I've been reading Ted Nolan's memoir (well, listening to the audiobook) and some of the stories he tells are just unbelievable. It's no secret that hockey players are overwhelmingly rich white kids; meanwhile, Ted grew up on a First Nations reservation without running water or electricity. He talks about pouring water from the pond onto his front lawn, a bucket at a time, to form a backyard rink for himself and wearing skates so big on him he had to wear his boots inside them. It's amazing anyone could come from where he came from and be a Jack Adams-winning coach. What an under-appreciated figure in our team's history. What an amazing story.
If you have spotify premium the audiobook is included in your subscription; give it a listen on your way to work if you want to hear thoughtful stories from a great former Sabre.
4 comments
Seeing this, i can really tell that one Jim from Shoresy is his son. Looks so much like him.
Thanks for recommending this to me! I’m so thankful the audiobook is included in my Spotify subscription.
I watched the mini TSN documentary about him and the racism and prejudice he faced as a player and a coach. I’m fascinated by his story.
“Red Ted” 😂 you’re bad grammar looks like a racial slur
As someone who grew up literally right beside the reservation where he grew up, it used to suck there. Everything was a shack without proper insulation inside. It’s now a fantastic reservation. It sucks that it happened, but now it’s basically a functioning village that is 5 minutes away from an urban centre. So anyone reading or listening to this, it’s not the same as it was.