Ottawa Senators defenseman Donovan Sebrango’s mother Kim cried "ugly tears" as her son took his rookie lap ahead of his NHL debut in his hometown on Thursday.
"It was just so unbelievable," Kim told TSN during an in-game interview. "Oh my god, to think that that moment happened here, it's one of the greatest moments of my life. I don't even know how to put it into words."
Kim wept, cheered, whistled and exclaimed "Oh my god!" as her son circled the ice ahead of his big moment.
Sebrango said he was thinking three things during his hot lap: Don’t fall, don’t miss the puck and "find your mom."
"A single mom having to kind of teach me the ways of hockey and bringing me into the sport, I mean, that lap was for her," Sebrango said. "Everything tonight was for her... She's the reason I'm here. To get her in the building is something special and probably the best day of my life so far. It's just a special moment, and it's all because of her."
Sebrango grew up in Gananoque, Ontario, two hours south of downtown Ottawa, but ended up playing three years of AAA in Rockland, just east of the nation’s capital, as a teenager. He was drafted 63rd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2020 NHL Draft, but was acquired by the Senators in July of 2023 in a trade that sent forward Alex DeBrincat to the Red Wings.
"It's just so worth it," Kim said. "To see people come up to us [who] he started playing with from the little town in Gananoque to the little school in Rockland, it's unbelievable. It really is."
Sebrango had 11:38 of ice time in a 1-0 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals. At one point, he got into a brief shoving match with Capitals forward Nic Dowd in front of the Senators' goal, but mom approved.
"And a little feistiness? I love it," Kim said.
It was a long road for the 23-year-old, who played 198 games in the AHL and 27 ECHL before getting his chance in the NHL, but Sebrango said it all lived up to expectations.
"Oh, even more. I mean, it hasn't fully sunk in yet," Sebrango said. "That's what I've dreamt of as a kid, and that's what I strive to be."
