Hayley Wickenheiser: Steve Montador And The NHL
By Kate Cimini
Hayley Wickenheiser, friend to Steve Montador and one of the most decorated women in hockey recently spoke on her personal website and later, her Facebook page, on Montador’s death.
Steve Montador, former Chicago Blackhawk, was found dead in his home from apparent natural causes a week and a half ago. He was 35, and had struggled with regaining his health after multiple concussions from playing hockey.
His death prompted a number of articles, some focusing on the seeming-downward spiral Montador had entered after being forced by his own body to leave the sport and career he had dedicated his life to. Others focused on Montador’s positive attitude, donating his brain post-mortem to research and focusing on living with his symptoms.
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Whatever Montador’s life and mentality was like, post-concussion, no one could know for sure. Even family and friends would see his actions and reactions through their own lens. The one thing we can know is that it was likely very difficult, even for someone as upbeat as Montador was reputed to be, to leave the career he had been developing since he was a teenager.
Wickenheiser, Olympic gold medalist in women’s hockey and the first woman to play professional hockey in a position other than goalie, agreed.
In this Facebook post she said that, while many might envy professional athletes their skill, luck, and above all, money, it’s not quite as easy to live in, or leave, that world as the public would assume.
"“The average fan and everyday working person does not have a lot of empathy for pro athletes who might make 20-30 million over their entire career, then retire and struggle.I do.The reason I do is that no amount of fame or money can buy anyone happiness or fulfillment. Think about having a career since you were 5 years old and doing that career for 30 years, then stopping and having very little skills or real world knowledge to move on and start something new.Many of these guys are lucky to have finished high school and some post secondary education and it is almost impossible to plan and pursue other career options while you are playing as 82 games a season – it is a grind. Sure the hotels are nice, the meals are good, but the travel and fatigue is unrelenting and takes its toll on anyone. Mentally you need to have enough space to be able to recover and perform the next day.It is easier for players like myself, elite amateur and Olympic athletes, to prepare for life after sport because we have no choice. None of us are going to make enough money to sustain us for the rest of our lives. I have been thinking and preparing about life after hockey for the last 10 years. I have gone on to do a master’s and other education in [order] to set myself up for this. I have also seen teammates who have not had that thinking, and when they leave the game, they too struggle.I think the hardest thing for any athlete, pro or Olympic is the day it is over. Up to that point you were a valuable commodity, then suddenly overnight you are no longer a part of it. I have had teammates who were literally told ‘thanks we don’t want you anymore’ and guys have told me stories about being involved in conversations about trades and playoff runs in one instant and then being handed a garbage bag with their stuff and told ‘goodbye’ in the next. Their NHLPA email address is gone and if they want insurance from the NHL they can purchase it for a handsome fee.Steve Montador is no longer with us and many will say it is because of concussions. In my opinion that is just one part of the story.”"
Does the NHL have a responsibility to ensure a safe transition to “civilian” life for its previous employees? Compassion would say yes. And so would common sense.
Think of the company you work for. You probably have access to retirement planning seminars, maybe even transition services if you’re very lucky. But most of all, when you retire, you are expected to be in your sixties (or seventies, at this rate). You may have had a family, hobbies, property, and are likely better at knowing where and when to spend money than someone who is in their twenties.
Unlike professional NHL athletes. According to QuantHockey, most retire retire before or around age 27, decades before the average Canadian or American citizen thinks of tapping into a 401k.
Graph taken from
There are resources available for NHL players who are planning on leaving the league, who know their retirement is coming. But is it enough? Wickenheiser’s perspective would lead us to believe that it is lacking.
Article 29 of the CBA states “The League and the NHLPA shall work together on developing and improving career counseling and continuing education programs along the same lines as the Life After Hockey Program.” Considering that the CBA spends nearly five pages on pension plans, a single paragraph dedicated to second career assistance makes it clear what the NHL considers a priority.
Money is important in North America. It makes our world go ’round. But I would argue that mental health is far more important and deserves to be taken care of first.