by Garth Meyer
He knew they were there, to see him.
At Yost Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich., in early January, representatives of U.S. Hockey took seats to watch a game. They were putting an Olympic team together — no tryouts.
Michigan sophomore forward Brendan Brisson was who they were there to see.
“That weekend – he had a hell of a weekend,” said Nelson Emerson, Brisson’s youth coach for 10 years in El Segundo. “He performs big when he needs to.”
Days later, on Jan. 13, Brisson, of Manhattan Beach, was named to the U.S. Olympic team. He takes the ice for the Americans Thursday night in Beijing.
In a year of no NHL participation and no tryouts due to the pandemic, the U.S. men’s hockey team has gone back to basics, assembling a roster of predominantly college players – as it was in the era of Lake Placid 1980.
Brisson, the son of Pat and Kim Brisson of Manhattan Beach, played from age 5 to 16 in the L.A. Junior Kings hockey program. He went to Vista Mar High School as a freshman and sophomore before boarding his last two years at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn.
Pat is a top hockey agent, representing Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and is co-head of CAA hockey. Emerson is now the Director of Player Personnel for the L.A. Kings.
“He’s done great, we’re really proud of him,” Emerson said. “A hard-working kid and very talented. He had a very high skill-set and his work ethic was as good as anybody’s. He really took the time to perfect his craft.”
A sports management major at Michigan, Brisson, now 20, leads the Wolverines this season with 14 goals in 23 games.
He won a gold medal with the U.S. Junior team last year at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships in Alberta.
“You gotta be a good teammate, you gotta be coachable and you gotta be competitive. You need those three things,” said Nelson. “He realized that and it really helps him now.”
The U.S. plays China Thursday, broadcast on the USA Network at 5:10 p.m. U.S.A vs. Canada, a second preliminary game, is Friday at 8:10 p.m., also on the USA Network. ER
