Scouting reports and interviews for a hockey tournament in the middle of the summer involving 10-year-old players? The Brick Tournament is over the top, says Ken Campbell.
If you watched The Brick Hockey Tournament last week, hope you enjoyed watching a handful of kids who will be in the NHL in eight years.
Steven Stamkos played in this tournament. So did Alex Pietrangelo, Mathew Barzal, Brayden Point and Tyler Seguin. In all, 346 players in 35 years have played at least a game in the NHL and also participated in this tournament.
It is live-streamed. There are scouting reports and post-game interviews. There is an All-Star Game featuring the best players in the tournament from Canada and USA. And these kids are 10 years old. Maybe they're having fun, and maybe the participants have no regrets, but the same kids who have trouble lugging their hockey bag into the rink and tying their own skates tightly enough are being professionalized by people who should know better.
Here are my thoughts: