Jordin Tootoo

At 41 years old, Jordin Tootoo has this physical status:

Jordin John Kudluk Tootoo (born February 2, 1983) is a retired Canadian professional hockey player.

Tootoo has played for the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, and Chicago Blackhawks.

He is both the first Inuk player and the first player to grow up in Nunavut to play in an NHL game, and he is both of Inuit and Ukrainian descent.

Tootoo was widely regarded as one of the best living agitators in the league, and he was able to annoy, fight, and torment other players to help his team win.

Tootoo has scored 64 goals, 96 assists, and 1008 PIMs in 717 games since being in the league for the first time in 2005, particularly in northern communities. "I have decided to leave the NHL after 220 regular season games with the Wheat Kings and 723 games in the NHL, and want to give back to the Indigenous people," he said on Twitter on October 19, 2018.

Personal life

Terence Tootoo's older brother, Jordin Tootoo, played for the Roanoke Express of the ECHL in the 2001-02 season. Terence had a fruitful junior career with the OCN Blizzard and was named Rookie of the Year by the Express'. Terence died by suicide at the age of 22, following an arrest for impaired driving.

In Inuktitut, Tootoo's middle name, Kudluk, refers to "thunder." Rose (née Harrison) of Jordin's mother is of English and Ukrainian descent, while Barney's father, Barney, is an Inuk from Nunavut.

He is the paternal uncle of former Manitoba Legislative Assembly Speaker George Hickes and his cousin, former Nunavut Legislative Assembly Speaker George Hickes and former Federal Minister Hunter Tootoo.

Despite being born in Manitoba, Tootoo grew up in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, where he was taught to skate and play hockey by his father. Tootoo was able to learn the traditional Inuit lifestyle, which includes hunting and camping, but he was also exposed to mental and physical violence as a result. He has been a role model for youth in Nunavut as the first Inuk to play in the National Hockey League.

Tootoo began in 2007 when she was in a relationship with former American Idol contestant and country music singer Kellie Pickler. Tootoo brought Pickler to Rankin Inlet, his hometown. Tootoo's infidelity brought the marriage to an end early this summer. Pickler's single Best Days of Your Life was reportedly about Tootoo.

Tootoo began seeking medical attention for a drug use on December 27, 2010, with the Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Clinics of the NHL/NHLPA. Following the success of the program, he returned to finish the season and play in the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Jordin Tootoo, a hockey player from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, was the first Team Tootoo hockey camp for the local children in 2012. Tootoo's biggest focus was making sure the kids were having fun and being able to enjoy themselves as a family. "It's going to be a really positive vibe." "You're going to learn hockey skills, but you'll also learn life skills and teamwork," he said.

On radio, Stephen Brunt announced that he was working on a book with Tootoo. All The Way: My Life on Ice was published on October 21, 2014.

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Playing career

Tootoo went from Rankin Inlet to Bantam AAA hockey in Spruce Grove, Alberta, when he was 13 years old. In the 3rd round of the 1998 WHL Bantam Draft, the Brandon Wheat Kings selected him. Tootoo competed with the Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1999 to 2003, finishing 98th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft as the sixth pick of the Nashville Predators. When he suited up against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on October 9, 2003, he became the first player of Inuit descent to play in a regular-season NHL game. He was also the first one of Inuit descent to be drafted by an NHL team. As a play on the letters of his name, Tootoo wears the number '22'.

Tootoo scored his first NHL point against the St. Louis Blues on October 16, 2003, and scored his first NHL point against the Atlanta Thrashers on October 23, 2003. Tootoo has also earned two "Gordie Howe Hat Tricks" (on January 10, 2004, and December 8, 2007—when he notched a goal, an assist, and a major fight in each game.

He spent his 2005-06 season with the Milwaukee Admirals, the Nashville Predators' minor league affiliate, where he appeared during the 2004-05 NHL lockout. He was re-signed by the Predators to a two-year deal on July 21, 2006. He was re-signed to another two-year deal extension on January 31, 2008.

In the second period of Game 1 of the 2008 Western Conference Quarter Finals, Tootoo scored his first playoff goal against the Detroit Red Wings on April 10, 2008. a 3-1 loss.

With Nashville, Tootoo now holds the franchise record for total penalty minutes (725). Tootoo played 46 goals and 79 assists in his eight years (2003—2012) with the Predators during his 486 games with the Predators, earning a total of 125 points.

The Nashville Predators hosted Jordin Tootoo Night at Bridgestone Arena, home to the Dallas Stars on February 2, 2019. Tootoo spoke with the media and participated in the pregame puck drop.

After the 2011-2012 season, Tootoo was named as an unrestricted free agent. On July 1, 2012, he agreed to a three-year, $5.7 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings, Nashville's Central Division rival. On February 19, 2013, he scored his first goal as a Red Wing against his former team, the Predators.

The Red Wings issued unconditional waivers for the purpose of a compliance buyout on June 18, 2014.

On October 7, 2014, Tootoo attended the New Jersey Devils training camp on a tryout basis and agreed to a one-year deal with the team. During the 2014-2015 season, he appeared in 68 games. He scored 10 goals, had 5 assists, and ranked 55th in the NHL's most penalty points. He was re-signed to his second one-year $825,000 deal on May 8, 2015.

Tootoo, a free agent, left the Devils on July 5, 2016 to sign a one-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. Tootoo's deal will run from February 28, 2017 to 2018. He was nursing an upper body injury and being placed on long-term injury reserve, resulting in his release in November 2017.

Tootoo retired from hockey after playing 723 NHL games on October 19, 2018. Given his retirement, Tootoo said he wants to "continue to work to improve life for Native children who are suffering."

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Awards

• Rookie of the Year, Most Popular Player, and Scholastic Player of the Year honours with the OCN Blizzard in 1998–99.
• Nominated as Manitoba's Sportsman of the Year for 2000.
• WHL Player of the Month for December, 2001.
• WHL Player of the Week for the week of December 23–30, 2001.
• Played in the 2001 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
• Hardest shot in the 2001 Top Prospects Skills Evaluation (96.1 mph).
• WHL Player of the Week for the week of November 11–17, 2002.
• National Aboriginal Achievement Award, now the Indspire Awards, 2002 Youth Award.
• WHL East First All-Star Team, 2003
• Meritorious Service Medal (Canada), 2017