Mom's Trip: Mads Sogaard's Competitive Streak Runs in the Family

Mads Sogaard looked back on a fun experience this week on the Ottawa Senators Mom's Trip.

Right after the Senators’ win in Montreal this week, a fun video circulated online that featured the players’ moms dancing outside the club's dressing room. Erik Brannstrom had just fired up the song "Dancing Queen" by Abba, and the moms, all dressed in their son's white jerseys, couldn't resist dancing and singing together to celebrate the win.

It was one of the highlights of the Moms' Trip, as players' moms are invited to accompany the team for a couple of games on the road.

Unlike the Senators’ season overall, the trip was filled with wins and celebrations and Senators goalie Mads Sogaard enjoyed all of it, including the dancing.

“It's so funny because you always see the moms with their phones videotaping everything," Sogaard said. "But this time it was the other way around. All the boys stood and were filming (their moms dancing).”

Sogaard hails from Aalborg, Denmark and it was only the second time his mother, Caroline, had been able to watch her son play in person at the NHL level.  And he cherished the chance to rekindle their connection.

Sogaard was called up to the Senators on January 11th after the injury to Anton Forsberg. In Sogaard’s first start, he was hard on himself, giving up 6 goals in a 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. However, he got another chance to play last Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers – this time in front of his mom.

The game didn’t start well for Sogaard. The Flyers scored early on a play everyone thought had been blown dead. Then there was a scare for Sogaard as he took a skate to the neck area. He was fine and his mother didn’t even realize what had happened to him on the play in real time. 

But Sogaard and the Senators were able to come back from a rough start and earn a 5-3 win. He told The Hockey News-Ottawa that his mother was thrilled to see him win and to have a chance to cheer him on in person.

But when it comes to Sogaard cheering for his mom? Well, it’s complicated.

He grew up in a competitive household with his brother and sister—and their mom.

“She'd never let us win in anything,” Sogaard said. “We'd always be competitive. It was cool, because whenever we would win, it just felt that much better. Because we knew we definitely beat her. Nothing was given.”

Naturally, on this trip, she wanted badly to beat the other moms when they all went bowling.

“She's a pretty good bowler. And she had the time of her life,” Sogaard said. "I think one time she finished the round with three strikes in a row and she was over the moon.”

She took the title with a score of 162.

“Oh, my goodness. I wish it was any other mom who won instead of her,” Sogaard said. “That's the worst thing that could have happened.”

His mother kept rubbing the victory in, but he also pushed back.

“She was super sore (from bowling) the next day, so I was bugging her and in her ear all the time. So that was funny,” Sogaard said.

Sogaard said he loved playing in front of his mother and having her along on the trip, despite her bowling victory.

“It's probably a memory of a lifetime for both of us.”