"I get being laid back from her," Spezza said. "She's the most level-headed and most level-tempered. My mom has never really told me anything about hockey. The only thing she says is she wants me to smile and have a good time when I'm playing. She's a typical mom."
Tyler Seguin said his mom, Jackie, "has a big personality," and it's not difficult to see she passed that down to her son. In fact, after Seguin and Benn pranked their moms on the TSN show "Cabbie Presents" a few years back by telling each they had met the girls of their dreams and were going to propose, the two moms got revenge. Instead of just letting the prank go, Jackie Seguin and Heather Benn engineered their own prank.
Jackie told Tyler she decided she wanted to become a sports agent and that she wanted to represent Tyler, and he bought it.
"I think she got me better than I got her," Seguin admitted.
Stories like that have made the trip fun, and allowed players to look into the past. Heather Benn had two future NHL'ers in her house in Jamie and brother Jordie, and Jamie said he understands where his soft-spoken personality comes from.
"I don't know how she put up with us," Jamie Benn said. "There were a lot of hockey activities going on, whether that was mini sticks or shooting pucks in the garage or playing road hockey or fighting each other. … I don't know how she did it, but she's a strong woman."
And while the gathering brings happy memories, like any family reunion, it can bring sad ones, too. Stars video coach Kelly Forbes lost his mom Arlene to cancer last month. Arlene Forbes has been an important part of the Stars family for years, and was one of the people responsible for the first Mom's Trip. After watching her husband Randy go on the Dad's Trips, Arlene put the bug in the ear of Nill to assemble a Mom's Trip.
"I know how much she wanted to be on this trip," Nill said. "And she is -- she's with us."
The Stars staff created stickers for Stars players to wear on their helmets, and the coaches wore "AEF" buttons on the bench. It was a tribute to a strong woman and good friend, and it was also a show of support to Kelly Forbes.