A total of 114 young hockey players got a rare chance to train with the coach of the New York Islanders during the Bell Summit Hockey School running at the multiplex.

Ted Nolan, one-time left-winger for the Red Wings and Penguins, is the newly posted general manager for the New York Islanders and is in Whitehorse for the camp.

� With him is his son Brandon Nolan and New York Islanders assistant coach Danny Flynn.

'The kids you meet, down the road, hopefully you make a difference in their life,' said the former Buffalo Sabres head coach.

Despite winning the Jack Adams Award as the league's top coach, Nolan took a hiatus from pro-coaching for eight years after his relationship soured with Sabres General Manager John Muckler and star goalie Dominik Hasek. Muckler was replaced by Darcy Regier for the 1997-98 season but Nolan rejected a one year renewal on his contract. Reports say he found the offer insulting.

He was offered the head coach position with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1997 and assistant coach with the Islanders in 1998, both of which he turned down. After that the offers dried up.

At the time Nolan was heard to say he was being blackballed from hockey but he's not saying that anymore.

'That's water under the bridge for me.'

Nolan says he's learned a lot in the years since he last coached in the NHL.

'You can't worry about what happened in the past, or what might happen in the future.'

'Right now I'm focusing on these little guys right here,' he said, leaning down to autograph some jerseys for a couple of the camps future pros.

'I've known you guys for a couple years now,' he said to the kids. 'They were just these wee guys (holding his hand flat a couple feet from the floor) when I came here last time.'

This is Nolan's third year at the camp.

In the multiplex's hockey coach room Nolan's son Brandon explained why his dad still came all the way to Whitehorse when he didn't make a lot of money from it.

'Just trying to give back.'

Brandon, 24, has been playing pro for four years and was drafted by the Canucks in 2003. He plays for the Manitoba Moose, the Canuck's farm team in the American Hockey League, but he's going to play in the Swedish Elite league next year. Brandon said his dad never forced him into hockey.

'There was a choice but everyone where I grew up just liked hockey, so that's what we did.'

� 'Ted's just a regular guy when he comes out here (He's) still just a guy that loves the game that just happens to teach the best players in the world' said camp organizer Greg Hagar.

The first year Hagar brought Nolan to Whitehorse he had no idea what to pay the coach.

Nolan didn't give him a figure so Hagar just paid him what he thought was fair.

'Next year he came up he said Never pay me that much again.''

For $500, kids in the camp get two ice times and three off-ice sessions a day for five days.

'The good thing about these (coaches) is that instead of coming in for a half hour, they put in four sessions and work with the kids on a one-on-one basis on a number of occasions throughout the day,' said Hagar.

But skill is not the only thing these coaches want to teach the kids.

'We want them to fall in love with the game and have fun with it,' said Hagar.

They also want to teach the kids the importance of education. All the camp's coaches, except Nolan who made his way up through the minors, entered professional hockey through university teams.

'Hockey has really changed since I played,' said Nolan. 'Education is very important.'

Nolan flew out of Whitehorse this morning. Hagar said when he asked Nolan if he would be back next year he said if it was in his control 'for sure.'