EDITOR’S NOTE: This story incorrectly named one of the players as Justin Dupoint. The name has since been corrected to say Landon Dupont. We regret the error.
Micki Dupont did it as a player, now he’s doing it as a dad.
Dupont played in the first ever Brick Invitational Tournament in 1990. Now, his son, Landon, will suit up for Team Brick Alberta in the 30th edition of the event, which starts Monday at West Edmonton Mall.
“Now it has the history built up, and the kids have that goal from the age of seven. They have that goal to play in The Brick Tournament,” said Dupont.
Dupont, who is from Calgary, went on to play 23 NHL games and suited in Europe for 14 seasons. He’s not the only former pro to have a son on this year’s Team Brick.
“Every weekend that they practice, as a parent group, you’re in awe of how good these kids are, how smart they are, and how well they move the puck,” said former Oiler Fernando Pisani. His son, Jaxon, plays defence.
“Some of the moves that they do, it’s fun to watch as a dad.”
The 30th edition of the The Brick Invitational brings back a lot of memories for executive director Andy Wigston, who has been with it since day one.
“We came here 30 years ago and this rink didn’t have any players’ boxes, didn’t have a penalty box, didn’t have dressing rooms,” said Wigston. “We had to build all that stuff the first few years.”
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In 1990, it was a weekend tournament with eight teams. This year it features 14 teams playing at total of 47 games from July 1-7.
“It feels pretty good because it’s been my dream all my life,” said Team Brick forward Luke Ruptash.
“It’s really exciting. Not many kids in Alberta get to experience this,” said forward Ben Harvey.
Team Brick Alberta last won the tournament in 2009, which is when all of this year’s players were born. Their first game is Monday at 7:10 p.m. against Team Pennsylvania.
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