"Three years ago, Ted Nolan needed a map to locate Latvia.
"Now he's speaking their language.
"Thanks to hockey, Nolan has become well-acquainted with the small, proud Baltic nation since taking over Latvia's national team, which he will be coaching at the Sochi Winter Games.
"'Yeah, I learned the language, and the people on the street taught me a couple of terms,' the Buffalo Sabres' interim coach said this week. 'I've learned a few words in Latvian to get by, how to shoot and work and compete.'
"These are among the phrases Nolan required to get across his message to players, a majority of whom compete in the Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League.
"And yet, Nolan's desire to learn the language went beyond bridging a communication gap.
"As a First Nations' Ojibwa growing up in Sault St. Marie, Ontario, Nolan is drawn to how a nation identifies itself through culture and language. In Latvia, that, in part, means speaking the native tongue after the country spent much of the past century under the control of the former Soviet Union.
"As a result, one of the first rules Nolan established was having only Latvian _ not Russian, Swedish or English _ spoken in the locker room.
"'When you're a group that's kind of been put down and under certain rule, sometimes it's tough to find your identity,' said Nolan, who leans on former Latvian NHLers Arturs Irbe and Sandis Ozolinsh to translate when necessary.
"'It's Latvia, so let's use your language. I think you should be proud to be a Latvian. You should be proud to be a Canadian. You should be proud to be from whatever nation you're from. And in Latvia, they're a proud people. And to be a part of that, I'm just thrilled.'"
Read more: http://journaltimes.com/news/olympics/nolan-gets-message-across-to-latvian-hockey-team/article_78e81cee-2fa0-500e-80d0-33d04ec7be20.html
My parents and sister emigrated from Latvia, their homeland, to the USA before I was born.
Posts
