A surreal and emotional night
Watching Tyce vs. Tage on NHL ice was a special moment for parents Brent and Kim Thompson
Brent Thompson made his NHL debut with the Los Angeles Kings on Halloween night 1991. He looked around the old Boston Garden ice and could count Wayne Gretzky, Larry Robinson, Jari Kurri, Luc Robitaille and Dave Taylor as teammates. On the other side skated Raymond Bourque for the Bruins.
Hockey legends everywhere.
Still, Thompson said he wasn’t nearly as anxious as he was Tuesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark. That is what it’s like being a dad. For Kim Thompson, that’s what it’s like being a mom.
“I was way more nervous than in my own first game,” the coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers said. “And I was extremely happy. I was surprised how emotional I got seeing the two boys on the ice together. The communication before the game, the competitiveness during the game. Yeah, it was an emotional experience.”
It would be like that for any parent seeing their son or daughter break into the major league of their sport. This night went beyond that.
Tyce Thompson, who recently completed his college career at Providence, made his NHL debut for the New Jersey Devils against his brother Tage and the Buffalo Sabres. Tage Thompson, a firstround draft pick, began his NHL career in 2017 with the St. Louis Blues after playing two seasons at UConn.
“It was awesome,” Kim said. “I didn’t cry at all, surprisingly. I got tearyeyed a little bit on occasion. It’s just so surreal when you’re going through it. I had to keep reminding myself this is actually happening. But that’s it. No more Thompson boys going to the NHL.”
The boys are best friends. They’re also only 19 months apart in age, but get this: They had never played with or against each other in an organized game. Pee Wee. Bantam. Never. Tyce found out he was playing Monday night. Devils coach Lindy Ruff made it public
early Tuesday.
“My wife was ecstatic from the moment she found out Tyce was going to get his first game against Tage,” Brent said. “Her phone was blowing up. It was a special moment. We could all be there to enjoy it together.”
The good fortune of the hockey calendar showed no game Tuesday for the Sound Tigers, the Islanders’ AHL affiliate. Islanders management, with Lou and Chris Lamoriello, arranged it with the Devils that Brent and Kim could have a box and still be able to follow all the COVID protocols for his organization. Kim’s good friend and one of Tyce’s good friends joined them. A couple more of Tyce’s friends sat in the stands.
“I’ve been looking forward to this moment,” Kim said. “I knew it would happen eventually. But then when it actually happened, I didn’t know what to think.
“When they first started playing, they weren’t on the ice at the same time. I’m like this is cool. I’ll cheer for Tyce and the Devils when he’s on. And then cheer for Tage and the Sabres when he’s on.”
And then it happened. The boys were on the ice at that same time.
“I was pretty rattled, actually,” Kim said. “There was a moment when Tage almost scored and Tyce was right there. It would have been against Tyce. I’m like, ‘Yes! No! Wait! What am I doing?
“I was hoping for an overtime game so each team would get at least a point in the standings, but ultimately they did each get an individual point.”
The Sabres won, 5-3. Tyce picked up his first NHL point when he made a nice play with speed to collect the puck off the sideboards and get a shot on net for a Damon Severson’s rebound 4:22 into the game.
“I thought Tyce played very well, did a really good job,” Brent said. “To get an assist, being involved in the game, was outstanding, definitely icing on the cake. And I know Tage was really happy to be involved in a special day for Tyce.”
Brent didn’t speak to either in person at the Prudential Center. On the way back home, he spent time on the phone separately with the boys. Tage had to fly back out immediately with
the team to Buffalo where the teams played again Thursday. Tyce called when he got to his Jersey hotel room. Brent said it was interesting as a coach to hear their views on the game and it was cool as a dad to hear them talk about seeing their brother on the ice.
“It was crazy with emotions,” Tyce told reporters. “Excitement, nerves. But I thought the guys in the room did a good job of keeping me calm, just enjoying the moment and just kind of having fun out there. It was a night I will remember. “
Tage is listed at 6-foot-7, 219 pounds. Tyce is listed at 6-1, 185. They are forwards, unlike their dad, a physical defenseman who played just about everywhere professionally, from L.A. to Hartford to Phoenix and Springfield between 1990 and 2005. In his 121 NHL games, he had one goal: Thompson (Gretzky, Robitaille). Frame the memory.
Brent and Kim met in Phoenix and where Tage was born Oct. 30, 1997. Tyce was born July 12, 1999 on the East Coast. Brent has coached a handful of teams since retiring as a player 2005, including in Alaska. In 2011, he coached the Sound Tigers and after two seasons as Islanders assistant, he returned in 2014 as Bridgeport’s coach. As far as hockey, the boys are Connecticut bred.
As a dad, Brent said, “They’re very similar in so many ways,” Brent said. “Tage is a little more cerebral, relaxed. Tyce is a little more wired and wound up, he’s a little engine. They share the passion of the game and competitiveness.”
As a hockey coach, Brent said, “They’re both skilled. Tage obviously has that big frame, can use his range and has a great shot. Tyce has a great shot. He’s a little quicker in small areas and has great vision on the passing side of things.”
Tage and Tyce are on the ice together all the time training in the summer. Tyce, a fourth-round pick by the Devils in 2019, lives with Tage at his house in Milford in the offseason.
“They’re more alike than they are different, that’s for sure,” Kim said. “They have so much in common. I think a lot of it is they have been each other’s best friend from Day 1, in moving around as much as we have. They’ve been in each other’s corner for their whole lives.
“I’d say Tyce has little bit of a shorter fuse. Tage is a little bit more like me in that aspect. Tyce is a little bit wired more like Brent — which could be a good thing or a bad thing.”
We know who has the wit in the family.
When they were researching names before their first son, Kim’s sister Karyn initially suggested Taggart. They’d call him Tag. Karyn kept looking and discovered Tage was a derivative of Taggart.
“My sister would love to take full credit,” Kim told Mike Anthony, now with Hearst Connecticut Media, when Tage played at UConn. “It was, ‘A good-natured fellow … he with the sound of a lethal slap shot.’ That was the quote she gave me from something she read.” They were sold. On Wednesday night, Kim said Tyce had heard the story enough times that he began asking, “Mom, what does my name mean?”
Tyce always took pride in his effort and footspeed. So when he came home from grade school one day, there was a piece of paper affixed to the refrigerator awaiting him. It was the meaning of his name.
“Tyce: A hard worker. Fast on his feet.” “That’s so me,” Tyce said. “I know,” mom answered.
From that point on, he believed that’s what it meant. It’s a little dicey if he still does.
“Hey, somebody creates these meaning anyways, so why can’t it be what it means,” Kim said. “If I get ahold of Wikipedia, I could make it official.
“You’re not going to throw me under the bus are you?”
Are you kidding? Did you see Tyce Thompson’s first NHL point. Hard worker. Fast on his feet. Perfect.