Ted Nolan Ted Nolan ( Born - April 7 , 1958 , on the Garden River Ojibwa First Nations Reserve outside of Sault Ste . Marie , Ontario , Canada ) is the former Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders . Nolan , a retired Canadian professional Left Winger played 3 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins . He also coached for 2 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Buffalo Sabres , after serving as assistant coach for one season with the Hartford Whalers . Nolan , and his wife Sandra , are the parents of Brandon Nolan , a Vancouver Canucks draft pick playing for the AHL ' s Albany River Rats , and Jordan Nolan of the OHL ' s Sault Ste . Marie Greyhounds . Ted is very active in his foundation , the Ted Nolan Foundation “ Through the philosophy of healthy Lifestyle , the Ted Nolan Foundation is committed to the healing process to renew and revitalize the mind , body and spirit of our young people . We will explore to help us train a new cadre of Aboriginal leaders today , to take their rightful place in Canadian society tomorrow . We will help develop programs at the community level for First Nations youth in communities no matter how isolated or poverty stricken . We will raise scholarship funds for First Nation women wishing to complete their education . ” Playing career . As a player , he played left - wing for the Ontario Hockey Association ' s Sault Ste . Marie Greyhounds , the Kansas City Red Wings of the Central Hockey League , and the Adirondack Red Wings , Rochester Americans and Baltimore Skipjacks of the American Hockey League . He also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League from early to mid - 1980s . Coaching career . Ontario Hockey League . Nolan became head coach of the Sault Ste . Marie Greyhounds in 1988 , as a mid - season replacement and coached there until the end of the 1994 season . Nolan led the Greyhounds to the three consecutive Memorial Cup tournament berths , winning the Canadian national junior championship in 1993 . Buffalo Sabres , 1995 – 1997 . Nolan was hired before the 1994 – 95 NHL season as an assistant coach by the Hartford Whalers for one season before accepting the position of head coach of the NHL ' s Buffalo Sabres where he had his greatest success . In his second season in Buffalo , he led the team to a strong regular season , culminating in the Northeast Division title . He was rewarded with the Jack Adams Award as the league ' s top coach . However his relationships with superstar goaltender Dominik Hašek and general manager John Muckler were strained . The regular season success was all overshadowed by what took place during the playoffs . Tensions between Nolan and Hašek had been high for most of the season , however , after being scored upon in game three of the first - round against the Ottawa Senators , Hašek left the game , forcing backup Steve Shields to step in . Hašek claimed he felt his knee pop , and the team doctor pronounced him day - to - day . Buffalo News columnist Jim Kelley wrote a column that night for the next day ' s newspaper that detailed the day ' s events , which irked Hašek . After the Senators won game five , Hašek came out of the Sabres ' training room and physically attacked Kelley , tearing his shirt . Despite issuing an apology , things went downhill afterwards . Shields starred as the Sabres rallied to win the series against Ottawa . But before the next series against the Philadelphia Flyers , the NHL announced that Hasek had been suspended for three games for the altercation with Kelley . Hasek was set to return in game four with the team down by three games in the series , but after the pregame skate Hasek told the Sabres ' coaching staff he felt a twinge in his knee and left the ice . Shields turned in another season - saving performance as Buffalo staved off the almost inevitable sweeping elimination with a win . Again before the fifth game , Hašek declared himself unfit to play and Buffalo lost 6 – 3 , losing the series in five games . Hašek , who sided with Muckler , stated in an interview during 1997 NHL Awards Ceremony that " it would be better for me if he ( Nolan ) did not return . " Muckler , fresh off of being voted the NHL ' s 1996 – 97 Executive of the Year , was the first casualty of this toxic situation and was fired prior to the 1997 – 98 season . Darcy Regier , Muckler ' s replacement as GM , was given the option to choose his own coach . Rather than fire Nolan , whose two - year contract had just expired , Regier offered him a one - year extension , reportedly for $ 500 , 000 . After such a successful 1997 season working with a " blue collar " team full of grinders and with only one star , Hasek , Nolan found the offer insulting and rejected it . Regier then pulled the contract off the table and did not offer another one , ending Nolan ' s tenure as Sabres coach . Post - Sabres career . Following his departure from Buffalo , Nolan was offered NHL coaching jobs in 1997 by the Tampa Bay Lightning ( head coach ) and in 1998 by the New York Islanders ( assistant coach ) . Nolan declined both offers . It is said Nolan was not offered an NHL coaching job again until May 2006 , a span of eight years , and speculation as to why ranged from outright racism to a perceived fear that Nolan is a " GM Killer " based on his acrimonious working relationship with former boss Muckler . In 2003 , Nolan was in talks to become the coach for the Toronto Toros of the new World Hockey Association , but it never got past talks , and the new WHA never formed . On 26 April 2005 , he was hired as the coach and director of hockey operations for the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League , who would host the 2006 Memorial Cup . On December 16 , 2005 , Nolan was the victim of racial harassment during a Wildcats road game against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens . Fans in the stands shouted racial slur s at him and directed gestures such as the " tomahawk chop " and shooting a bow and arrow towards him as he stood behind the Moncton bench . Fans continued to taunt Nolan outside the arena after the game as he boarded the team bus with his players . The incident , he said later , left him shaking with anger and humiliation . The fans ' behavior was condemned both by the QMJHL commissioner and Sagueneens management , the latter of which issued formal apology to Nolan . As a result of the events that transpired in Chicoutimi , he referred to the Saguenay Region as being the " Alabama " of the QMJHL . After , he also had criticized the Gatineau Olympiques organisation for putting the ' Tomahawk Chop ' song , which he said was racist . Because of the incident , the QMJHL launched a new anti - discrimination policy that covers everyone involved with the circuit , from team and league officials , to players and fans . On December 25 , 2005 , it was reported that Nolan expressed interest in leaving Moncton to fill the New Jersey Devils coaching vacancy left by Larry Robinson . Despite this , the Devils never publicly mentioned Nolan as a potential replacement . Nolan ' s Wildcats reached the Memorial Cup final only to lose to the Quebec Remparts coached by Patrick Roy on May 28 , 2006 . Nolan travels widely during the summer , attending hockey camps in Northern Canada and working to inspire young native players to get an education and to pursue their dreams . Despite his recent hiring as head coach of the Isles , he still found time to attend a hockey camp in Whitehorse , Yukon in mid - July 2006 . New York Islanders , 2006 – 2008 . When the New York Islanders fired head coach Steve Stirling in January 2006 , team owner Charles Wang reportedly called Nolan to ask him to take over the team . Nolan said that he felt a sense of responsibility toward Moncton and would not leave them mid - season . On June 8 , 2006 , Wang dismissed interim coach Brad Shaw and announced the hiring of Nolan as the new head coach . New York Post hockey columnist Larry Brooks quickly criticized Wang for hiring Nolan at the same time that he hired a new general manager , Neil Smith , rather than allow Smith to hire a coach who would report to him . On July 18 , Smith was fired as general manager and Garth Snow was named as his replacement . In his first season with the Islanders in 2006 – 07 , he led the team to a surprising 92 point season and its first playoff berth since 2003 – 04 . On April 20 , 2007 , Ted Nolan ' s 8th seeded Islanders fell in five games to his former team , the top - seeded Buffalo Sabres . In his second season , Nolan led the Islanders to a record of 35 – 38 – 9 for 79 points . On November 3 , 2007 , legendary coach Al Arbour returned at the request of Nolan , to coach his 1 , 500th game for the Islanders in a 3 – 2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins . On July 14 , 2008 , Newsday reported that Ted Nolan was dismissed as Islanders coach by Islanders GM Garth Snow . Career statistics ( Player ) . National Hockey League - Regular Season American Hockey League - Regular Season