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Ted Nolan
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{{short description|Canadian Ojibwe ice hockey player}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}} {{Infobox ice hockey biography | name = Ted Nolan | image = Ted Nolan.jpg | caption = Ted Nolan at the 2006 NHL awards | image_size = 230px | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|4|7}} | birth_place = [[Garden River First Nation]], [[Ontario]], Canada | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 0 | weight_lb = 185 | position = [[Winger (ice hockey)|Left wing]] | shoots = Left | played_for = [[Detroit Red Wings]]<br />[[Pittsburgh Penguins]] | draft = 78th overall | draft_year = 1978 | draft_team = [[Detroit Red Wings]] | career_start = 1978 | career_end = 1986 }} '''Theodore John Nolan''' (born April 7, 1958) is an [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous Canadian]] former professional [[ice hockey]] player and coach. He played as a [[Winger (ice hockey)|left winger]] in the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) and served as the head coach for the [[Buffalo Sabres]] and the [[Latvia men's national ice hockey team|Latvia men's national team]] and [[Poland men's national ice hockey team|Poland men's national team]]. He played three seasons in the NHL for the [[Detroit Red Wings]] and [[Pittsburgh Penguins]]. He also coached the [[New York Islanders]], after serving as assistant coach for one season with the [[Hartford Whalers]]. On November 13, 2013, the Buffalo Sabres re-hired Nolan as interim head coach; he remained in the position until April 12, 2015. ==Playing career== He played [[Winger (ice hockey)|left-wing]] for the [[Ontario Hockey Association]]'s [[Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds]], the [[Kansas City Red Wings]] of the [[Central Professional Hockey League|Central Hockey League]], and the [[Adirondack Red Wings]], [[Rochester Americans]] and [[Baltimore Skipjacks]] of the [[American Hockey League]]. He also played for the [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] and the [[Detroit Red Wings]] of the [[National Hockey League]] from early to mid-1980s. ==Coaching career== ===Ontario Hockey League=== Nolan became [[head coach]] of the [[Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds]] in 1988, as a mid-season replacement and coached there until the end of the 1994 season. Nolan led the Greyhounds to the three consecutive [[Memorial Cup]] tournament berths, winning the Canadian national junior championship in 1993. ===Buffalo Sabres (1995β1997)=== Nolan was hired as an assistant coach by the [[Hartford Whalers]] prior to the [[1994β95 NHL season]]. After one season in Hartford, he accepted the position of head coach with the NHL's [[Buffalo Sabres]]. In his second season in Buffalo, he led the team to the Northeast Division title and was awarded the [[Jack Adams Award]] as the league's top coach. His relationships with all-star goaltender [[Dominik HaΕ‘ek]] and general manager [[John Muckler]], however, were strained. HaΕ‘ek, who sided with Muckler, stated in an interview during 1997 NHL Awards Ceremony that "it would be better for me if he (Nolan) did not return." Muckler, who had just been voted the NHL's 1996β97 Executive of the Year, was the first casualty of this toxic situation and was fired prior to the 1997β98 season. New general manager [[Darcy Regier]] was given the option of choosing his own coach. Rather than fire Nolan, whose two-year contract had just expired, Regier offered him a one-year extension, reportedly for $500,000. After winning Coach of the Year honors, Nolan found the offer insulting and rejected it. Regier subsequently pulled the contract off the table and hired [[Lindy Ruff]] as the Sabres' new head coach. ===Post-Sabres career=== Following his departure from Buffalo, Nolan was offered NHL coaching jobs in 1997 by the [[Tampa Bay Lightning]] (head coach) and in 1998 by the [[New York Islanders]] (assistant coach). Nolan declined both offers. Nolan was not offered an NHL coaching job again until May 2006, a span of eight years, with reports of his role in the firing of Sabres' GM [[John Muckler]] being the reason no team would hire him.<ref name="theglobeandmail.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/shoalts-nolans-future-is-uncertain-in-the-wake-of-lafontaines-departure/article17255427/|title=Shoalts: Nolan's future is uncertain in the wake of LaFontaine's departure|work=The Globe and Mail|date=3 March 2014|access-date=13 April 2015|last1=Shoalts|first1=David}}</ref> On December 16, 2005, Nolan was the victim of racial harassment during a Wildcats road game against the [[Chicoutimi SaguenΓ©ens]]. Fans in the stands shouted racial slurs at him and directed gestures such as the "tomahawk chop" and shooting a bow and arrow towards him as he stood behind the Moncton bench. The incident, he said later, left him shaking with anger and humiliation. The fans' behavior was condemned both by the QMJHL commissioner and SaguenΓ©ens management, the latter of which issued a formal apology to Nolan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ted Nolan given apology for QMJHL incident |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/ted-nolan-given-apology-for-qmjhl-incident-1.547640 |website=cbc.ca |publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |access-date=21 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=SaguenΓ©ens apologize to Nolan for fans' racism |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/sagueneens-apologize-to-nolan-for-fans-racism/article18255568/ |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=20 December 2005 |publisher=[[The Canadian Press]] |access-date=21 December 2023}}</ref> Nolan's Wildcats reached the 2006 Memorial Cup final only to lose to the [[Quebec Remparts]]. ===New York Islanders (2006β2008)=== On June 8, 2006, [[New York Islanders]]' owner [[Charles Wang]] dismissed interim coach [[Brad Shaw]] and announced the hiring of Nolan as the team's new head coach. ''[[New York Post]]'' hockey columnist Larry Brooks quickly criticized Wang for hiring Nolan at the same time as new general manager [[Neil Smith (ice hockey)|Neil Smith]], rather than allowing Smith to hire a coach of his own choosing.<ref>[http://www.nypost.com/sports/isle_handle_it_sports_larry_brooks.htm ISLE HANDLE IT] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615065028/http://www.nypost.com/sports/isle_handle_it_sports_larry_brooks.htm |date=2006-06-15}}, [[New York Post]] June 11, 2006</ref> In his first season with the Islanders in 2006β07, he led the team to a 92-point season and its first playoff berth since 2003β04. On April 20, 2007, Nolan's Islanders fell in five games to his former team, the top-seeded [[Buffalo Sabres]]. In his second season, Nolan led the Islanders to a record of 35β38β9 for 79 points. On July 14, 2008, he was fired by then-Islanders' general manager [[Garth Snow]]. ===Rochester Americans (2009β2011)=== On July 2, 2009, Nolan agreed to a one-year contract with the [[Rochester Americans]] to become their Vice President of Hockey Operations. He remained with the team through 2011, when the team was sold to [[Terrence Pegula]]. ===Latvia men's national team (2011β2013)=== On August 3, 2011, [[Latvian Ice Hockey Federation]] announced that Nolan agreed to become the head coach of [[Latvia men's national ice hockey team]].<ref>{{cite web| title = LHF apstiprina Latvijas izlases vecΔko treneri| publisher = Latvian Ice Hockey Federation| date = 2011-08-03| url = http://www.lhf.lv/latvijas_izlases/03082011-lhf_apstiprina_latvijas_izlases_vecako_tr|language=lv-LV| access-date= 2011-08-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=585672#&navid=nhl-search|title=Former Jack Adams winner Ted Nolan hired to coach Latvian national team|last=The Canadian Press|date=3 August 2011|publisher=NHL.com|access-date=5 August 2011}}</ref> He coached Latvia at the [[2012 IIHF World Championship|2012]] and [[2013 IIHF World Championship|2013]] IIHF World Championships, finishing 10th and 11th respectively. In 2013, Latvia [[Ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics β Men's qualification|qualified]] for the [[Ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics|2014 Winter Olympics]] with Nolan behind the bench. At the Winter Olympics, Latvia finished last in its group during the round robin tournament. They then upset favoured Switzerland in the qualification playoffs 3β1. Advancing to the quarterfinals, Latvia lost a hard-fought match to defending Olympic champions [[Canada men's national ice hockey team|Canada]] 2β1. It was Latvia's best-ever Olympic result as they finished eighth overall.<ref name="theglobeandmail.com"/> ===Return to Buffalo (2013β2015)=== On November 13, 2013, Nolan returned to the Buffalo Sabres, being named the interim head coach following the firing of both head coach [[Ron Rolston]] and general manager Darcy Regier. Nolan was hired by [[Pat LaFontaine]], who had also joined the team as president of hockey operations before resigning three months later.<ref name="theglobeandmail.com"/> Despite a relatively poor on-ice record, [[Tim Murray (ice hockey, born 1963)|Tim Murray]], Regier's replacement as general manager, expressed interest in keeping Nolan as permanent head coach. Nolan signed a three-year contract extension on March 31, 2014. However, on April 12, 2015, Murray fired Nolan and his assistants, citing a last place finish and a "decent" but not "great" working relationship with Nolan.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/former-sabres-coach-ted-nolan-and-gm-tim-murray-never-meshed/ | title=Former Sabres coach Ted Nolan and GM Tim Murray never meshed - Buffalo Hockey Beat | date=13 April 2015 }}</ref> ===Poland men's national team (2017β2018)=== Nolan started coaching [[Poland men's national ice hockey team|the Polish national team]] in 2017. The team played in the [[2018 IIHF World Championship Division I|2018 IIHF World Championship Division I A]] and were relegated to Division I B. He resigned shortly thereafter. ==Personal life== Nolan and his wife have two sons who played in the NHL, [[Brandon Nolan|Brandon]] and [[Jordan Nolan|Jordan]]. Nolan is a member of the [[Ojibwe]] Nation, a [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] people. He was raised with 11 siblings in poverty on the Garden River reserve near [[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario]]. The house had no electricity or running water. At age 14 his father, Stan, died of heart failure, and his mother, Rose, was killed by a drunk driver when he was 24.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/persevering-ted-nolan-is-making-a-difference/article1328024/?page=all/| title = Persevering Ted Nolan is making a difference - The Globe and Mail| website = [[The Globe and Mail]]| date = 8 December 2007| last1 = MacGregor| first1 = Roy}}</ref> == Philanthropy == {{Independent sources|section|date=March 2025}} The Ted Nolan Foundation was established by Nolan in 2004. The foundation is dedicated to supporting the educational and athletic aspirations of female First Nations students through the Rose Nolan Memorial Scholarship. Named in honour of his mother, the scholarship provides $5,000 annually to recipients who demonstrate academic achievement, athletic involvement, and strong community engagement.[''[[Wikipedia:Citations needed|citation needed]]''] 3|NOLANS First Nation Hockey School was founded in 2013 by Nolan, alongside his sons. This initiative offers a five-day ice hockey skills camp aimed at boys and girls aged 7 to 15. The program focuses on enhancing hockey abilities among First Nations youth and emphasizes the importance of active, healthy living. Beyond sports skills, the camp encourages participants to become positive role models in their communities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ted Nolan β Three Nolans |url=http://3nolans.com/ted-nolan/}}</ref> ==Awards and honours== Nolan was chosen as a role model in the national Native alcohol drug and abuse program in 1986. Nolan was also chosen for the Kiwanis Citizen of the year in 1991, and is an active member of the Aboriginal community.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://indspire.ca/laureate/ted-nolan-2/ |title=Ted Nolan |website=Indspire|date=20 November 2014 }}</ref> * [[Jack Adams Award]] winner β [[1996β97 NHL season|1996β97]]<ref>{{cite web | title = Legends of Hockey β NHL Player Search β Player β Ted Nolan | url = http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13859 | publisher = Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum | date = 2001β2008 | access-date = 2009-10-03}}</ref> * [[Indspire Awards|National Aboriginal Achievement Award]] β 1994<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indspire.ca/laureate/|title=Indspire Laureates|access-date=2016-07-17|publisher=Indspire|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323042245/https://indspire.ca/laureate/|archive-date=2016-03-23|url-status=live}}</ref> ==Career statistics== ===Regular season and playoffs=== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em;" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|[[Regular season]] ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|[[Playoffs]] |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! [[Season (sports)|Season]] ! Team ! League ! GP !! [[Goal (ice hockey)|G]] !! [[Assist (ice hockey)|A]] !! [[Point (ice hockey)|Pts]] !! [[Penalty (ice hockey)|PIM]] ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM |- | [[1975β76 MJHL season|1975β76]] | [[Kenora Muskies|Kenora Thistles]] | [[Manitoba Junior Hockey League|MJHL]] | 51 || 24 || 32 || 56 || 86 | β || β || β || β || β |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[1976β77 OMJHL season|1976β77]] | [[Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds]] | [[Ontario Hockey League|OMJHL]] | 60 || 8 || 16 || 24 || 109 | β || β || β || β || β |- | [[1977β78 OMJHL season|1977β78]] | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OMJHL | 66 || 14 || 30 || 44 || 106 | β || β || β || β || β |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[1978β79 CHL season|1978β79]] | [[Kansas City Red Wings]] | [[Central Professional Hockey League|CHL]] | 73 || 12 || 38 || 50 || 66 | 4 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 0 |- | [[1979β80 AHL season|1979β80]] | [[Adirondack Red Wings]] | [[American Hockey League|AHL]] | 75 || 16 || 24 || 40 || 106 | 5 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[1980β81 AHL season|1980β81]] | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 76 || 22 || 28 || 50 || 86 | 18 || 6 || 10 || 16 || 11 |- | [[1981β82 AHL season|1981β82]] | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 39 || 12 || 18 || 30 || 81 | β || β || β || β || β |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[1981β82 NHL season|1981β82]] | [[Detroit Red Wings]] | [[National Hockey League|NHL]] | 41 || 4 || 13 || 17 || 45 | β || β || β || β || β |- | [[1982β83 AHL season|1982β83]] | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 78 || 24 || 40 || 64 || 106 | 6 || 2 || 5 || 7 || 14 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[1983β84 AHL season|1983β84]] | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 31 || 10 || 16 || 26 || 76 | 7 || 2 || 3 || 5 || 18 |- | [[1983β84 NHL season|1983β84]] | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 19 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 26 | β || β || β || β || β |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[1984β85 AHL season|1984β85]] | [[Rochester Americans]] | AHL | 65 || 28 || 34 || 62 || 152 | 5 || 4 || 0 || 4 || 18 |- | [[1985β86 AHL season|1985β86]] | [[Baltimore Skipjacks]] | AHL | 10 || 4 || 4 || 8 || 19 | β || β || β || β || β |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[1985β86 NHL season|1985β86]] | [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] | NHL | 18 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 34 | β || β || β || β || β |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3"|NHL Totals ! 78 !! 6 !! 16 !! 22 !! 105 ! β !! β !! β !! β !! β |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3"|AHL Totals ! 374 !! 116 !! 164 !! 280 !! 626 ! 41 !! 14 !! 19 !! 33 !! 61 |} ==Head coaching record== ===NHL=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"|Year !! rowspan="2"|Team !! colspan="6"|[[Regular season]] !! colspan="4"|[[Playoffs|Postseason]] |- ! G !! W !! L !! OTL !! Pts !! Finish !! W !! L !! Win % !! Result |- ! [[1995β96 NHL season|1995β96]] !! [[Buffalo Sabres|BUF]] | 82 || 33 || 42 || 7 || 72 || 5th in [[Northeast Division (NHL)|Northeast]] || β || β || β || Missed playoffs |- ! [[1996β97 NHL season|1996β97]] !! BUF | 82 || 40 || 30 || 12 || 92 || 1st in Northeast || 5 || 7 || {{winpct|5|7}} || Lost in conference semifinals ([[Philadelphia Flyers|PHI]]) |- ! [[2006β07 NHL season|2006β07]] !! [[New York Islanders|NYI]] | 82 || 40 || 30 || 12 || 92 || 4th in [[Atlantic Division (NHL)|Atlantic]] || 1 || 4 || {{winpct|1|4}} || Lost in conference quarterfinals (BUF) |- ! [[2007β08 NHL season|2007β08]] !! NYI | 81 || 34 || 38 || 9 || 79 || 5th in Atlantic || β || β || β || Missed playoffs |- ! [[2013β14 NHL season|2013β14]] !! BUF | 62 || 17 || 36 || 9 || 43 || 8th in Atlantic || β || β || β || Missed playoffs |- ! [[2014β15 NHL season|2014β15]] !! BUF | 82 || 23 || 51 || 8 || 54 || 8th in Atlantic || β || β || β || Missed playoffs |- ! colspan="2"|NHL total !! 472 !! 188 !! 227 !! 57 !! !! !! 6 !! 11 !! {{winpct|6|11}} !! 2 playoff appearances |} ===Junior=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"|Year !! rowspan="2"|Team !! colspan="6"|[[Regular season]] !! colspan="4"|[[Playoffs|Postseason]] |- ! G !! W !! L !! OTL !! Pts !! Finish !! W !! L !! Win % !! Result |- ! [[1989β90 OHL season|1989β90]] !! [[Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds|SOO]] | 66 || 18 || 42 || 6 || 42 || 7th in Emms || β || β || β || Missed playoffs |- ! [[1990β91 OHL season|1990β91]] !! SOO | 66 || 42 || 21 || 3 || 87 || 1st in Emms || 12 || 2 || {{winpct|12|2}} || '''Won [[J. Ross Robertson Cup]]''' ([[Oshawa Generals|OSH]]) |- ! [[1991β92 OHL season|1991β92]] !! SOO | 66 || 41 || 19 || 6 || 88 || 1st in Emms || 12 || 7 || {{winpct|12|7}} || '''Won J. Ross Robertson Cup''' ([[North Bay Centennials|NBC]]) |- ! [[1992β93 OHL season|1992β93]] !! SOO | 66 || 38 || 23 || 5 || 81 || 1st in Emms || 9 || 5 || {{winpct|9|5}} || '''Won the [[1993 Memorial Cup|Memorial Cup]]''' ([[Peterborough Petes|PET]]) |- ! [[1993β94 OHL season|1993β94]] !! SOO | 66 || 35 || 24 || 7 || 71 || 2nd in Emms || 10 || 4 || {{winpct|10|4}} || Lost in semifinals ([[Detroit Junior Red Wings|DET]]) |- ! [[2005β06 QMJHL season|2005β06]] !! [[Moncton Wildcats|MON]] | 70 || 52 || 15 || 3 || 107 || 1st in Eastern || 16 || 5 || {{winpct|16|5}} || '''Won [[President's Cup (QMJHL)|President's Cup]]''' ([[Quebec Remparts|QUE]]) |} ==See also== * [[Notable Aboriginal people of Canada]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * {{Ice hockey stats}} {{Navboxes|list1= {{s-start}} {{succession box | before = [[John Muckler]] | title = [[List of Buffalo Sabres head coaches|Head coach of the Buffalo Sabres]] | years = 1995β97|after = [[Lindy Ruff]] }} {{succession box | before = [[Scotty Bowman]] | title=Winner of the [[Jack Adams Award]] | years = [[1996β97 NHL season|1997]] | after=[[Pat Burns]]}} {{succession box | before = [[Brad Shaw]] | title = [[List of New York Islanders head coaches|Head coach of the New York Islanders]]|years = 2006β08| after = [[Scott Gordon (ice hockey)|Scott Gordon]] }} {{s-bef|before=[[Ron Rolston]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of Buffalo Sabres head coaches|Head coach of the Buffalo Sabres]]|years=2013–15}} {{s-aft|after=[[Dan Bylsma]]}} {{s-end}} }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, Ted}} [[Category:1958 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Adirondack Red Wings players]] [[Category:Baltimore Skipjacks players]] [[Category:Buffalo Sabres coaches]] [[Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches]] [[Category:Canadian ice hockey left wingers]] [[Category:Detroit Red Wings draft picks]] [[Category:Detroit Red Wings players]] [[Category:First Nations sportspeople]] [[Category:Hartford Whalers coaches]] [[Category:Ice hockey people from Ontario]] [[Category:Indspire Awards]] [[Category:Jack Adams Award winners]] [[Category:Kansas City Red Wings players]] [[Category:Kenora Thistles (MJHL) players]] [[Category:Latvia men's national ice hockey team coaches]] [[Category:Members of the Order of Ontario]] [[Category:Moncton Wildcats coaches]] [[Category:New York Islanders coaches]] [[Category:Garden River First Nation people]] [[Category:People from Algoma District]] [[Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players]] [[Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States]] [[Category:Poland men's national ice hockey team coaches]] [[Category:Rochester Americans players]] [[Category:Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds coaches]] [[Category:Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds players]] [[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]
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