Tootoo sat out last season, recovering from injuries and surgeries on his lower back and shoulders. His goal is to help a wide range of charitable causes including nonprofits addressing suicide awareness and prevention, as well as those supporting youth at risk. On the bigger international ice, it is more about finesse than physicality. Tootoo was a skilled player in junior — he had consecutive 30-goal, 70-point seasons with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings before going pro — but he’s best known for his toughness and intimidation at the NHL level, topping out at 11 goals and 30 points. © The Hockey Writers 2018. Nearing the … “I think it would be a fun thing for not only me, but for my family to experience. His mother, Rose Tootoo, had to go to the Churchillhospital for the birth as was normal practice at the time. Jordin was the third child of Rose and Barney Tootoo. Tootoo attended Leo Ussak Elementary School in Rankin Inlet. So catching on in Europe might be easier said than done for Tootoo since word travels far in the hockey world and he may be pigeonholed as a pugilist at this point. Destination unknown. “For a lot of these kids, in order to succeed in life when you grow up in an isolated community, sometimes you have to leave home knowing that home is always going to be home,” Tootoo explained. Jordin John Kudluk Tootoo MSM (Inuktitut: ᔪᐊᑕᓐ ᑐᑐ; born February 2, 1983) is a Canadian former professional hockey player, who played for the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks. So a PTO I think, knowing I have two little ones at home and everything is kind of up in the air, I’d rather just be settled and know where exactly I’m going to be the whole year.”. In 1997-98 he played hockey an… “Nothing has come my way (from NHL teams), but I’m weighing out my options to go to Europe and maybe experience that if something comes up,” Tootoo said over the weekend. “I’ve been sober for almost eight years,” Tootoo said. Tootoo’s journey to become the first Inuk NHLer was a very unlikely one. Please read our Commenting Policy first. He hasn’t played a game since the 2017 playoffs with Chicago, but he felt now was the time to make it official. “It’s about changing the cycle for my family. Jordin Tootoo is retired and at peace with it — he gets to hang out more with his wife, Jennifer, and their two daughters, Siena and Avery. “Knowing that I do have a lot of fire left in me, I think my first option will be going over to Europe,” Tootoo said. Jordin Tootoo is the first player of Inuk descent to suit up in the NHL. He was on a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks and appeared on the roster for their farm club, the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, but didn’t suit up for a single game with either team in 2017-18. I didn’t envision myself being a role model for the Indigenous communities,” Tootoo said. Being undersized, at 5-foot-9 and around 200 pounds, Tootoo was punching above his weight class more often than not. Of Inuit and Ukrainian descent, he is both the first Inuk player and the first player to grow up in Nunavut to participate in an NHL game. “It’s part of Canada that a lot of people struggle with mental health and addiction, suicide, these issues are a national epidemic. Alcoholism was an issue in his family, and it stayed with him into his time in the NHL until he voluntarily entered the league’s substance abuse program in 2010. “I’d love to go over and experience a great city and kind of live the life of a European import and just enjoy it all around.”. “Having the opportunity to be guided as a young hockey player by Kelly McCrimmon and the whole Wheat Kings organization, I have a lot of great memories.”, WATCH: All rights reserved. “It all depends on what league and who’s interested, that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “It’s been a great summer, the body’s feeling good and I’m still training.”. Tootoo was widely regarded as one of the NHL's best agitatorsand was able to annoy, fight, and distract other players to help his team win. The uncertainty of it all, and the likelihood of being offered a two-way contract rather than a one-way deal, has Tootoo looking elsewhere. Tootoo chose Brandon as the location to announce his retirement from the NHL after 13 seasons, 161 points and 1,010 penalty minutes. I’ve proven it a few times throughout my career,” he said. Jordin Tootoo, RCMP release Violence Against Women PSA. Perhaps he could circle back coming off a productive campaign in Europe. Tootoo shouldn’t be extinct, though. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix. Tootoo would love to get that chance again, but it seems the NHL ship has sailed — at least for this season. “It’s okay to leave to pursue your goals and your dreams. He now has two daughters, and considers being a strong model for them among his top priorities. Tootoo’s journey to get to where he is today has been filled with obstacles. He’s never been a true goon. It’s just come full circle.”, WATCH: Brendan Gallagher Signs Six-Year Extension with the Montreal Canadiens, Time for Oilers’ Puljujarvi to Turn Promise into Performance, Rangers Fall Into Pitfall Of Veteran Presence, Again, Maple Leafs News & Rumors: What Joe Thornton Would Bring to the Team, Flames & Treliving Take a Gamble on Tanev, Oilers News & Rumors: Markstrom, Barrie, Nugent-Hopkins, Condors…, Ranking Every Calder Trophy Winner Since 2005, Prospects News & Rumors: Stützle, Ponomaryov & Wisdom, NHL Rumors: Canadiens, Golden Knights, Oilers, Lightning, More. (Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports)Jordin Tootoo fell out of favour with the Detroit Red Wings and wound up getting bought out in 2014, but he bounced back to score 10 goals for the New Jersey Devils the following season — one shy of his career high. “For me to give back and to reach out to a lot of people who are struggling, I’ve been there. Every time I get back to the Keystone Centre and smell the cow poop when you walk into the arena, it brings back a lot of great memories. Jordin Tootoo #22 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Nashville Predators at the Bridgestone Arena on February 19, 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee. By Larry Fisher September 10th, 2018. Why a story about Joe Biden, his son Hunter and Ukraine is being blocked online, Teen accused of killing 2 protesters in Kenosha won't face charges in Illinois, Barron Trump also tested positive for coronavirus, Melania Trump reveals, WestJet cuts 'just the leading edge' if feds don't provide aid to airlines: experts, Here are the key takeaways of Amy Coney Barrett’s final day of confirmation hearings, WestJet cutting over 100 flights in Atlantic Canada as pandemic makes service ‘unviable', Odd wave or Ogopogo? “I’m at peace with myself. In August 2002, Tootoo was about to begin his final season as a Brandon Wheat King after being drafted by the Nashville Predators when his older brother Terence died by suicide at the age of 22. He spent eight seasons with the Nashville Predators before signing with the Detroit Red Wings in 2012. The game is changing and evolving on this side of the pond too, with the enforcer role gradually going the way of the dinosaur. WATCH: Inuk-Canadian hockey star Jordin Tootoo gets Meritorious Service Medal Tootoo chose Brandon as the location to announce his retirement from the … Jordin Tootoo (born February 2, 1983) is famous for being hockey player. Asked where he would want to go — from Russia to Switzerland, Sweden to Germany, Finland to the Czech Republic, perhaps even China — Tootoo was keeping an open mind. An NHL pioneer says he’s retiring the hopes of working to bring to light a problem plaguing remote First Nations. Calgary resident records 'weird waves' on Okanagan Lake, British World War II bomb explodes underwater in Poland, Peterborough County OPP investigate dangerous boating incident on Rice Lake, Coronavirus: Trump claims individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 are ‘now immune’, AHS COVID-19 testing centres shift back to appointment-only, Hinshaw asks people to show up, Trudeau calls on provinces to take feds' help on contact tracing, Inuk-Canadian hockey star Jordin Tootoo gets Meritorious Service Medal, Jordin Tootoo, RCMP release Violence Against Women PSA. That’s how it starts, and it’s just one step at a time. It takes time, things don’t happen overnight. “I’m not going to sit around and wait. He currently resides in Churchill, Manitoba. “In the meantime, just keeping fit and being ready in case something does come up.”, eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'thehockeywriters_com-box-1','ezslot_9',105,'0','0']));report this ad. Jordin Tootoo has seen the suicide epidemic in remote Indigenous communities firsthand. In order for life to change, you have to be willing to accept hard times and keep moving forward.”.

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