'Everything tonight was about her': Sens rookie Donovan Sebrango honors mom after NHL debut

When Donovan Sebrango took to the ice at the Canadian Tire Center on Thursday to take a solo “rookie lap” ahead of his NHL debut, three things were on his mind thing:

“Don't fall, don't miss the puck…look up and you'll find your mom,” the 23-year-old Ottawa native told reporters gathered around him after the game.

His mother, Kim Sebrango, is hard to ignore. Standing rinkside, her emotional reaction as she watched her son skate in a Senators uniform to the cheers of fans made all the highlights.

“It's unbelievable, even watching the tape today I get choked up,” she told CBC News on Friday. “I've been a hockey fan for a long time and to see him play hockey with the Ottawa Senators in our hometown was an incredible moment. It was just unbelievable.”

Sebrango, who was called up by the Belleville Senators due to a series of injuries to Ottawa's defense, played nearly 12 minutes in the last game and made some key plays on Thursday.

a night to remember

After the game, he described it as the best day of his life so far, especially playing for a team he grew up watching.

“That's something I'll definitely remember. That was my dream as a kid, so that meant to me that I had to do it.”

He said this dream would not have come true without his mother's dedication.

“I mean, a single mom had to teach me the ways of hockey and get me involved in the sport, I mean that lap was for her,” he told reporters. “Everything tonight is about her.”

The Senators lost 1-0 to the Washington Capitals in overtime. Despite the loss, Sebrango said it was a “huge honor” to play against his childhood idol Alexander Ovechkin, who scored the only goal of the game.

The next day, Kim Sebrango said her son's achievement had not yet been fully appreciated.

“I'm very, very proud of him,” she said.

Seblango was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He was traded by the Senators in July 2023 and played during the preseason.