Five Examples of Off-Ice Success

There have been many very highly successful hockey players over the years. There have been countless very successful people in arenas other than hockey arenas. But succeeding at both is exceedingly rare! At SkateGuard, we want to position players and their families to be winners in all aspects of their lives. So, today, we thought we would take a look at former—and, in one case, future—NHL players who have had, or are positioned to have, immense success in other areas of public life after their pro careers were over.

1. Ken Dryden likely remains the gold standard for balancing on- and off-ice commitments. He is a Hockey Hall of Famer and widely considered one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history. In addition, he is a highly accomplished author, with his book The Game having been nominated for a Governor General’s Award in 1983. Dryden is a graduate both of Cornell University, where he was a three-time All-American, and of McGill Law School. He has taught classes at McGill. He is also a highly accomplished politician, elected to the House of Commons three separate times (2004, 2006 and 2008). Dryden also spent time as the President of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he has done colour commentary for hockey at three Olympic Games. If a player is looking for an example of what it takes to succeed both on and off the ice, they need look no further than Dryden.
2. Peter Forsberg’s business career is much like his hockey career: not long, but certainly brilliant! Forsberg is widely considered one of the best players of his generation, and he was handsomely compensated for those talents—to the tune of $84 million, according to CapFriendly. But it is his investment in the footwear company Crocs that best highlights Forsberg’s off-ice career. He was an early investor in the footwear company, and he was able to secure the distribution rights for Scandinavia. While there is no “investment grade” estimate of how much Forsberg earned on this wise move, it is not unreasonable to think that his proceeds have been in the seven figures, if not eight.
3. Patrick Flatley was one of the most universally respected players on the ice, where he spent all but one of his 14 NHL seasons with the New York Islanders, captaining the team for five of those seasons. After his career, Flatley has become just as well respected in corporate circles. He is a Partner at Lincoln Land Services, a founding partner of Great American Bagel Enterprise, a Partner at KenAidan Realty, and a Trustee of Slate Grocery REIT. He has been a part of numerous real estate projects on both sides of the border.
4. Dr. Randy Gregg grew up in Edmonton, played no junior hockey of any description, and was never drafted to the NHL. He did, however, manage to represent Canada at two Olympic Games (in 1980 and, as captain, in 1988), he won a Canada Cup in 1984, and he won five Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers. Gregg entered the University of Alberta at 16 years old to work towards a medical degree and had an outstanding career at U of A, including winning Canadian university player of the year in 1979. He then proceeded to play two years in Japan, before stepping right into the 1982 NHL playoffs having never played an NHL game. And in the middle of his playing career, he began a residency program in orthopedic surgery! Gregg completed the program shortly after the conclusion of his hockey career, and he has operated a sports medicine practice ever since. The Dr. Randy Gregg Award is presented annually to a Canadian University hockey player that combines outstanding work in hockey, academics and community involvement.
5. UP AND COMER: Zayne Parekh. After putting up a staggering 33 goals and 96 points … as an 18 year old … DEFENCEMAN (!!!) in the OHL, Parekh was taken ninth overall by the Calgary Flames in the recently completed 2024 NHL Entry Draft. In addition to his immense hockey talent, it is reported that one of the reasons the Flames took Parekh was the excellent impression he made on them during the pre-draft interview process. The Flames reportedly told his agent that he was very well spoken, which reconciles with the fact that Parekh graduated high school as a 15-year-old and has been taking classes at the University of Toronto ever since[1]. He certainly appears to be setting himself up to be successful both off and on the ice. Given that hockey has made a concerted effort to celebrate diversity amongst its players in recent years, as demonstrated through the NHL’s “Hockey is for Everyone” campaign, Parekh’s Indian-Korean heritage will hopefully be celebrated by the Flames’ and the NHL’s marketing departments.

There are undoubtedly others who warrant consideration for this list. And let’s remember that there are plenty of ways to define success. The five individuals highlighted here have achieved very visible forms of success, but there are plenty of others who are highly successful in less visible ways.

At SkateGuard, we pride ourselves on helping to define what success looks like both on and off the ice for every player we interact with. That will be very different player to player. Reach out to us today if you are looking to optimize your hockey career both on and off the ice!