Joe Nolan (ice hockey)
| Joe Nolan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
March 21, 1929 Sault Ste. Marie, ON, CAN | ||
| Died |
September 29, 1986 (aged 57) Clinton, NY, USA | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Johnstown Jets Clinton Comets Louisville Shooting Stars Toledo Mercurys | ||
| Playing career | 1951–1957 | ||
Joe Nolan (March 21, 1929 – 1986) was an ice hockey defenceman whose career spanned six seasons across two leagues.
Playing career
Nolan would start the 1955-56 season as a member of the Clinton Comets.[1] On November 7, 1955, Nolan was signed by the Clinton Comets after defenceman Jim Johnson was waived from the team. Nolan would finish the season leading the league in penalty minutes with 352 PIMs. Nolan's 352 PIMs were a league record and also marked the first time that a player accumulated over 300 penalty minutes in a season.[2]
On December 12, 1956, Nolan was released from the Clinton Comets. At the time, Nolan led the league in penalty minutes. Upon his release, Nolan was signed by the Johnstown Jets.
Acting career
Nolan would retire from hockey in 1956, but would return to Johnstown, Pennsylvania two decades later in a minor role for the movie Slap Shot.
"Here's a name for you nostalgia fans: Clarence "Screaming Buffalo" Swamptown. I'll never forget an exclusive interview in which Swamptown revealed that he calls his hockey stick the "Big Tomahawk," and he usually refers to the opposing players as "the little scalps.[3]"
—Jim Carr, Charlestown Chiefs play-by-play announcer describing Clarence Swamptown, the character that was played by Joe Nolan in Slap Shot
Nolan would assume the role of Clarence "Screaming Buffalo" Swamptown, a player who Chiefs players thought "was suspended forever" until he was introduced at the Federal League championship game. In real life, Nolan was suspended for life for gambling.[4]
Personal
Nolan was a full blood Ojibwa Indian. He is the uncle of Buffalo Sabres Coach Ted Nolan and great uncle of Jordan Nolan of the LA Kings.
Upon retiring from the EHL, Nolan returned to Clinton, New York[5] to reside, but eventually came back to the Eastern Hockey League as a linesman who was respected by players[2] Nolan would continue to reside there until his death in 1986.