Like father, like son even after being separated for close to 30 years.

When Christian Brekken stepped off the plane at Whitehorse International Airport shortly after midnight last Sunday, he saw his father for the first time since he was just 2 1/2 weeks old.

Christian, along with his mother, Solvaar Brekken, and his aunt and uncle were greeted by his father, long-time Dawson City resident Craig Dunham.

'It was emotional. We hugged for at least two minutes,' said Dunham, still riding an 'emotional rollercoaster' as he sat next to his son in the lounge of the Yukon Inn on Monday afternoon.

In the 1970s, Dunham, then 19, left the world of Junior B hockey in Elliot Lake, Ont., to move to the professional league in Norway, where he became the first foreign player in the European league.

It was during his hockey days in Norway that Dunham and Solvaar met.

On July 26, 1976, Christian was born, but only a couple of weeks later Dunham had to leave the country.

He went to Scotland, where he worked for the same oil company he was working for during the off-season in Norway.

'It was a real bummer,' Dunham said about leaving his young son behind.

Growing up, Christian said he learned to deal fairly well with having a single parent. When he was around six, however, he asked his mom why he didn't have a dad like other kids did. It was then that Solvaar told him what had happened to his father.

There were times he wished he had his dad there, but overall, Christian said, he learned to deal with it.

Seeing the man his son has become, Dunham praised Solvaar.

'She's raised such a fine man,' he said.

It wasn't until Christian was 18 that he and Dunham spoke for the first time after the phone rang in the middle of the night. Solvaar handed it to him and told him there was someone who wanted to talk to him.

'It was very unreal,' Christian said.

Dunham had tracked down his son (after Christian and Solvaar had moved) through a friend who still lived in Norway. After that, the calls from his dad became more regular.

'I just took it as it came,' he said.

It was last Christmas that Christian and Solvaar began talking about coming to Canada so he could meet his dad.

'It was the right time,' he said.

Both Christian and Dunham are hoping they'll get to know one another over the next two weeks before the family heads back to Norway.

Just looking at Christian is like looking in the mirror of when he was the same age, said Dunham.

It's not only looks that seem to have been inherited. A love of sports and a knack for coaching are also among the list of similarities between the two.

An avid soccer player, Brekken has started coaching 16- and 17-year-old players in Norway just as his dad had coached young hockey players years ago.

'It's like being 16 or 17 again,' he said.

And while Dunham might have to look at old newspaper articles to recall his stats when he played for the Stavanger Oilers, it takes Christian just a couple of minutes to rhyme them off from memory:

• Games played: 20;

• Goals: 22

• Assists: 14; and

• Points: 36.

Just like the Edmonton-based NHL team, the Norway Oilers made it to the final before they lost the title for the season.

Dunham said he just wishes his son and the rest of the family could be here longer.

Already, the two weeks are fairly packed with visiting, a canoe trip and events like this weekend's Dawson City Music Festival, where they'll watch Dunham perform with the Weed Wackers.

And there's also a big bash planned for Christian's big 3-0, the first birthday party Dunham will have for his son.

'I'd rather be 20,' Christian said with a laugh.

Already Dunham is planning his own trip to Norway for the next visit.