HERSHEY, PA. — Brent Thompson returned behind the Hershey Bears’ bench against the Utica Comets on Wednesday, rejoining the team after a six-day leave of absence. The 55-year-old assistant coach re-took command of the team’s defense corps from NHL legend Brooks Orpik, who filled in for Thompson during two Bears games against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
The Bears coach, a Canadian-born former NHL defenseman and Hershey Bears captain, left the team to watch his son Tage Thompson, a superstar forward for the Buffalo Sabres, play for Team USA in the Olympics and win gold for the first time in his career.
“I can’t thank the Washington Capitals, the Hershey Bears [enough], just kind of encouraging me and telling me to go to the medal rounds and having that opportunity to be able to see my son play in the Olympics and be part of that group and see how hard they played,” Thompson said. “It was a special, special moment. Words can’t say enough how I really felt.”
Speaking to local television reporters and RMNB on Wednesday after the Bears’ morning skate, Thompson revealed that he left the Bears the afternoon of Thursday, February 19, taking a whirlwind 8-hour direct flight from New York City to Milan, at the urging of management and head coach Derek King. He flew over the Atlantic Ocean and through six time zones before landing in Italy.
“[I left] the day before the semifinal game,” Thompson said. “I got in a car. We went to JFK. Got on the plane. Flew through the night. Got in around 11 o’clock Milan time (5 am ET). [Team USA] played that evening. So went and had a bite to eat. Went to the game. Watched the game. Still screwed up on the time. Watched [the Bears’] game. The first Lehigh Valley game (on Friday night). Then, kind of booted up the next day or rested the next day.
“It was a whirlwind, but well, well worth it.”
Sitting in the crowd with his wife, Kim, Thompson watched Team USA play against Slovakia on Friday, February 20, for the right to play in the Gold Medal Game. Thompson didn’t have to wait long to see his son get on the scoresheet. Four minutes and 19 seconds into the first period, Tage earned the secondary assist on a Dylan Larkin goal. Then, with 41 seconds remaining in the frame, Tage scored a power-play goal, putting the Americans up 2-0.
Tage Thompson goal against Slovakia
“Oh, my gosh. Quite honestly, I almost came to tears,” Thompson said of seeing his son score right in front of him on the biggest stage in hockey. “The first shift of the game, I know that I remember a lot of the game, the details in the game, the speed. He came out on the second shift, he came in, bumped it back to Werenski, Werenski to Larkin, Larkin on the score.
“Then fast forward through the course of the first period, it was some really good shifts. Then they got the power-play opportunity. When Eichel rolled up, he kicked out onto his typical little flank side and unloaded. I was very excited and proud, whatever word you want to use, happy, to see him rewarded with a goal.”
The United States would go on to win 6-3.
Despite a busy schedule with the Bears, Thompson had seen his son’s prior goals in the tournament live as well. Tage scored against Latvia in the Americans’ first group game on February 12 and against Germany in their third group game on February 15.
“I was on the bus when he scored another one and watching from here with our group where he scored another one,” Thompson said. “So every time he scores, I feel like he’s blessed. And I feel great for him. I’m happy for him. And I’m excited. It’s something I couldn’t do (in my career).”
With their victory against Slovakia, the United States earned a rematch with Team Canada from the 4 Nations Face-Off, where Connor McDavid scored the Golden Goal in the tournament’s championship game a year prior. After finally getting some time to rest — “I don’t sleep very well on buses or planes” — he returned to a sold-out 15,000-seat Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena to see the two hockey titans, and some of the most talented players in NHL history, compete against each other.
“To watch the game, to see it, the speed, the execution, attacking the net, defending, it was fun to watch,” Thompson said. “I mean, that could have been one of the best games I’ve ever seen.”
Matt Boldy opened the scoring six minutes into the game, chipping and juggling the puck into open space before beating goaltender Jordan Binnington on a breakaway. With 1:44 remaining, Team Canada defenseman Cale Makar tied the game 1-1 after blasting home a shot past Connor Hellebuyck.
“You’re sitting in the crowd watching it, and you’re stressed,” Thompson said. “I probably was more stressed watching that game than I was ever in any of my playing days. It was intense.”
After a scoreless third period, the game went to three-on-three overtime, where Jack Hughes won it. The New Jersey Devils star sent a shot from the left circle past Binnington, giving the USA an upset victory.
Jack Hughes’ Golden Goal in overtime
“Obviously, the overtime goal when Hughes buried it, it was quite an exciting moment,” Thompson said. “I remember my wife, and I jumped up and screamed, and it was exciting.”
The Olympic gold medal win was the American men’s first in 46 years since the ‘Miracle on Ice’ team.
“It’s surreal,” Thompson said. “Quite honestly, you can’t believe it. I sit there, I remember looking at my wife, going, ‘My son, our son is an Olympian.’ Those are things you dream about when you’re a little kid. And I remember where I was in the 1980 Olympics. I was actually watching, cheering for U.S., even though I’m Canadian, I was cheering for U.S. to beat the Russians in that Miracle Game. And so you go all the way back to that, and then you put things in perspective, and you’re like, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’ It was surreal to see your son be able to perform with a group of fantastic guys. I mean, that group, that team is pretty special.”
As the players celebrated, Auston Matthews, Zach Werenski, and Matthew Tkachuk skated a Johnny Gaudreau jersey around the rink. The team also included Gaudreau’s children in the team photo.
“I feel there was a lot of emotion there,” Thompson said. “You see Johnny’s parents, the family was there. So it was definitely an emotional moment, and it was pretty special to see him because you know he would have been on that team and he would have been a big part of it. And he was.”
After the United States finished celebrating on the ice and inside the locker room, the family reunited with Tage. That’s where one of Thompson’s most memorable experiences of his hockey career occurred.
“I got to wear the medal,” Thompson said. “My wife had the gold medal on, I had the gold medal on, my sister-in-law had the gold medal on. We were all hugging all the time. It was quite an experience.”
Team USA celebrated through the night and into the next day. Though the Thompsons’ travel plans began to become a nightmare with a blizzard hitting the East Coast of the United States.
“All the flights got canceled,” Thompson said. “Tage arranged for me to get on the [Team USA] flight, so I went all the way to Miami after my JFK flight got canceled. Then navigated my way back to Hershey here. I got in around three in the morning [Tuesday morning].”
He then watched from afar as his son partied in Miami with the rest of the team and then flew to Washington, DC, to be honored at the White House and President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address.
“The experience of meeting, going to the White House, and meeting the president,” Thompson said. “Just that whole experience has been so special for him. And I know he’s been extremely grateful for it and excited and loved being part of that group.”
The moment was, in some ways, a full-circle moment for Thompson because both of his sons, Tage and Tyce, began their climbs in hockey as kids in Hershey while he played professionally.
“Hershey was the first time both my kids were in organized hockey,” Thompson said. “You know Tyce was a junior bear and honorary mascot, and then Tage, he was a junior bear over that little tiny rink right outside the old facility there.
“This was a fun place for our family to be,” he added. “We loved our time here. Kids loved their time here. It was a perfect time frame for them to be here. Young Hershey Park, chocolate, and then the hockey, the youth hockey was fantastic as far as learning to play and the development of that.”
In the end, Thompson was most grateful for how much the Bears supported him so he could live out a dream as a father.
“I mean, honestly, I can’t say thanks enough to the Bears, the entire organization, Washington, management, Kinger in particular, like just saying, ‘You got to go. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance,'” Thompson said. “To be able to be part of it just as a spectator, as a family, was so cool that we were all there together. And, you know, I really, really appreciate it. And hopefully, you know, that little winning buzz maybe can come back and we can start putting something together here.”
