Nunavut hockey hero home for the summer

GREG YOUNGER-LEWIS

Jordin Tootoo has more than lethal slapshots, killer hits and mean fists to keep him playing professional hockey.

He’s got optimism.

Tootoo, 22, traded in the prestige of playing in the National Hockey League this year, for a successful jaunt in the minor leagues, after a contract dispute between the NHL owners and the players’ association led to a lockout last September.

While hockey fans griped about the loss of the NHL season, Tootoo revelled in the perks of playing in the American Hockey League with the Milwaukee Admirals over the past eight months.

Tootoo told Nunatsiaq News in an interview this week that the lamented NHL lockout has actually worked in his favour.

“It was a bonus for me,” Tootoo said during a stopover in Iqaluit on Monday.

“Being a student of the game, you learn more. The mental part of the game just elevates. And the more you elevate as a player, the higher you’re going to play.”

Tootoo started his professional hockey career under intense scrutiny in October 2003, when he played his first game for the Nashville Predators and became the first Inuk in the NHL.

Tootoo made his mark as a feisty, fast player who teammates could count on to drop the gloves and fight experienced opponents nearly twice his size.

But he lagged in ice time. Tootoo rarely played more than seven minutes per game, and at one point, he faced the possibility of getting booted down to the farm team to improve his skills.

With Milwaukee, Tootoo earned high praise from his teammates and coach Claude Noel.

“He can have a huge impact,” Noel told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after the team lost in the playoffs last month.

“He gets people off their game and he can draw (opposition) penalties. When he does that, he can be a real factor.”

Tootoo ended the season with 10 goals and 12 assists in 56 games. His game stats were a noticeable improvement from his first year in the NHL, where he got four goals and four assists in 70 games.

Tootoo also led the Admirals with 266 penalty minutes, up from 137 minutes the previous year.

Tootoo’s record might have been even better, if he hadn’t injured his hip before the end of the season. In trademark Tootoo style, he hurt himself slamming into the boards at high speed, while trying to land one of his punishing hits.

Tootoo said it will take more work to reach his ultimate goal to become a second- or third-line winger in the NHL. He looks up to teammate Scott Walker as a role model, because he followed a similar path. Walker started his own career as a high-energy bruiser with few points, and now stands as the Predators’ number-one player.

Tootoo said he stays motivated with help from the fan mail and family support from across the North.

Although Tootoo expects more Inuit will succeed in professional hockey, he’s on a campaign to inspire youth to become role models in other areas.

Nunasi Corporation and NorTerra Ltd. recently toured Tootoo around several Nunavut communities as their official spokesperson. He stopped in Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, Gjoa Haven, Taloyoak, Kugaaruk, Pangnirtung and Iqaluit, giving speeches on the importance of staying in school.

“The youth don’t understand that they’re role models in whatever profession they want to do,” Tootoo said. “I think more youth should step up to the plate and be able to take their profession to the next level and be a role model.

“It’s a great feeling. I love waking up in the morning and knowing there’s people out there rooting for me.”

For the summer, Tootoo plans to start working out again, now that his injured hip has healed. He’ll also spend time with family in Rankin Inlet, eating seal, caribou, and geese.

“I’m just going to enjoy the lifestyle, being laid back,” he said. “I’ve been through a lot and I’m sure there’s a lot that’s going to hit me. You’ve just got to be able to handle it and be around the right people.”

Tootoo’s not sure where he’ll be playing next year, as the NHL is still in a lockout position.