Samuel Henley makes mom cry with first NHL goal

Samuel Henley made his mom cry Thursday, but the Colorado Avalanche forward certainly wasn't doing anything wrong.
Henley scored his first NHL goal in his NHL debut, during the second period of Colorado's 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and it left his mom Manon and girlfriend Andree Ann overcome with emotion.

Manon and Andree traveled with Sam's brother Cedrick from from Val-d'Or, Quebec to Denver to watch Henley's first NHL game. His father Rock was unable to make the trip, he can't fly for medical reasons, but was watching at home in Quebec.
"It would have been a long drive," Henley told the Denver Post before the game.
Manon and Andree became an internet sensations with their stunned reactions when Henley tied the score at 2 at 14:25 of the second period. Manon covered her face in disbelief before wiping away tears of joy after Henley beat Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky with a spinning shot from the half-wall.
"Good showing for him, I think," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said after the game.

Henley, 23, was called up by the Avalanche from San Antonio of the American Hockey League on Wednesday, and his mother may have gotten emotional because of his long and winding road to the NHL. He was not drafted after five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League but signed an entry-level contract with the Avalanche on May 26, 2014. He has spent the past three seasons in the AHL, moving from Cleveland to San Antonio when Colorado's affiliation switched in 2015.
Henley was the first Colorado player to score in his NHL debut since Stefan Elliott did so against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 26, 2011. He said his inspiration to keep playing hockey, even in the face of adversity, came from Rock.
"My dad is a real hard-working dad, and he always told me to never give up," Henley told the Denver Post. "I kept working hard, and my dad and my friends helped me a lot too."