Windspeaker Sports Briefs - September

Latvia hires Nolan
Former National Hockey League coach of the year Ted Nolan will once again be behind the bench, but the 53-year-old Ojibwe from Ontario’s Garden River First Nation is not returning to the NHL. In fact, he won’t even be guiding a minor professional or junior team in North America. Instead, Nolan is taking his coaching expertise overseas. On Aug. 3 it was announced that Nolan has been hired by the Latvian Hockey Association to serve as the head coach of its national men’s team.

For the past two years Nolan had worked as the vice-president of hockey operations for the Rochester Americans, a squad that competes in the American Hockey League, a circuit considered just a step below the NHL. Nolan is probably best known in hockey circles for coaching the Buffalo Sabres from 1995-97. For his efforts during his second season in Buffalo, Nolan was awarded the Jack Adams Award, annually presented to the NHL’s top coach.

Despite being named the league’s best bench boss, Nolan did not return to the Sabres the following season due to a rift with management. It took Nolan almost a decade to resurface in the NHL. He was the New York Islanders’ head coach from 2006-08.
Besides coaching the Latvian national men’s squad, Nolan is also expected to serve as a consultant for the country’s under-20 national male team.

Sacobie wins silver

Former University of Ottawa Gee-Gees star quarterback Josh Sacobie helped Canada win a silver medal at the world football championships. Sacobie, a Maliseet from the St. Mary’s First Nation in New Brunswick, was a member of the Canadian squad that competed at the eight-country world meet, which concluded on July 16 in Austria. The United States defeated Sacobie and his teammates 50-7 in the gold-medal match.

This marked the first time Canada had sent a squad to the world tournament, which is held every four years. Three previous world championships had been staged, the first in 1999.

Prior to this tournament, Sacobie, 27, had not played in a tackle football game since November of 2008, his last contest with the Gee-Gees. Sacobie was one of three quarterbacks on the Canadian roster at the world championships. He played the second half of the team’s tournament opener, a 45-10 victory over France.

Sacobie did not see any action in Canada’s next two outings, a 36-14 win over Austria and a 31-27 triumph over Japan. Sacobie though played the fourth quarter in the championship final against the Americans.

Though he no longer plays on a regular basis, Sacobie is still involved with the sport. Since May of 2009 he has worked as the technical co-ordinator for Football Canada, which has its office in Ottawa.

Jon Mirasty signs with KHL

After several years of bouncing around various minor professional hockey teams in North America, Jon Mirasty is taking his toughness to the Kontinental Hockey League, which primarily features teams from Russia.
Mirasty, a Cree who is from Meadow Lake, Sask., signed a contract this off-season with Vityaz Chekhov, a Moscow-based franchise. The 29-year-old Mirasty never made it to the National Hockey League even though he has been regarded as one of this continent’s toughest players in recent years.

Mirasty split his time this past season suiting up for three teams in three different leagues. He played 16 games with the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch. He also made 19 appearances with the Central Hockey League’s Fort Wayne Komets. And he dressed for nine matches with the East Coast Hockey League’s Elmira Jackets. Mirasty had just two points in all 44 of his games this past year and racked up a total of 159 penalty minutes.

Aboriginal race

A new Aboriginal association is organizing a five-kilometre race in Vancouver this October. The Aboriginal Physical Activity and Cultural Circle (APACC) will stage its competitive race on Oct. 29 in the British Columbia city. Besides the competitive race, the day will also include a community run/walk. Proceeds from the event will go towards creating Aboriginal community grants.

The APACC, which has its office on Musqueam land in Vancouver, is a national non-profit group for Aboriginal people involved in sports, recreation, fitness and traditional activities. The registration fee for the competitive race is $35 per runner for those who sign up before Sept. 7. The fee increases to $40 after that.
Those looking to take part in the community run/walk can register for $8 before Sept. 7 and for $10 after that. Children under 10 and those over 70 will be allowed to take part in the community run/walk for free. More information about the race is available by emailing race director Dr. Rosalin Miles at torosalin@yahoo.ca or by calling (604) 537-7777.