Early in his NHL career, Darnell Nurse didn’t often hear players talking about their retirement plans. As he prepares to enter a ninth season, he notes that these discussions are now much more frequent.
“People are curious about what’s outside of this sport and what you can do to prepare yourself,” Nurse explained.
Many players made sure to prepare for their future during their NHL career, like Zdeno Chara, who obtained a real estate broker’s license, or others who finished their studies or explored business opportunities.
The NHL Players Association (NHLPA) launched a program on Thursday that offers its members the opportunity to complete a personality analysis and dip their toe into the world of real estate, business or careers. other outlets while continuing to play in the league.
The goal is to make the transition between the hockey career and life after it a little easier.
“It’s something that we missed a little bit,” former Canadiens center Lars Eller told The Associated Press. It is known to all that the transition after a career as a professional athlete is not always easy. This program will help with this transition by allowing you to begin the process before the end of your career. »
New NHLPA boss Marty Walsh said one of his priorities is to better help former players. His appointment in March coincided with the end of a two-year process set in motion after players expressed a desire for more help outside of hockey.
Real estate, business, humor and even farms
The result of this approach is the UNLMT program. Former defender-turned-psychologist Jay Harrison is available to assess players, and players can get involved with ventures ranging from money management to comedy and improv.
Former goaltender Rob Zepp, who oversaw the development of the program as the NHLPA’s director of strategic initiatives, explained that a lengthy survey provided the basis for what was ultimately designed for a personalized approach with players. players, according to their interests.
“What we’ve seen is that it’s really going in all directions: from tips on building your brand to launching a podcast, to courses on getting a real estate broker’s license, to courses in business management. business, to develop communication skills, etc., Zepp said. We have players who want to get involved or are involved in real estate or construction brokerage businesses, or even farms. »
Lars Eller, Darnell Nurse and Buffalo Sabers captain Kyle Okposo are among the players who have had the opportunity to try out the UNLMT program. Okposo previously graduated from a business leadership program at Stanford University, while Eller met Harrison and took courses offered.
Eller, who financially supports small businesses, believes that spending his free time studying makes him a better player.
“We don’t have a lot of freedom when the season starts, but we have a lot of free time,” said Eller, 34, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. It’s nice to be able to think about something other than hockey and do something productive with that time. »
And that will be very useful when the time comes to hang up his skates.