San Jose Sharks: My Reaction to the Retirement of NHL Legend Owen Nolan

My first memory of Owen Nolan was not really of Owen Nolan at all.

No. 11 was on the cover of NHL 2001, the first hockey simulation video game I ever owned.

He is depicted in his blue away sweater—the same design that on a hanger to the left of him at the press conference.

I spent countless hours on my computer playing the game.

While I frequently played as my hometown Minnesota Wild, an expansion team that year, they were not very good* and I would occasionally venture from rink-to-rink in virtual America (and Canada) to play as various teams.

San Jose was a frequent stop for me on my virtual tour.

Nolan’s Sharks of that era were not the Sharks of today.

Prior to the 2000-01 season, San Jose had never finished higher than third in the Pacific and had never made it past the Conference Semifinals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Despite the Sharks’ dearth of on-ice success and undistinguished reputation, there was a feeling that this team was going to be something special.

In 2000-01 San Jose would win their first of six Pacific Division titles.

Nolan would be traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline in 2003, a year when the Sharks would finish dead last in the Pacific, but the second permanent captain in team history was influential in the organization’s eventual success.

Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson, the first captain in team history, sat beside Nolan at the press conference. He recalled when Nolan scored a long-range goal that sealed an upset victory over the No. 1 seed St. Louis Blues in the 1999-00 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“I’m going to say the goal’s from the blue line, it might have been just outside,” said Wilson, “but it was a gut-check for the whole organization.”

“That’s basically Mr. San Jose Shark,” Brewers outfielder Nyjer Morgan told the press after he participated in Sharks practice on February 1.

“Just everything about him, especially when he scored that goal in the All-Star game.”

The goal Morgan is referencing to happened in the 1997 All-Star Game in San Jose, when Nolan called his own shot against legendary goaltender Dominik Hasek to complete a hat trick in front of his home crowd in San Jose.

“I was at the All-Star Game this weekend,” said Wilson, “and it was still one of the highlights of the All-Star NHL history.”

I knew of the shot, I’ve seen it on video countless times, but never saw it live.

In fact, I never saw Nolan play in a Shark uniform.

Nolan would spend his last two NHL seasons in Minnesota (2008-10) and I saw him play a couple games in the Excel Energy Center, but Nolan was only Mr. San Jose Shark behind a screen—either broadcast or virtual form.

Broadcast Nolan was phenomenal.

Nolan’s combination of skill and grit merited a first-overall selection in the 1990 NHL Draft that featured superstars like Keith Primeau, Mike Ricci, Jaromir Jagr, Darryl Sydor, Derian Hatcher, Keith Tkachuk, Martin Brodeur, Doug Weight, Sergei Zubov and Robert Lang.

Virtual Nolan was unstoppable.

I don’t remember his specific attributes, but overall he had to have been north of a 90 out of 100 rating. His toughness and slap shot must have received the highest marks in the game.

All I had to do was pass Nolan the puck in the neutral zone and plow through the defense**, drive the net and tap the space bar to put the rubber behind the opposing goaltender.

“To be a power forward in the NHL, to me, is much like being a running back in the NFL,” said Wilson of the real Nolan.

“You hand out a lot of punishment, you take a lot of punishment.”

Sitting beside Wilson was not Owen Nolan with a 90-plus overall rating, but the Owen Nolan with a wife, Diana, a mother Ellen and two children, Dylan and Jordan.

“To have the ability to play as long as he’s played at this level and accomplish what he’s done comes from fortitude that comes from within you,” Wilson said, looking directly at Nolan’s mother, “but to accomplish that in this game is something special.”

It was not until emotion entered the equation that I fully conceptualized the real Nolan that was sitting in front of me.

Minutes before the press conference began, Nolan walked up to the podium to find a score of tissues sitting by his microphone. He immediately looked at his wife and smiled.

“I’m looking down, Owen, at your mom and Diana and I’m not sure which one is going to cry first,” Wilson said in his opening statement.

“And there should be tears. This is a pretty emotional journey that the family has been on.”

And there were tears.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to play 18 seasons, 1200 games in the league, and today I’m announcing my retirement,” opened Nolan.

Tears.

Silence.

“I guess I’ve known this day’s”—his voice quivered, as though he was forcing himself to speak—“been here for a while.”

Nolan last played his last NHL game in 2010 with the Wild.

Last year he spent 24 games with the ZSC Lions of Switzerland’s National League A.

He was offered a tryout contract by the Canucks this season, but was cut on September 25.

“When your body won’t do what your mind and heart is willing to do it’s time to move on.”

Tears.

Silence.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

“I’ve had the opportunity to play with some great players and great teammates.”

Tears.

Silence.

Everyone was shell-shocked.

Doug Wilson.

His teammates present: Patrick Marleau, Brent Burns, Mike Ricci, Jamie Baker, Jarome Iginla, Dave Lowry and Scott Hannan.

His wife, mother and children.

Then, from the row behind me, a man yelled out, “We’re with you pal!”

Nolan continued shortly after:

“I want to thank Doug Wilson [and] the San Jose Sharks organization for giving me the opportunity to make this announcement and retire into the Sharks family.”

“To my teammates, a bunch of you guys are here today. Thank you very much, you guys are one of the main reasons why this game is so much fun.”

“Special thanks to my parents, my mom is here today.”

“I think back to when I broke into the league, my mom says jokingly to me, ‘You better not lose any teeth or you’re in trouble, mister.’”

Ellen laughs heartily.

“Well mom, 1200 games later and I have them all. I must be lucky.”

Applause.

“She also said the same thing about stitches and I don’t think I got past the first week.”

Mother laughs again.

“Thank you to my wife, my kids, Jordan and Dylan.”

After that statement he looked directly at Jordan, then Ellen and finally at Dylan.

Dylan was starting to get restless, but as soon as his eyes met those of his father he sat still.

Then smiled.

Then his father smiled.

Virtual Owen Nolan can squeeze past two defenders and score on Marty Brodeur.

Broadcast Owen Nolan can score 422 goals, tally 463 assists and earn 1793 penalty minutes.

But the Owen Nolan I saw that day did something the former two were never able to do: He made his son smile without speaking a word.

*The Wild would go 25-39-13-5 in their inaugural season.

**His ‘juke’ rating was not very good.

Tom Schreier is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He covers hockey and baseball.

All quotes were obtained first-hand.

Follow him on Twitter @tschreier3.