All The Kings Men – Catching up with Stanley Cup Champion Jordan Nolan

Jordan Nolan, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings, is returning to the LA Kings as a community relations consultant and ambassador. The eight-year NHL veteran sat down with Jesse Cohen and Daryl Evans to talk about the evolution of his career, fatherhood and what he hopes to accomplish with the Kings in his new role. Then Zach Dooley stops by to help crown a King of the Week, offer praise for some young defenseman and cover the finer points of Halloween in Southern California.

On the process of re-joining the Kings organization in a new role
Last year, I spent some time with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization and we had a new baby at home, so my wife wanted me to get home and look at other options in my life, in my career. I reached out to Kelly [Cheeseman] and we had some quick conversations here and there, it took a while for it to come together, with my interests and what I was looking for in the next steps of my career. It really just came together over the last few months and I’m really excited to be here.

On not being drafted in his original draft year and battling to a career in the NHL
I was drafted as a 19-year-old, in the seventh round, but looking back at my career, I don’t really remember thinking, it’s my draft year I was really just having fun – maybe too much fun – and maybe that’s why I didn’t get drafted. I went through a few drafts and when I was 19, I talked to my parents and said I either need to go to school or start committing myself a little bit more. When I was drafted, I had a strong belief in my game, I just needed to put that work behind it. I think it worked out the way it was supposed to. I was drafted by LA, a good team and a general manager who believed in me as a player and as a person, the style I played. Once Darryl was hired, everything kind of came together. They came down, watched me and Dwight [King], we got the call and ever since that moment I never really felt at ease. I knew I had to bring my game, bring that intensity and I think it was just the perfect storm of everything coming together.

On his draft process
I wasn’t on anyone’s radar really. When I was 16, the Islanders came around and handed out a booklet of questions.I remember that LA came out to watch a couple of times, I believe I had an invite to the Toronto Marlies after my 18-year-old season to join them for a couple of weeks, so I was really excited about that, being an Ontario kid and being close by. As soon as LA drafted me, it was definitely a bit of a surprise, my mom was a little nervous because she wasn’t sure with me being so far away, but as soon as I got out here and she came out here it was good.

On growing up in a hockey family
We never really saw ourselves as a hockey family. Obviously, my dad had a successful career there, with the Sabres, but once that ended, we weren’t sitting around watching hockey games together every night, weren’t always taking about hockey, we were just your average family. We’d go see movies, go play board games, we’d watch hockey here and there, we obviously loved the game but it wasn’t life to us. Growing up, my dad was heavily involved in my career, watched every practice, if we didn’t play too well he’d let me know, for sure.

The Kings are on the ice this morning in El Segundo, with practice slated to begin at 11 AM.