Owen Liam Nolan, born on February 12, 1972, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player whose career spanned 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Born in Belfast, he was raised in Thorold, Ontario and played for Canada internationally.
Nolan was drafted first overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, marking the beginning of a remarkable journey in professional hockey.
He also played a season with the ZSC Lions of National League A.
Early Years and Draft
Nolan grew up in Thorold, Ontario playing minor ice hockey for Thorold in the OMHA.
Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche
Nolan was drafted first overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. After a difficult rookie season at age 18 in 1990-91, when he tallied only 13 points, he burst out the next year with 42 goals and 73 points in 75 games.
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He was part of the franchise's transfer to Denver where the Nordiques were rebranded as the Colorado Avalanche.
He began the 1995-96 season with four goals and four assists in nine games for the Avalanche before being traded to the San Jose Sharks for Sandis Ozoliņš on 26 October 1995.
San Jose Sharks
During his tenure with the Sharks he was named captain, and registered his best career year in 1999-2000, finishing with 84 points, and tied for second in the NHL with 44 goals.
During the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs, the eighth-seeded Sharks took out the first-seeded St. Louis Blues in seven games with Nolan leading the way with six goals.
In game seven, Nolan scored with 10 seconds left in the first period from just past centre ice, beating goaltender Roman Turek to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead.
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Owen Nolan || "Let the Sparks Fly" ᴴᴰ || 1990 - 2010 Career Highlights
Toronto Maple Leafs
Nolan broke new ground in contract negotiations, having a clause put in that stated if the 2004-05 NHL season was cancelled, then he would gain a player option for an additional year in 2005-06.
However, with the new NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, this option became a topic of debate. With the new NHL salary cap, the Maple Leafs deemed Nolan's salary too high, and refused to recognize Nolan as under contract.
Nolan argued that the option was valid, that he would play, and be paid, for the Maple Leafs, and that he deserved to be paid during the 2004-05 NHL lockout due to injury.
The Maple Leafs, who deemed Nolan as healthy just after the lockout, claimed that the injury was incurred off the ice and refused to pay Nolan's desired US$12 million.
The case went to an arbitrator. This case was settled in 2006, however, the terms of the agreement by Leafs management and Nolan were not disclosed.
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Later Career
In 2005-06, Nolan took time off for his injured knees to heal, training in San Jose.
On 2 July 2007, Nolan signed with the Calgary Flames. On 22 October, Nolan played his 1,000th NHL game.
On 30 January 2008, Nolan had his 11th career hat trick and first hat trick since 1999 in a 5-4 victory over former team, the San Jose Sharks.
He was honoured as the game's first star as his hat trick included a short-handed goal and the game-winner, and Nolan also had a decisive victory in a second-period fight with Mike Grier.
On 13 April, Nolan scored the game-winning goal in game three of the first round series of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs against his former team San Jose Sharks.
A free agent before the 2010-11 season, and intending to continue his NHL career, Nolan was unable to secure an NHL contract.
Retirement
On 7 February 2012, Nolan announced his retirement, at a press conference in San Jose five days before his 40th birthday.
NHL All-Star Games
Nolan has played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1992, 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2002.
Personal Life
Nolan is one of six players in NHL history to be born on the island of Ireland (Sid Finney, Bobby Kirk, Jim McFadden, Sammy McManus and Jack Riley are the others).
Nolan's Catholic family lived on the Falls Road but moved to Thorold, Ontario, when he was seven months old to avoid religious persecution during the Troubles. He grew up playing baseball and soccer; it was not until he was nine that he began skating.
He attended Denis Morris Catholic High School in St.
Owen Nolan: Career Statistics
Below is a table summarizing Owen Nolan's NHL career statistics:
| Season | Team | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-91 | Quebec Nordiques | 59 | 3 | 10 | 13 |
| 1991-92 | Quebec Nordiques | 75 | 42 | 31 | 73 |
| 1992-93 | Quebec Nordiques | 73 | 36 | 41 | 77 |
| 1993-94 | Quebec Nordiques | 83 | 30 | 38 | 68 |
| 1994-95 | Quebec Nordiques | 46 | 14 | 16 | 30 |
| 1995-96 | Colorado Avalanche/San Jose Sharks | 71 | 29 | 23 | 52 |
| 1996-97 | San Jose Sharks | 77 | 31 | 37 | 68 |
| 1997-98 | San Jose Sharks | 74 | 30 | 27 | 57 |
| 1998-99 | San Jose Sharks | 78 | 22 | 32 | 54 |
| 1999-00 | San Jose Sharks | 73 | 44 | 40 | 84 |
| 2000-01 | San Jose Sharks | 63 | 21 | 29 | 50 |
| 2001-02 | San Jose Sharks | 77 | 29 | 28 | 57 |
| 2002-03 | San Jose Sharks/Toronto Maple Leafs | 79 | 18 | 24 | 42 |
| 2003-04 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 65 | 16 | 16 | 32 |
| 2006-07 | Phoenix Coyotes | 77 | 16 | 21 | 37 |
| 2007-08 | Calgary Flames | 77 | 18 | 29 | 47 |
| 2008-09 | Calgary Flames | 79 | 14 | 25 | 39 |
| 2009-10 | Minnesota Wild | 59 | 9 | 7 | 16 |
| NHL Totals | - | 1200 | 422 | 463 | 885 |