Road hockey for cancer research aims to break its own world record

Former NHL coach and player Ted Nolan has been in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Memorial Cup and the Olympics. But, he says, the most important games of his hockey career might be ones he plays at a street hockey tournament this month. 

Nolan, from Ontario's Garden River First Nation, will be one of several celebrity guests playing in the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation's annual Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer tournament on Sep. 28. 

The one-day tournament, which features roughly 150 teams, takes place at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, and the charity's goal this year is to break its own tournament record of $3.1 million raised for cancer research.

Nolan says this tournament means more to him than his professional achievements, including a Jack Adams Award for the NHL's best coach.

"That's just sport," he said. 

"When you're talking about life and death … this ranks way, way above."

Nolan says the cause is personal.

In March 2022, he says, he slipped and fell and thought he'd broken his ribs. Doctors didn't find any bone injuries, and further tests revealed he had multiple myeloma, he says. It's a treatable blood cancer — but it has no cure.

After months of chemo, Nolan says his cancer is now in remission, but the diagnosis and treatment have been an "eye-opener." He was contacted about this month's charity tournament, agreeing to play before he was even asked.

"I was really blessed with some really good medical help to guide me this far and get me to where I am today," he said.

"But they're always looking for new dollars for new research, and the more we do, the better off it's going to get. If I could help out in any way whatsoever, I'm there."

The tournament has raised about $33 million over the past 13 years,