Ted Nolan: Hall of Fame & Latvia Connection

The former head coach of the Latvian hockey team, Ted Nolan, was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

Nolan worked in Latvia from 2011 to 2014, leading the national team in three world championships and one Olympic Games. Nolan considers qualifying for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi one of the brightest episodes in his coaching career. “I have never seen anything like that in my life. In Latvia, people really love hockey. I believe that thanks to Sandis Ozoliņš, who returned to the national team that year, we won the ticket. This success is one of my most beautiful memories in sports,” said Nolan, who is now 67 years old. He also worked for six seasons in the NHL as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabers and the New York Islanders. In 1997, he was recognized as the league’s best coach, receiving the Jack Adams award.

The Canadian Sports Hall of Fame is located in Calgary, a 4,080 square meter building located on the grounds of Olympic Park. Almost 700 Canadian sports celebrities have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, including 127 hockey players, including men such as Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Phil Esposito and many others. Along with induction into the Hall of Fame, Canada’s highest sporting award, the Order of Sport, is awarded as an award. Nolan has been recognized not only for his work as a coach, but also for his charity and concern for First Nation (Native American) youth. Ted once, together with his sons Brandon and Jordan, who also played in the NHL, Jordan won the Stanley Cup twice, created the hockey academy “3Nolans”, which helps and supports young people and children. Nolan comes from the Ojibwe Indian tribe.