Thread: My boy

Originally Posted by Wullie

A paltry 50K? I realize you were getting teeth knocked loose and out etc. 50K might be insignificant in that industry but it sure ain't chicken feed in my book.

I got a lot of teeth knocked loose for free by bashing my face into guys fists. LOL Too old for that now. Takes too long to heal and clothes cost too much.

Wullie:
10% of my contractual salary went to my agent off right off the top. He got paid BEFORE the gov't took its share. Then I had to pay an attorney to validate the contract (and keep my agent honest and avoid being hosed). THEN I had to pay the IRS, Commonwealth of Virginia, Province of Ontario, Province of Quebec, Province of Newfoundland, Province of Prince Edward Island, Province of New Brunswick (we played games there, and as a Canadian citizen I had to pay taxes wherever I worked in Canada), Province of British Columbia (my legal residence at that time), and the Gov't. of Canada.
My net profit from 1st year salary approximated 25k. That does not include the incidental expenses (professional wardrobe for games, meal money on the road because we got $20 per day from the team, gym membership, wasted fuel money for public and charity appearances, etc.). Yeah, it was chicken feed.
Did you ever have to pay someone else just to get a job?

Wullie:
My last post may seem confrontational. That was not my intent. If you took it as such, I apologize. Most people think that pro athletes have no expenses outside of the "normal' person's realm, and it just ain't so. My intent was to educate, not offend. Again, apologies if offence was taken. Peace out, bro.
mapleleafalumnus

Originally Posted by Wullie

A paltry 50K? I realize you were getting teeth knocked loose and out etc. 50K might be insignificant in that industry but it sure ain't chicken feed in my book.

I got a lot of teeth knocked loose for free by bashing my face into guys fists. LOL Too old for that now. Takes too long to heal and clothes cost too much.

Ha! We were cut from the same cloth my friend.before I joined the Army the oil fields were capped around 1982... I needed money so I worked for a brick company as labor and boxed for 50$ a bout on the of Mexico... Rough times.. Seems that all the boxers that were told to stop fighting in the U.S that were to punchdrunk or had to many injuries went down to Mexico to fight... So I was thier sparring partner.. I was young, maybe 17... Skinny kid with work muscles..but, I was sparring guys with a ridiculous amount of fights under thier belts.. Dirty fighters and mean.. Good times. Thank god for the Army G.I. Bill!

I remember when the oil field crashed in the 80's. I've lost three GOOD jobs to the oilfield crashing and have yet to work a day "in the patch" or on a derrick floor.

When the patch crashes, a lot of stuff related to it goes down the ter-let as well.

I was close to getting my degree with my GI Bill. Time was running out and the finish line was in sight. Then the clowns that ran the university I was attending re-evaluated my transcript and tossed 60 hours out the door. Unknown to me at the time, I had PTSD issues and my rear end flapped open like a $2 suitcase. The old man that delivered the message got more than he bargained for, but he didn't get the ass whipping I wanted to give him. I just chewed on my knuckle and said "piss on it" and went back to driving cross country. At least I had some peace of mind.

The VA is trying to help now. Pbbbbbbbbbt. I ain't gonna live in prozacistan. I keep a bottle with three or four pills in it on my desk at work. It is simply AMAZING how my anal sphincter big boss's attitude has changed toward me since I started doing that. That along with the fact that they hired an ol' boy I used to work with and he told 'em how one afternoon I dragged the dispatcher across a counter and out in the parking lot and beat the lining out of his rear end because he pissed me off. LOL The boss asked me about it and I told him the guy that told the story wasn't lying one bit.

My wife and son do more for keeping me out of trouble than anything else. I am truly thankful for them.

[QUOTE=Wullie;987502

My wife and son do more for keeping me out of trouble than anything .[/QUOTE]

Yep, having a wife and kids will Keep you on the straight. I got lucky, every time i got hurt i worked on college.. I ended up with an M.B.A... Shows you how good I was at ducking...Not!

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

Wullie:
My last post may seem confrontational. That was not my intent. If you took it as such, I apologize. Most people think that pro athletes have no expenses outside of the "normal' person's realm, and it just ain't so. My intent was to educate, not offend. Again, apologies if offence was taken. Peace out, bro.
mapleleafalumnus

No sir, I didn't see or read any of that as confrontational. Nor was I making fun of you when I typed what I did.

I knew there was more than meets the eye in that business. I had no idea how thoroughly mercenary that type of business is. And no, I never paid anybody to get or keep a job.

No offense taken.

SLAINTE`
W

Originally Posted by mapleleafalumnus

Wullie:
10% of my contractual salary went to my agent off right off the top. He got paid BEFORE the gov't took its share. Then I had to pay an attorney to validate the contract (and keep my agent honest and avoid being hosed). THEN I had to pay the IRS, Commonwealth of Virginia, Province of Ontario, Province of Quebec, Province of Newfoundland, Province of Prince Edward Island, Province of New Brunswick (we played games there, and as a Canadian citizen I had to pay taxes wherever I worked in Canada), Province of British Columbia (my legal residence at that time), and the Gov't. of Canada.
My net profit from 1st year salary approximated 25k. That does not include the incidental expenses (professional wardrobe for games, meal money on the road because we got $20 per day from the team, gym membership, wasted fuel money for public and charity appearances, etc.). Yeah, it was chicken feed.
Did you ever have to pay someone else just to get a job?

Wow, I had no idea..... I didn't think of all the ticks attatching themselves to you.. Seems somewhat unfair.. I wonder how youngsters can get a start in that biz and stay afloat? Is that common?

Originally Posted by Wintchase

Wow, I had no idea..... I didn't think of all the ticks attatching themselves to you.. Seems somewhat unfair.. I wonder how youngsters can get a start in that biz and stay afloat? Is that common?

Many try to go pro, and the sad fact is most fail miserably. That's life. Not everyone who goes to university with the intention of becoming a medical doctor makes it, either. On to your question!
First thing's first: you need skill. Then you have to get noticed by the right people. I wouldn't recommend ANYONE try and count on being offered a professional contract. Don't get me wrong, it's one helluva ride! But too many friends have asked me to evaluate their kid's abilities and potential for a pro career, and I honestly never saw one who was worth a tin whistle in a high wind. There is no "tried-and-true" formula for success in pro hockey, and there will never be one. Getting there is only half the war: STAYING can be even tougher because there is always some rookie out to take your job from you.
I forgot to mention all the abuse you take.
-Complete strangers interrupting meals w/your family (or lady friend) in restaurants demanding autographs (or outright insulting you). They will often attempt to join you at your table after you acceded to their request. Sometimes they even try to sucker-punch you right there at the table/bar!
-Playing an away game in Montreal, where you are cussed out in 3 different languages.
-The ugliest women you'll ever see asking you to sign their breasts/take a photo w/them kissing your face. UUUGGHHH!
-Some drunk a-hole calling your hotel room at 4 a.m. to harass you (usually this is an off-duty hotel employee).
-The televised media making note of EVERY MISTAKE, and getting as much mileage out of it as they can.
-Always having to be on guard in a saloon for that one drunk wanna-be/has-been who wants to fight you or just bore the piss out of you w/their tales of (under)achievement. "I coulda made the pros, too if..."
-The prettiest women you'll ever see who want...(ultimately your $$$). That's why they're called "trophy wives": they'll take you for everything you're worth. Your $$$ is THEIR trophy!
-BAD AGENTS who may try to rob you blind by undervaluing/misrepresenting presented offers (that's why I always hired an independent attorney to certify contracts). The most famous case of this was Alan Eagleson and Bobby Orr. Fortunately, this doesn't happen anymore, but it used to be frequent.
-BAD COACHES AND GENERAL MANAGERS! Believe me, there are a lot of them out there. Remember when the Vancouver Canucks tried to make Igor Larionov into a checking defenceman?!? How about Bowman trying to make Federov into a d-man? Those were STUPID coaching moves that could have prematurely ended each player's career.
-OWNERS. Take for example Harold Ballard (TML). Took a great club and completely demolished it.

Fans were responsible for my paycheques. Without them and without hockey, I'd have been a teacher like my father. That's why I studied history and psychology in college -- for the dark, dreaded day when I would no longer play. I always tried to show my appreciation (rarely refused autographs) if they approached me respectfully and politely. If it was "Hey, jerk-off, my kid wants your autograph", well, my response wasn't quite so friendly.
I attended many charity functions, visited countless sick/injured/dying children in numerous hospitals, donated tens of thousands of dollars, and tried to help out as much as I could within reason. The problem with that is if you do it for one person/family/charity once, they think they have an favourable "insider's track" for your time, attention and money. Their reasoning is "Well, he did it for us before, why won't he do it again?" In short, the phone NEVER stops ringing.

Keep your kid in school. Let him/her play the sport(s) THEY want to play. Encourage them, but NEVER push them. Make participation in sports conditional upon satisfactory scholastic achievement. It's better that they can apply the multiplication tables than be able to hit a one-timer! After all, there are more people who can explain the theory of relativity than could blast go top-shelf on Patric Roy. Which is really more useful to the human condition?
Sorry for being so long-winded, but I thought your question deserved a factual response about the lifestyle.