Summerside - Paul Dupuis came to Summerside to see his son play hockey - and landed himself in the ER. Not to worry though, his health is fine.
The doctor from Thunder Bay, Ont., has been covering some shifts at Prince County Hospital.
"I'm working four shifts at the hospital and catching three hockey games," Dr. Dupuis said of his trip.
Son Alex is the No. 1 goalie with the Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior 'A' Hockey League.
So far, Dupuis has seen him in two come-from-behind victories at Credit Union Place: a 3-2 shootout win over the Dieppe Commandos and a 6-5 sudden-death overtime victory against the Miramichi Timberwolves.
"I could do with a little less excitement," admitted Dupuis, chatting at the rink.
Even a doctor accustomed to the stress of an emergency room can find it tough to watch his son on the ice.
"This is what my son loves doing," Dupuis explained. "As a parent, you want to see him be successful. So yeah, it's tough."
Dupuis has visited the Island before. His brother Mark once lived in Cornwall and has a cottage down East. Dr. Dupuis also saw Alex in action when he played with the Charlottetown Abbies.
He got the idea to explore the prospect of working here after Alex got picked up by the Capitals. He noticed a news item on the Journal Pioneer website about an area ER closing temporarily due to a staff shortage. He contacted Summerside's hospital to see about filling in during a visit. And now, with his licence to work in the province, he may well do it again.
"It's fun to meet new people and work with new people and to see a different hospital," he explained. "What was I going to do in between game days?"
Dupuis has also helped his son's team by checking out an injured player's hand. And he plans to take the road trip with the Capitals today when they head to Halifax.
"That's going to be a real treat, to have a doctor on board," said trainer Lawrence MacKinnon, who said it eases his mind to have a doctor's opinion when a player gets hurt.
Alex agreed it's great to have dad for a visit.
"I've been out of town the last couple of years and he hasn't really gotten a chance to see me play."
Alex doesn't typically take coaching from dad - even though dad still plays with a doctors' team.
Dr. Dupuis, who plays defence, said his talent never rivalled that of his son.
"He's right," Alex agreed, sharing a hearty laugh with his dad after one of his team's wins. "When he says that, he's right on the button!"
