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p
NOL
AN
B Y S C O T T TAY L O R &
B R U C E F E DY C K
Photos by Bruce Fedyck
D
arren Ritchie will
admit that his boy,
Nolan, is a lucky kid.
Not only is he the
son of a fine player
and outstanding
coach, he’s also been able
to see the game from places
that most young players
will never experience.
“I suppose that for Nolan,
hockey was inevitable,” said
Darren, a former Wheat
Kings star (he had 62 goals
and 114 points in 1994-95)
with a nine year pro career in
8 0 | G AME ON | PL AYOF F EDITION 2018
North American and Europe.
“Hockey’s what we talk
about in our house. As an
assistant coach with the Wheat
Kings for nine seasons, we’ve
had plenty of billets in our
home (goalies Jordan Papirny
and Liam Liston), so Nolan has
seen how elite hockey players
handle themselves, how they
approach practices and games
and how they prepare.
“Nolan was lucky to skate
after practice with Brayden
Schenn (St. Louis), Matt
Calvert (Columbus) and Ryan
Pulock (NY Islanders). Pulock
(NY Islanders) would come
over and skate with Nolan
on the outdoor rink. He’s
seen the inside of hockey in
a way that most kids don’t.
This is a kid who watches and
analyzes an NHL game every
night and many times, he’s
watching players he knows
on a personal level. He has
a pretty high hockey IQ.”
Darren Ritchie was a
tremendous player, one of the
best ever to start his life in
Minnedosa, Man., and his