NHL player proud of Irish heritage

by Melissa Turtinen

Minnesota Wild wing, Owen Nolan, is one of very few Irishmen to ever play in the NHL.

He may not have spent much time growing up in Ireland, but maybe he’s got that to thank for his successful career in the National Hockey League.

Owen Nolan, born in Belfast but moved to Canada at a young age, is one of just a handful of Irishmen to ever play in the NHL.

“It’s kind of unique,” Nolan told the Irish Emigrant. “It’s not the number one sport in Ireland, but they do have a hockey team there. Growing up, especially when I came to Canada, I played soccer and baseball and it wasn’t until I was nine years old when I got my first pair of skates. It was from then on that I just loved hockey.”

The Irish-Canadian who lives in the U.S. was the first overall draft pick in the 1990 NHL entry draft by the Quebec Nordiques (the Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche). Now an alternate captain for the Minnesota Wild, he’s played on numerous teams throughout his career – including being the San Jose Sharks’ all-time leader in goals (206).

At age 37 he’s one of the oldest players still in the game – the average age of a forward is 27. He’s racked up penalty minutes, goals and injuries throughout his career, but he still plays a crucial role in the Wild’s success. Among active leaders he ranks 15th in games played, eighth in goals, fifth in power-play goals, 13th in points and fifth in penalty minutes.

“I used to be a good size in the NHL, but now I’m an average to small guy,” said the 6-foot-1-inch winger. “The kids coming in these days are so big. We’ve got two guys on our team that are 6’8” – I feel quite small beside them. Guys are a lot bigger, a lot stronger now and you’ve definitely got to be ready to play.”

He’s done a lot throughout his career. Nolan has played in five NHL All-Star games (1992, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002), including making one of the most memorable moments in all-star history. In the 1997 game – after scoring two goals – Nolan skated down on goaltender Dominik Hasek and called his shot, for a hat trick.

“That was nothing planned,” Nolan said. “It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. I had two goals already and it was in front of the home town crowd. It’s something that happened and I'm fortunate that it worked out or I would have looked pretty foolish.”

He contributed to Team Canada’s Gold Medal win at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City – he tallied three assists and led the tournament in face-off winning percentage (79%), but he’s still missing the one thing every NHLer strives to win – the Stanley Cup.

He was close, too, back in the 1995-96 season after the Nordiques moved to Colorado he was traded mid-season to San Jose. The Colorado Avalanche went on to win the Stanley Cup, as he led the Sharks in goals (29), assists (32), points (61) and power-play goals (12).

“We all play the game to win the Stanley Cup and I haven’t had the chance to win it yet. It’s one of the big reasons that keeps me going so long in my career is the opportunity to win it,” Nolan said.

Nolan began his hockey career later than most in Canada.

“I can remember it like it happened yesterday,” Nolan said. “I went outside one winter day and went down the street to find my friends and they were on a pond out back skating around and playing hockey. I had no skates but I enjoyed running around there on my shoes and what not. My mom ended up getting me a pair of skates and I absolutely fell in love with the game from there.”

Besides playing hockey, Nolan hunts, fishes and spends time with his wife and two children. He also co-owns two pubs – the Britannia Arms – around the San Jose, Calif. area.

Nolan has a lot of relatives that still live in Ireland, but he hasn’t been back to Ireland since he was young due to the amount of traveling he does during the hockey season.

“I feel very Irish,” Nolan said. “When I’m done playing I will definitely go back [to Ireland] and spend a lot of time.”