Nolan's bridge to the past

By Jack Wilson

Jordan Nolan got an early start to his day with the Cup, picking it up at a hotel in Sault Ste. Marie (pronounced: Soo Saint Marie, or you if want to sound like a local, just call it "The Soo"), and driving it to his family's home in neighboring Garden River. The cup riding shotgun, wearing a seatbelt, in Nolan's pickup definitely provoked some double-takes from the other drivers on the road. After some quiet time at home, which included eating cereal from the Cup, the family headed out for their day.

We are starting to see that each player's day with the Cup is a pretty good glimpse into who they are away from the ice. Nolan's day may be the best example of this so far. Jordan and his family are members of the Garden River Ojibwa First Nation and the importance of this heritage was evident in many of the day's events. It began with a private ceremony the immediate family at the cemetery on the Native land. The family invited us to attend the ceremony, which was performed by a local medicine man, but requested there be no cameras. When we interviewed the family members later, they all said that it was important to begin the day by paying tribute to the grandparents who loved hockey and would have enjoyed this day as much as anybody. It was a beautiful ceremony and we were honored to even witness it.

Soon after that the public festivities began. After a few words from members of the Ojibwa First Nation, a procession began at the local bingo hall, creeping down the main road in Garden River, to the community center where Jordan would present the cup to the town elders. There were a couple stops, but the most significant was at the train bridge, where Nolan posed for pictures with his dad and brother. Years ago, his uncle painted, in giant letters, "THIS IS INDIAN LAND" on the train bridge. The train company painted over it. So his uncle did it again...and so on. Eventually the train company just left it. Today, it is a local landmark.

The whole procession was set to a soundtrack provided by the Bear Creek drummers, a traditional Native drum circle, who were invited by Jordan's dad to perform. You may already know that Jordan's dad was an NHL coach and that Jordan's brother played in the NHL, but at one point in our interview, Jordan made a point of saying that the Nolans are a lot more than a hockey family, which you'd have to agree with after today.