Before going to the NFL, a 16-year-old Ted Nolan played for the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Kenora Thistles (Photo: courtesy Ted Nolan)
Ted Nolan conducts a youth hockey camp in northern Ontario (Photo: courtesy Ted Nolan)
Ted Nolan’s home on the Garden River First Nation reserve in northern Ontario didn’t have electricity or running water. But it did have a hockey rink in the backyard that Nolan built to satisfy his own passion to play. That passion grew into a successful hockey playing and coaching career that included a coach of the year trophy. In his book, “Life in Two Worlds: A Coach’s Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back,” Nolan recounts both pride in his Indigenous identity, and overt racism as he worked to excel in his sport.
Break 1 Music: Grateful Sun (song) Mike Bern (artist)
Break 2 music: Intertribal Song (song) Dakota Nation (artist) Home of the Champions (album)
