Advertisement

Kings’ Jordan Nolan to face his father, Ted Nolan, and the Sabres

Forward Jordan Nolan and goalie Jonathan Quick celebrate after the Kings' 6-1 win over Edmonton on Oct. 14.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Share

The Sutters are used to this sort of thing.

The Nolans? Not quite.

Kings forward Jordan Nolan was all smiles and full of anticipation when he spoke about playing the Buffalo Sabres, a team coached by his father, Ted Nolan. It will be an NHL first for this particular father-son combination.

Jordan, like any son, wants to impress his father when the Kings play the Sabres on Thursday night at Staples Center. He played some for his father as a kid on youth teams, but not against him.

“It should be pretty fun,” Jordan said Thursday morning. “We never expected this would happen. It’s going to be a special night for our family.

Advertisement

“I always seem to work a little harder when he’s in the building.”

In 2013, Ted Nolan returned to the Sabres’ fold for his second coaching run in Buffalo. Coincidentally, he was hired the day after the Kings, and Jordan Nolan, had played in Buffalo.

Jordan, who is on the Kings’ fourth line with center Mike Richards and left wing Kyle Clifford, joked that his mother probably didn’t care if the Kings or the Sabres won Thursday night’s game.

A little more than a year ago, the Kings’ Darryl Sutter coached a game against his son Brett, who was then with the Carolina Hurricanes. The coach, Sutter, as you might expected, downplayed the occasion. Brett is now with the Minnesota organization, currently playing for the Wild’s minor-league affiliate.

“It’s always fun,” Darryl Sutter said on Thursday. “Always fun playing against my brothers, coaching against my brother, coaching my brothers. We’re used to it. It’s not that big a deal anymore.”

Follow Lisa Dillman on Twitter @reallisa

Advertisement