Nolan said he could relate to the Latvians because they have struggled and hardly anyone ever believed in them. Just as Ted Nolan once had it.
He grew up on the Garden River First Nation reserve near the Soo. It was a tough life of wood stove, no running water and precious little money. When he and brother Steve went out for minor hockey, the coach had to put them on different lines as the Nolans were so poor they had only one stick, one helmet and a single pair of gloves and the two brothers would have to hand off to each other each line change.
Nolan’s father died when Ted was only 14 and his mother, Rose, was later killed by a drunk driver. (The Ted Nolan Foundation hands out scholarships that send young First Nations women on to post-secondary education.) He believes in paying back and has long been a major voice in aboriginal circles.
He had to fight to make the NHL, fight to remain in the NHL, fight to become a coach the first time – winning the Jack Adams Trophy as NHL coach of the year with the Sabres back in 1996, gone a year later – and fight to get back into NHL with the long-dysfunctional Islanders, only to be fired after two seasons.
Much to his own surprise, he returned to the NHL last fall after a five-year absence when Buffalo ownership decided to make sweeping changes and brought in Pat LaFontaine to serve as president. LaFontaine, an old friend, offered Nolan the “interim” job until a proper general manager could be hired and the new GM would then be free to decide on a permanent coach. Last month LaFontaine hired Tim Murray from the Ottawa Senators to fill that management position and, eventually, decide on Nolan’s future.
One thing is for certain: if he doesn't have one in Buffalo, he most surely has one in Latvia.
As for his future plans for the Little Team that Almost Could: “I plan on coaching the World Championships this year.”
how nobody sees it.
