Brent Thompson made a living in professional hockey for 14-plus seasons as a big, bruising blueliner. The 48-year-old’s sons, Tage and Tyce, have carved paths in the ice game in a much different manner — as point-producing forwards.
“Everything went right. They didn’t want to be anything like me!” chuckled Brent, who joined the coaching ranks after his playing career ended in 2005 and is entering his sixth consecutive season and seventh overall as the bench boss of the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. “I tried to put Tage as a defenseman, but he didn’t like it. He just took the puck and ended up being up the ice all the time. Tyce started out as a D-man and was a little more defensive-minded at a young age, but each of them wanted to score goals and wanted the puck on his stick. They naturally fit the position and played center for most of their lives, but in college they were shifted to the wings, which suited them for that timeframe.”
Tage, 21, was selected 26th overall in the 2016 National Hockey League draft by the St. Louis Blues and made his NHL debut during the 2017-18 campaign, notching nine points (3-6-9) in 41 games. The 6-foot-6, 205-pounder was traded last summer to the Buffalo Sabres, with whom he registered 12 points (7-5-12) in 65 contests last season.
Before turning pro, Tage played two years at the University of Connecticut, where he totaled 64 points (33-31-64) in 70 games.
Tyce, 20, was drafted 96th overall by the New Jersey Devils in June and is entering his sophomore season at Providence College. The 6-1, 178-pounder recorded 25 points (8-17-25) in 42 matches as a freshman.
Both of them are right wings and remember being taught the importance of having a strong work ethic and paying attention to the details of th
e game.
“Those two things are always at the top of the list for him,” Tyce said. “Go to the rink every day, work your hardest, compete and do everything the right way.”
Stated Brent: “No matter what job they got, whether it was mowing grass or if they ever got on Wall Street, any career path they took, work ethic is what was going to make them successful. That was drilled into their heads more than anything.”
Brent’s teachings weren’t limited to hockey. He also wanted his sons to be high-quality people off the ice.
“I was in their ear about character,” Brent said. “Be a good honest person and things will work out for you.”
In addition to those lessons, the Thompson boys were given an opportunity to learn the sport at a deeper level because of their father’s hockey connections, whether it was by getting extra ice time, watching games together from the stands or on television, or mingling with their dad’s teammates after matches.
“He pointed things out when we watched games together,” Tyce remembered. “He asked us, ‘Did you see this person do this?’ And he told us to watch how particular players played. It helped us in our games. And he always took me and my brother down to the rink and we skated before or after his team was on the ice. Then we hung out in the locker room with all the guys.”
Reminisced Tage: “I remember when my dad was an assistant coach (for the then-AHL Peoria Rivermen). Tyce was in third grade and I was in fifth, and every game we were excited to go into the locker room afterward — and we were only allowed in if they won. I watched the games very intensely, hoping they would win so we could go in the room after and maybe try on some goalie gear, shoot on each other with a tennis ball or mess around with each other. That was always a fun experience.”
“I was very fortunate to play on great hockey teams with great people,” Brent said. “They really embraced my kids and treated them like family. Every team had a different group and they would sometimes come to our house for dinner. It was a tight-knit group, a family atmosphere, and they naturally took from that.”
Brent did his best to watch his sons’ games, too, which was a challenging task with his own heavy workload.
“When they were younger, I tried to watch their junior games online and then they’d call and ask me what I thought,” Brent said. “I tried to keep things relatively positive because they had good coaches throughout their careers. I’m sure there was some negativity and they were hard on them, so I tried to be positive.”
Unless he saw a dip in their work ethic and their attention to the finer points of the game, of course.
Explained Brent: “For the most part it was, ‘You could do this better. You could attack the net easier here. You have to win your battles.’ Generic things to remind them of the work ethic they needed to have and that all of those one-on-one battles are key. But there were times when I had to give it to them if I didn’t feel like they were doing the right things and the odd time when I blasted them if I didn’t think they played well. And they usually responded.”
“He was tough on us at times but it was because we loved the game and he wanted us to be successful,” Tyce said. “He could sometimes be a little harsh or maybe I just didn’t want to hear it, but at the end of the day he knows what he’s talking about. It’s constructive criticism, and it’s a good thing to have. We appreciated it.”
Nowadays, Brent watches their games as a happy father instead of from a coaching perspective.
“I watch as a fan and tell them great job and to keep listening to the coaches,” Brent said. “I want to sit back as a dad and enjoy this time because they are both at a level where they have good coaching. They understand and know the game very well and their self-awareness is pretty good, so I don’t need to beat them down or give too much information to them. I want to be their fan now, and I’m their biggest fan, for sure.”
Both boys are huge fans of each other as well, and what stands out most about their relationship is how close they’ve become over the years. One reason for their tight bond has to do with the fact they’ve lived in so many places across North America, moving as a family each time Brent played or coached for a new team. He played or coached with 14 different clubs.
“We are close in age and have a lot of similar interests besides hockey,” Tage said. “We are really close friends, and always having that best friend with you wherever you go made it easier on us. On the ice, he pushes me to be a better player, and in turn I challenge him to be a better player as well.”
“We’ve always been close and are each other’s best friends,” Tyce said. “Making all of those moves, it’s definitely better having someone there with you the whole way rather than being by yourself.”
As with many brothers, there’s a bit of a sibling rivalry, too.
Affirmed Tyce: “I was always trying to do things better than him each time.”
For Tyce, that included an unsuccessful mission to surpass Tage’s goals (14) and points (32) totals as a college freshman.
“We are both competitive,” Tyce declared, “and I wanted to beat him and have some bragging rights there.”
While Tage had the advantage of being older and bigger than Tyce when they played against each other growing up, Tyce had the advantage when they started playing competitive hockey, since he could lean on Tage for advice.
“Tyce is an intelligent kid and a smart hockey player, so I didn’t have to instill much in him hockey wise,” Tage said, “but I was able to give him a heads-up and prepare him for the United States Hockey League (where Tage played one campaign with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team and Tyce played one-plus seasons for the Dubuque Fighting Saints) and college since I had gone through those before him.”
Each of Tage’s and Tyce’s support systems doesn’t end with his brother and dad. Their mother, Kim, also has played a vital role.
“Our mom made the biggest sacrifice out of all of us,” Tage said. “Being a hockey mom isn’t an easy job, especially when you have more than one kid — different practice times, different rinks, different tournaments in different states. Our dad was on the road a lot, whether he was coaching or playing, so she was always scrambling and running around to different places for practices and games, driving three-plus hours every weekend. My brother and I owe her a lot. There’s no question that we wouldn’t be where we are today without her.”
Said Tyce: “She’s a hockey mom, so she was the one doing all the travel, taking us to games, being with us during the long weekends in all those hotels. And whenever we broke sticks, she bought us new ones. She got us skates. Trying to juggle me and my brother playing at the same time, I’m very thankful for everything she’s done. My brother and I both are.”
The Thompsons’ sacrifice and hard work have paid off for all of them. And no one is prouder of each other than their fellow family members.
