RANKIN INLET - The same broad smile crosses his face every time the plane touches down to bring him back to Rankin Inlet.

For Nashville Predators winger Jordin Tootoo, there truly is no place like home.

After exchanging pleasantries at the airport with friends and family, he sneaks a peek at himself smiling down from a giant billboard during the drive to the family home.

After the rigors of a gruelling NHL season, Tootoo is finally able to relax and simply be Jordin once again.

"Coming home brings me back to earth in that I'm just a small-town kid like everyone else," said Tootoo.

"I'm probably one of the few who glances at the sign the community put up for me every single time I pass it because it makes me realize this is where I grew up.

"The people here treat me like everyone else, and that's great because I don't want to be known as the kid who made it big.

"I want to be known as the small-town guy from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, who made it to the NHL."

Tootoo said more and more adults are realizing the adversity he had to overcome on his way to the NHL.

He said there are still too many negative influences affecting youth in Northern communities.

"Too many kids are getting into things they're not supposed to at a young age and that shows too many parents aren't doing their jobs.

"When they see me going out and doing something with my life, it really opens their eyes to a lot of things.

"Even though you can only do so much, I'm glad to be a stepping stone for not just teenagers and young kids, but adults as well.

"There's still a lot of people I look up to and many of them are my friends."

Tootoo said choosing the right friends goes a long way towards a successful life.

He said while many people have tried to pull him in different directions, his true friends have always been in Rankin Inlet.

"When you go down south, you meet a lot of people who are kind of two-faced.

"They may be your friends in public, but they can do a lot of damage to you behind closed doors.

"When I come home to Rankin, I'm at peace with my friends because these are the people I'm going to be with for the rest of my life.

"It's the one time of year I'm able to just go with the flow and not be on any kind of schedule."

Tootoo said he's not a big media guy, and tries to stay away from all the press clippings and stories about him.

He said he enjoys Nashville because it's not a media-driven city like the bigger hockey towns of Toronto, Montreal and Calgary.

In those places, players can't walk out of their homes without being watched.

"That's what's so great about Nashville, everyone's treated equally and we can actually go the mall without being bothered.

"Guys love that about Nashville - and it's not too big or too small, and it's easy to get around.

"It would be great to play in Canada, but at the same time, a lot of guys' careers suffer because they can't handle all the media attention and it gets in their head and frustrates them."

Tootoo is comfortable with being a role model for Nunavut youth.

He said he'll do whatever he can to help them adopt a positive lifestyle.

"I enjoy community work and travelling to places I've never been to in the Baffin area or the Western Arctic.

"I'm still going strong with Nunasi and NorTerra, so things are going great.

"I'm excited to be visiting communities in south Baffin this week that I've never been to before."

Jordin's dad Barney looks forward to the precious time together when his son returns home.

He said he's extremely grateful to the people of Rankin Inlet for all the pride they've shown in Jordin's accomplishments.

"It almost brought tears to my eyes when they unveiled the airport sign and the framed stick and jersey at the arena," said Barney.

"I'd like to thank Mayor Lorne Kusugak and all of Rankin for the affection they've shown our son.

"The wife (Rose) and I are in the same boat as Jordin in that we all appreciate everything the hamlet has done to recognize Jordin in Rankin."

Barney said he still gets the same thrill watching his son play in the NHL as he always has.

He said it's still a blast to see Jordin on TV and have people hooting and hollering for him at the house.

"Everybody gets into every game just like it was still day one.

"The novelty of watching Jordin in the NHL hasn't worn off one little bit."