PODCAST: Nolan Following His Father's Foote Steps

New Jersey Devils Official Podcast
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Nolan Foote | Speak of the Devils
There was a simple rule in the Foote household in the mid- to late-2000s.
"If you got your homework done and we were able to get our chores done, then we could go to the game," Nolan Foote explained.
We would be Nolan and his older brother Cal. The gamewould be the Colorado Avalanche, featuring the play of their father, defenseman Adam Foote.
Adam played 20 years in the NHL with Quebec, Colorado and Columbus from 1991-2011, winning two Stanley Cups in Denver. But it was during his twilight years with the Avalanche that his son Nolan remembers most.
"It was really cool (watching him play)," Nolan said. "We always had the same seats (at the arena). It was pretty special. And if they got a win, we were able to go in the locker room after."

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Once in the locker room, the Foote brothers did as any young hockey progenies would do.
"Cal and I were always cutting down broken sticks, turning them into mini sticks," Nolan said. "That was probably our favorite thing. And then of course we'd steal tape. And the trainers in Colorado, there was a huge stash of candy."
As children, they knew their father was a hockey player. But it wasn't until his retirement that they fully grasped how good of a hockey player he truly was.
"I think the jersey retirement was like, wow, your jersey's in the rafters, no one is going to wear this number again in Colorado," Nolan recalled. "I thought that was just so special. And to be down there on the ice in front of a sold-out (crowd) at the Pepsi Center, that was really special."
And their father's profession was no doubt an influence on his boys' career path.
"And honestly, when we first started playing hockey we wanted to be in the NHL," Nolan said. "I wanted to do what my dad does. But I think when that hit and he retired and he really started to help Cal and I, started coaching us and all that stuff."
With Adam's career over, the Foote family focus shifted to the youths. And the team's home shifted from Colorado to Kelowna, British Columbia. They moved north so that Cal and Nolan could play junior hockey in the Western Hockey League, and represent Team Canada in international play.
"Our whole family was there in Kelowna. It was pretty special," Nolan said. "We built a home there and to have our family there, you know, I'd never experienced a billet family. So to have my parents there, my mom making her famous chicken parm on game days, it was great to have."
Nolan, 20, played four seasons with the Kelowna Rockets from 2016-2020, and represented Canada at the World Under-18 and World Junior Championships, winning a gold medal in both tournaments. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound winger scored 36 goals and 63 points in 66 games during the 2018-19 season, under the direction of his new coach: his father.
"Definitely weird at first," Nolan said of his father, who took over as Kelowna head coach in October of 2018. "When our (previous) coach, before he got fired, I had the players asking me is (the new coach) going to be your dad? I knew, but I was just saying 'no.'"
Nolan played with his brother Cal at Kelowna for two seasons (2016-2018) and it appeared that the brothers would soon be reunited as teammates after Tampa Bay selected both in the first round of their respective NHL Drafts (Cal, 14th overall, 2017; Nolan, 27th overall, 2019).
However, that dream was skirted when the Devils traded forward Blake Coleman to Tampa Bay in exchange for Nolan and a 2020 first-round pick. Coleman would go on to help the Lightning win the Stanley Cup in 2020.
"It's a business and it's going to happen," Nolan said. "Good for Tampa winning the Cup. You know, that was a great trade for them, but I thought Jersey made a great trade as well."
Due to an injury and the COVID-19 shutdown, Nolan went an entire year without playing hockey. His return to action came with Binghamton of the American Hockey League in late 2020. He posted six goals and 16 points in 20 games before his dream came true.
On April 18, Foote made his NHL debut against the New York Rangers, picking up an assist with his parents in the crowd. Two days later, in Pittsburgh, he would net his first-NHL goal with a beautiful shot on a one-knee one-timer from the near circle.
"It was so exciting getting the call up," he said. "I didn't know if I was going to be playing in New York or at home, so the nerves were around and obviously that's normal. That's going to happen. I'm just happy to be here. And (the goal) was a great play. It was a great passing play."
Foote has now played in three career games. That puts him 1,151 behind his father. And though his father casts a big shadow, Nolan isn't afraid of living up to the legacy.
"Yeah, you definitely want to live up to it," he said. "Obviously 20 years and that amount of games, all that stuff means you got a lot of work to do, but it's great. And we'll see how it goes when my first game comes in Colorado, I think that'll be really special."
Maybe after the game in Colorado the Avalanche will let Nolan into the locker room to steal some tape and candy for old time's sake.