When their time in the rink is done, professional hockey players often don't have a plan for their lives. Many are athletes recruited straight out of middle school or high school, skipping college altogether in favor of their chosen profession. Not all have made millions through contracts or endorsement deals, and not all consider college as a viable option.
The Alumni Association of the National Hockey League, together with the league itself, has a program to fix that: the "Life After Hockey Program."
Rather than provide athletes with financial assistance to college, the program sets retiring athletes up with an advisor who can counsel the men. While it seems self-evident to our generation, these men have not been in the educational system for decades and - given that the "traditional" student is in the late-teens-to-early-twenties age bracket - they may not consider themselves eligible to return.
A hockey player's journey into the NHL begins at a very young age. As the league makes it difficult, if not impossible, for older athletes to join the competition, those wishing to make it in the hockey world must play by the league's rules and leave home early. As such, it is good to see the Alumni Association and the NHL take some responsibility in ensuring these players have a means for securing the rest of their lives.
This kind of program should serve as an example to other professional sports leagues, such as the National Basketball Association. If the athletes - who are often media icons and idols to fans - are encouraged to attend college, it sends a message to the youth of the nation. When athletes put an emphasis on education, especially after they have had full careers, it reinforces the advantages to obtaining a college education.
At the same time, however, we could wish the NHL were spending more of its time and resources on improving the quality of the game. Improving the product that is given to the fans improves the benefits to the players and the fans alike, and it doesn't hurt anything. The league is hurting right now, and educating athletes after the fact won't solve any problems. The athletes make their own choices to join the league, and nobody - least of all the players - is served by poor management and poor playing. If the NHL wants to use its money where it will get the most return, college counseling should not be its first priority.
All in all, though, this program is beneficial to every side. It allows players to focus on hockey while promoting college education and letting players know that life after hockey does exist. The guidance counselors are in an excellent position to help out hockey players, and, in turn, America, a trend we hope transcends the NHL.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
