Summer Jobs For NHL Players
Posted by jtbourne on April 13, 2010 · 18 Comments
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In the spirit of DownGoesBrown….
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Well, its that time of year again. Playoffs.
And at this time of year, journalists, reporters and TV pundits are all focused on the boys who made the cut and still have a chance at Lord Stanley’s Holy Grail.
Fortunately for you, you read the blog of an ex-player, and I have the connections to give you a look at something different. Truth is, even though NHL players make a ton of money, a lot of them still live paycheck to paycheck. You know how that can be. So, I thought it’d be entertaining for my readers if I made some calls and figured out what a few of the NHL guys that didn’t make playoffs are doing for work in the off-season.
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* It seems Dog the Bounty Hunter is getting too old to do his show, so they were doing interviews for someone to take over the lead role. Nobody thought Evander Kane would actually get the part, let alone immediately after his interview, but apparently he knocked it out.
* Phil Kessel was told he could come in any time over a two week span for a job interview at some place called “Olympic” Pizza, but apparently he went missing the whole time.
* Rick Tocchet apparently hasn’t been able to find any summer work, but he somehow moved into a nicer home. I’ll give you 3 to 1 odds he’s got something going under the table. 5 to 1? Okay, 5 to 1.
* Steven Stamkos was already up for the salesman of the week bonus at the Nissan dealership that hired him - apparently he tied the lead guy in sales by selling a tricycle to a blind guy for $80 bucks at the last second, just to reach the numbers.
* Apparently Keith Ballard got a job coaching t-ball. Not sure why.
* Rick Nash got a job doing landscaping, but was noticeably frustrated after seeing that, even though he was doing an amazing job, his co-workers sucked so bad things always turned out horribly.
* Amazingly, Daryl Sutter got a job running a major league baseball team. Since then he’s been there he’s been desperately trying to get some Blue Jays on his roster, at one point reportedly saying “I know all they’ve done is lose, but trust me, I really like what’s going on with these Toronto guys.”
* The only other scoop I heard was that Dion Phaneuf has apparently sunk to being a bus boy at Earls. It’s not about the money, I’m told. The staff said he just likes taking care of the sloppy seconds.
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After learning about a few of the Maple Leafs summer jobs, I realized I hadn’t heard much from that organization lately. I did a few quick Google searches to see what’s been going on:
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I'm a hockey player turned writer. After playing for Alaska Anchorage in the WCHA (NCAA), I carried on with an NHL tryout (New York Islanders in 2007) before spending a couple seasons in the AHL/ECHL (last year was 2008-09). My father, Bob Bourne, won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders in the '80's, as did my fiancee's dad, Clark Gillies. I'm now the web editor for theScore's hockey blog "Backhand Shelf."
Some of these went a little over my head, but I’m proud to say I got most of them.
Ouch on the Phaneuf one, that was brutal!
Dude Bourne, tell us how you *really* feel. d a m nnnnnn
Rock solid. i was with ya all the way..just wish those were my own thoughts..cause there JT money
Garett Bembridge dams up a stream in Saskatchewan every summer with logs and sticks. It’s majestic.
jl
Haha, yes Jake. Pure gold.
Maybe my boys in blue should practice bragging about skills they don’t actually have. Seems to work well for the Senators.
Justin didn’t understand the tball one….till I clicked the link then I just keeled over laughing…love it.
RJ Umberger is working at a local hospital…aparently they give free cat scans to their employees…
I heard T.J. Oshie goes back to kindergarten.
I am sure a lot players that aren’t playing in the playoffs will play in the Worlds before doing their summer jobs.
Love it.
Always makes me wonder why no one seems to want to play in Minnesota. Our summers are gorgeous and with the Wild, you’d be able to enjoy it from day one.
Isn’t Sean Avery dating Dion Phaneuf’s future girlfriend this summer?
The Canadian dollar is just slightly stronger than the US dollar today so I have a question for you, Justin……how do the leagues (AHL, NHL, etc) account for the currency exchange rate between the US/Canadian dollar and varying living expenses in general between teams that are in the US and Canada (and also between cities)? Are all salaries paid in 1 currency? Do players in Canada get a boost for living expense increase now due to the strengthening Canadian dollar? Just wondered how the leauges try to keep pay relatively the same between team locations……
Frank – all teams, Canadian included pay their players in USD.
so basically if you are playing for a Canadian team this year, they don’t give an extra bonus to account for living expenses being higher with a stronger Canadian dollar? (or vice versa when the US dollar is stronger)
I’m just curious because most international companies do give an “allowance” on top of an employee’s base salary that takes into account things like currency exchange when they are living in a foreign country…..
Nah, because you know how it is – you live in Phoenix and it’s half the price of living in Boston or New York – you get paid what you get paid, and if its more expensive to live in one place than another, take that into consideration before signing there. They probably should do what you’re talking about though…. it makes way more sense.
i dont like jake! and your lucky i have a WHL education j-Bo or i would have something witty to say about you! you suck
JT, hilarious read. I encourage more blogs like this moving forward. Awesome job!
-Burgundy
I still like the Andrew Raycroft for Tukka Rask deal. Most likely, the Bruins will be out of the playoffs in the first round – but Raycroft has a good chance at a Stanley Cup ring… am i wrong?!?
GO LEAFS GO!