Hockey great Ted Nolan, with sons Brandon and Jordan Nolan, are in the Sault this weekend hosting their Three Nolans hockey school for approximately 70 Indigenous children and teens from Garden River First Nation, Batchewana First Nation and Sault Ste. Marie at the John Rhodes Community Centre.
The three have hosted their Three Nolans hockey schools across the country since 2013, this weekend marking the third consecutive year the event has been held in the Sault.
“The reason we do it is because when I was growing up in Garden River there weren’t too many programs for us,” Ted Nolan told SooToday at the Rhodes Centre Saturday.
“It was hard to get involved in sports because nobody seemed to come to our communities with programs and I remember what that was like. So we’re here to show the kids that we’re just like they are, born and raised in a small community and yet we played with the best people in the world. We want to show them that the things we’ve chosen to do in life, they can do also.”
Ted Nolan was a recent guest on our Inside the Village podcast, where he spoke in depth about his upbringing and his years a successful player and coach. You can watch the full interview HERE.
The Nolans urge youngsters to be healthy, work hard, dream big and achieve success in on ice and off ice careers.
“It’s about the importance of physical health, mental health, education and being a good citizen. It’s good to see the smiles on their faces, get them off the computer for a while, give them some exercise and talk to them about the importance of education and good health,” Ted said.
Males and females in three different age categories ranging from seven years old to 15 years old were shown how to perfect their skating, passing and shooting skills.
The Three Nolans school began Friday, continued Saturday and will finish with a 45-minute game Sunday with prizes to be awarded and photographs taken.
“It’s amazing. We’ve been doing this since 2013 with First Nations communities and working with Indigenous youth and inspiring them to have big dreams and goals. It’s about connecting with them on and off the ice, letting them know our stories and inspiring them to not just play hockey but also to be respectful, treating your teammates properly, being a good person and being a good citizen in your community,” Brandon said.
“We want to give back to our communities and be positive role models. Lots of our kids need positive role models and a bit of leadership and need to know they can do whatever they dream of. We talk about our careers and our ups and downs, about how my brother went back to school when his career finished and about how I’ve got my firefighter training so it’s not all about hockey, it’s about working hard and doing what you want to do. I show them my Stanley Cup rings but also talk about the importance of schooling,” Jordan said.
The Nolans voiced their appreciation for help given by Chris Morettin and Roy Billingsley of Garden River First Nation’s GR Recreation Centre in organizing this weekend’s hockey school at the Rhodes Centre.
“We’re just trying to have some fun with the kids in the communities we feel close to,” Ted said.
“We’re not trying to create the next Jordan Nolan or Sidney Crosby. We just want these kids to get out and have some fun with their friends and for us to share our stories because we’re from the same small communities as these kids, teaching them about hard work and being good people. We tell them if you want to be a hockey player, an actor or a doctor it takes a lot of hard work and commitment.”
Ted Nolan, born and raised in Garden River First Nation, played for the Soo Greyhounds from 1976 to 1978, later playing with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. A serious back injury cut his career short but he returned to the Sault to coach the Greyhounds to their Memorial Cup win in 1993. He later coached the NHL’s Hartford Whalers, Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders, awarded the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year as Buffalo coach after the 1996-97 season. He later led the Latvian Men’s National Ice Hockey Team to the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
He now resides in St. Davids in the Niagara Region.
Brandon Nolan played in the OHL with the Oshawa Generals for three seasons and went on to play professional hockey for five years for the Manitoba Moose (AHL), Columbia Inferno (ECHL), Vaxjo Lakers (Swedish League), Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL), Albany River Rats (AHL), and the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL). He suffered a serious concussion during a game in the AHL and was forced to retire from the game. He enrolled at Durham College and earned a diploma in Business Administration, specializing in marketing.
He lives in Whitby, Ontario.
Jordan Nolan played with OHL’s Erie Otters, Windsor Spitfires and the Soo Greyhounds before going on to the NHL, where he played for three Stanley Cup-winning teams - the LA Kings (2012 and 2014) and St. Louis Blues (2019).
“I felt grateful and very fortunate (about the three Stanley Cups),” Jordan said.
He now lives in Windsor and still works for the LA Kings in a community relations capacity and is now a trained firefighter.
Brandon and Jordan have appeared on Shoresy, a Canadian television hockey comedy series.
“We got asked to be on the show a couple of years ago and it was a really good fit. It’s an amazing show with a lot of Indigenous representation. The creators of the show and the cast are amazing. It’s been a really good experience,” Brandon said.
Father Ted is still loving hockey.
“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun,” he smiled.
“You learn a lot through sports. I just think sports teaches you so much. I’ve been blessed with hockey. I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends through hockey. I’ve gotten to see the world through hockey. Both my boys played hockey. Hockey’s a big part of my life and it’s taught us a lot of skills and lessons, number one being that you have to work. People sometimes look and say ‘he’s been lucky.’ I don’t know about luck but I certainly know about hard work and if you work hard anything can happen. Jordan brought three Stanley Cups home but he worked hard for them.”
“I’m proud of my boys. They’re good citizens,” Nolan said.