Photo (L to R): Brandon Nolan, Ted Nolan, Jordan Nolan

Ogimaawabiitong (Kenora Chiefs Advisory) sends a huge Miigwetch to Ted, Jordan, and Brandon Nolan of the 3|NOLANS First Nation Hockey School for taking the time to visit and share their journey of success with KCA staff and local students.

The three former NHL players of Garden River First Nation were invited to tour the KCA Youth and Family Wellness Camp’s property and outdoor rink by KCA’s member communities of Grassy Narrows First Nation and Wabaseemoong Independent Nation, as we all work to support and enhance hockey abilities among First Nation youth in northwestern Ontario.

Ted Nolan, a former NHL player in the early to mid-1980s, Head Coach of the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres, 1997 Jack Adams Award winner, 1994 winner of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, and President of the Ted Nolan Foundation, now travels alongside his sons and inspires youth across Canada to live healthy lives through the hockey school and his foundation.

Jordan, a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the LA Kings in 2012 and 2014 and with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, is now an actor and plays one of the three ‘Jims’ on Shoresy alongside his brother Brandon, who himself is a former draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, Durham College graduate, and the current Vice-President of the Ted Nolan Foundation.

The three Nolan’s joined Ogimaawabiitong staff on February 15 as staff highlighted the camp’s outdoor rink area, now in its second year of operation, and the need for additional hockey-related programming in Kenora and surrounding communities to help bring northwestern Ontario’s youth together.

“Our Youth and Family Wellness Camp offers a welcoming space for community members and non-community members of all ages to come together and experience cultural activities, educational programs, and sports initiatives,” says Ogimaawabiitong’s Serena Kenny.

“Sharing our ideas for the camp with the three Nolans was such a pleasure as they set out across Canada sharing their passion for hockey with First Nations youth,” she adds.

The Nolans were also able to tour the camp’s Equine program, before being introduced to Grade 3 to 6 students from King George Public School who were taking part in cultural activities in the Mess Hall, led by KCA’s Cultural Educator Jyles Copenace.

Ogimaawabiitong (KCA) sends a huge Miigwetch to the 3|NOLANS First Nation Hockey School for sharing their story with our staff and our youth, and to our member communities of Grassy Narrows First Nation and Wabaseemoong Independent Nation for inviting the Nolans to the KCA property.

The 3|NOLANS First Nation Hockey School was created in 2013 and offers a 5-day hockey skills camp for youth aged 7 to 15, focusing on enhancing hockey abilities among First Nation youth and emphasizes the importance of active, healthy living. The camp is offered in many First Nation communities across Ontario each year, and features Ted, Jordan, and Brandon Nolan.

P.S. – Ted Nolan played one season and 51 games for the 1975-1976 Kenora Thistles of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, scoring 24 goals and 32 assists for 56 points and 86 penalty minutes. Five years later, after stints in Sault Ste. Marie, Kansas City, and Adirondack, Nolan made his NHL debut with the Detroit Red Wings in 1981-82.

The KCA Youth and Family Wellness Camp provides 327 acres of open space, kilometres of beach and forest, access to water and a world of possibilities for children, youth and

This camp, owned, operated, and maintained by the 8 KCA member First Nations, serves as a new treatment, cultural, recreation, and reconciliation centre to address the multiple determinants of health and socioeconomic challenges in the communities.

The camp creates a safe but connected space for activities and programming to enhance strengths-based programming to support community members through the Anishinaabe culture. KCA’s goal is to have the strengths of their programs, staff and community members engage children & youth in social participation and resilience-building activities, in a way that allows communities to come together.