has played in the NHL for 16 seasons; however, this is the first time his mom Connie has joined him for a trip.

“Having some time with Ian,” Cole said of what she was most excited for with this trip. “The time and the experience and meeting the other moms. Also getting to know who the players all are because since we live in Michigan and are not here, I have to watch games on TV. It’s nice to correlate and put it all together.”

The trip kicked off with practice and a flight to Anaheim, California where the team would play the first of two games in front of their Moms. After morning skate on Monday, the Moms hit Disneyland before going to Honda Center to watch their sons play.

Tuesday, the team traveled to San Jose and the Moms went to a winery in the mountains before heading to SAP Center to watch their sons once more. In addition to spending time with their sons, this trip was an opportunity for the families to meet each other. So often, the families of these players hear about each other, but never have the opportunity to spend time together.

“At Christmas time or March break, that’s when the families visit and we’ll see each other then,” Susan O’Brien, Liam’s mom, shared about seeing the other families. “Before this, I really didn’t know who anybody was. I might have known one or two people that Liam introduced me to. But now that I’ve met everyone, it’s exciting, it’s really nice.”

It may have been a packed few days, but the memories made on this trip will be cherished for a lifetime, not only for the moms, but for their sons as well.

“It’s so nice to meet the families and meet the players that he talks about all the time,” Cindy DeSimone, Nick’s mom, explained. “You feel like you know them because you watch them play all these games on TV … (Nick) is so thankful that he can do this for me after all the time and effort that we put in. So seeing him be grateful like that, is so nice.”