While growing up in northern Alberta during the early 1980s, Nolan Pratt played hockey, lacrosse, and soccer with considerable excitement. But between his three passions, hockey prevailed at the top of the flagpole when it came to a career of choice. Like so many Alberta boys of his day, he was glued to his TV set on Saturday nights to watch his idols, Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky, work their magic.
When his turn came, it was with the Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL. There, Pratt balanced strong physical play with effective playmaking skills to become a club leader in scoring from the blueline. The Hartford Whalers drafted him early on in his Portland days. And not being immediate NHL material, he continued to sharpen his blades in the WHL until he turned pro in 1995.
At that point, Pratt waded into the world of minor-league hockey, first with the Richmond Renegades of the ECHL and then the Springfield Falcons of the AHL. It wasn't until late in the 1996-97 season that he finally saw his first NHL action with the Whalers. He appeared in nine games, picking up his first two big-league assists.
He opened the following season with the New Haven Beast of the AHL where he played 54 games and then advanced to the Whalers' new incarnation in Carolina. From that point on, he became an NHL regular. He played two more complete seasons with the Hurricanes where he established himself as a physical, stay-at-home rearguard who had little to do with whatever went on in the offensive zone.
In 2000-01, Pratt was blessed by a trade that sent him to Colorado. With the Avs, he continued to perform as a reserve defender who could cover bases in his own zone. By the end of the season, he got his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup.
Pratt was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the start of the 2001-02 season and continued to play a solid defensive game, while helping the Bolts capture their first Stanley Cup title in 2004 and Pratt's second as a player.
