This past week my husband and I spent a wonderfully informative evening with Woodstock Public Library’s and Oxford County Library’s joint interview of Ted Nolan. The show was sold out and rightfully so as the two interviewers had put a lot of thought into their questions and posed them with wonder, kindness and a profound respect for Ted and his hockey career in their voices.

Sarah Acchione and Chris McMillan were well prepared for their roles interviewing Ted and I liked that their questions had not been shown to Ted ahead of time. Seeing his emotions throughout the interview was quite meaningful and gave an extra punch to their words. Ted answered honestly, telling about all the prejudice he suffered as a First Nations man breaking into the hockey world. We humans can be quite awful to one another, often for no reason other than generations of past abuse.

The full house at Theatre Woodstock where the event was held showed the high esteem which Ted Nolan elicits today. Sadly I’m sure there are still many who judge him (and many others) by the colour of their skin and by their ethnic background.

If you haven’t yet read Ted’s book, Life in Two Worlds: A Coach’s Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back, this is the time to pick up a copy. I am not a hockey fan but I loved this book. Here is the review I posted on Goodreads a few weeks ago.

Book Review by Elaine Cougler

Life in Two Worlds: A Coach’s Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back.

I had this book on reserve at the library for so long that when my name came up I couldn’t remember why I’d requested Life in Two Worlds or even that I had. Nevertheless I picked up the book and trusted that it would be good. What a great decision that was.

Ted Nolan’s story and the way he tells it really caught my attention. It gives an inside view into Nolan’s loving family growing up short on money but long on love and portrays how life on the reserve in Canada can be. Those of us not in that First Nations culture don’t know much about that life and this was a chance for me to learn of it. Ted was in a large family which I, too, experienced so that was another point of interest and connection.

The prejudice and downright cruelty which the man has experienced all his life shames all of us but Nolan doesn’t dwell on that in a hateful way. Rather he expresses the pain those things cause and shows how his parents’ love and kindness affected his family. He also is quite specific on the prejudice he experienced in his hockey career from teammates, coaches and team owners. The media was sometimes part of that, too. One wonders at the strength it takes to overcome that kind of cruelty but overcome it he did.

For an informative and searing look into the hockey world, both amateur and all the way to the NHL, this coach’s journey should be a must read for all of us. Well done, Ted Nolan!