Monday, May 12, 2025

Hockey great Ted Nolan shares message of perseverance and respect with NNDSB students

Hockey legend Ted Nolan visited a large group of NNDSB students at West Ferris Secondary School auditorium to share stories from his book Life in Two Worlds: A Coach’s Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back and his message of hard work, perseverance, and respect.

Nolan was the third youngest of 12 children in Garden River First Nation near Sault Ste. Marie and lived in a house without plumbing or electricity. From those humble beginnings, he went on to play in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings. After a back injury ended his playing career at the age of 26, he coached the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders and Latvian national team. He also established the Ted Nolan Foundation, which provides scholarships to First Nation women across Canada and the 3NOLANS First Nation Hockey School with his sons Brandon and Jordan.

NNDSB students in the Grade 11 English Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Voices classes (NBE) studied Nolan’s book as part of the curriculum, and his visit was made possible as part of a collaboration between NNDSB, the Kinoomaadziwin Education Body (KEB) and Dokis First Nation.

Students from across the board attended the presentation both in person and virtually which included the Indigenous Youth Circle, NDE students from all Near North secondary schools, Nbisiing Secondary School students, Oshki Shkode students from Parry Sound High School, 7 Stones Learning Centre students and staff as well as Near North Sports students from West Ferris.

Nolan spoke to the assembled students about his life growing up in Garden River, his sports career and the challenges he faced as an Indigenous person. Afterward, he spent time answering students’ questions, taking photos and have one-on-one conversations.

Woven throughout his talk was a message of hard work and perseverance.

“The only thing we could control growing up was to work with what we had. We didn’t have too much but that didn’t make us give up. I kept that mentality my whole life. I didn’t have the best skates, I didn’t play in the best leagues but that didn’t stop me from being the best I could be,” Nolan said.

When asked why he devotes his time to speaking to and inspiring youth, Nolan said that there weren’t too many people in his community growing up that were giving a message of hope and he resolved to change that from an early age.

“I thought I would share my story with kids coming up behind me. Not how to be a professional athlete, just be a good human being, a good citizen. I recognized that from the beginning,” Nolan said. “I saw a lot of elders in our community who were a little down and out, maybe had a bad hand dealt to them, and things just didn’t work out. I wanted to find out why and how to overcome and get through some of the obstacles. It’s just passing out your knowledge to the next generation, so they become stronger and better.”

Almaguin Highlands Secondary School NBE teacher Courtney Berger said that Nolan’s book was a great tool for her students to connect to the broader themes of the class.

“Ted Nolan’s book was the entry point for this group of students. Ted’s perspective as an athlete written as a memoir, made the teachings accessible. It paired the students love for hockey while addressing some very important issues surrounding racism and discrimination in the world of professional sports, and well beyond,” Berger said. “His honest and authentic writing detailing his journey from the Sault Ste. Marie area to the NHL, and back, helped the students engage with the course in a meaningful way.”

Hayley, one of Berger’s NBE students, said Nolan “showed real emotion when sharing his experiences. I liked his messaging about the importance of hard work. He seems like the kind of coach who really cares about the well-being of his players.”

Northern Secondary teacher Nathan MacLean hopes Nolan’s visit will inspire his students.

“I hope that students will have a chance to recognize that no matter their circumstances, if they are true to themselves, trust those who are willing to help them and support them, that they can achieve success, whatever that may look like for them,” MacLean said.

“Class discussion is a big part of my group and brings about many great ideas and questions, so naturally we will discuss what we were able to learn from Mr. Nolan’s keynote. This will include both new learning, clarifications from his book as well the value of engaging in a live presentation from an author,” Maclean said.

The message that Nolan hopes students receive from his visit is a simple one:

“That we are all special human beings, whether your skin is brown or black or white it doesn’t really matter. It’s the spirit inside, we should all be treated with respect,” Nolan said. “Growing up as a First Nation person on reserve, I didn’t think I was any better than anyone else, but I didn’t think anyone outside the reserve was any better either. I think we are all God’s children, and we all deserve respect.”

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