EDMONTON, AB - On Thursday after practice, Alex Chiasson hustled out of the room as he had something important to do. Chiasson and his girlfriend had plans for a trip to the airport. Nothing new for the Oiler to head to the airport.
Only this time he wasn't leaving. Instead, he was picking up his mom. She arrived in Edmonton in time to watch her son score on Friday night versus New Jersey. Marilyn Chiasson will have the entire weekend to catch up with her Alex. She's here for the Moms Trip.
"My dad (Serge) has been on about five dads trips," Chiasson explained. "It was about time there was a Moms Trip."
You won't get any complaints about it from the moms. Maybe the dads had something to say about it but they've had trips in back-to-back seasons, so it was about time the ladies had a chance to join their sons for a hockey getaway.
"It's funny because my dad (Brian) had lots of hockey trips during his 10 years in the league," said Matt Benning.
"Now it's my mom's turn. She spent a lot of hours taking me to games, practices and supporting me. Now, it's her turn to get something out of it."
For the last two seasons, the Oilers have put together Dads Trips. Seeing the dads hang around with their boys was a great thing. Lots of laughs and lots of time spent together at meals, meetings and on buses. The dads had their chance and now it's the moms' turn.
"I know my mom has been kind of wondering when or if there would be a trip for them," said Oscar Klefbom. "It's her first trip and she's very excited. Dad has come home from his trips and he's still talking about them. She's curious to see how the NHL works."
By the numbers, there will be a total of 20 ladies on the trip. Wendy Tippett, Dave's wife, will be a hostess for the group. Eighteen of them are moms and there is one sister. Riley Sheahan is bringing his sister Karli.
GENE'S BLOG: Moms Trip
In his latest blog, Gene Principe writes about the upcoming Oilers Moms Trip
