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Hi all, I am new to HF but a huge hockey fan. From what I have been reading here almost everyone seems very intelligent with hockey, so I have a question for you.
Come September I will be taking the post-graduate certificate Sport Business Management at Algonquin College. I was hoping someone here would be able to provide insight, or at least an educated opinion on what they feel the odds of making it in the NHL or professional hockey will be with this program. It is a post grad program, as I will be graduating from Business Marketing at the end of this month.
Sport Business Management was developed by former NHL'er Jim Kyte, and is now run by Dave Best who was part of Olympic Canada for almost 20 years. They have guest speakers every year which includes the likes of Gary Bettman.
Now obviously I know I will not be a GM or player agent with this course, but I was hoping maybe with the marketing or sales team of an organization or something like that. Do you think this course will allow me to pursue my dream of working in the industry? Is there anything else I can do that you folks know of?
Any answers are greatly appreciated, sorry for the long post but I am glad to be part of the best hockey discussion on the Web!!
Cameron - I'd suggest perusing the marketing and other jobs listed on the NHL site -- http://hockeyjobs.nhl.com/ -- and look at the requirements and qualifications for positions that might interest you.
What subjects would I need to take in school? Should I look for an internship or something? Has there ever been a GM who hasn't played junior hockey at least?
p.s - not sure if this is the right place to post this; i'm new.
I'm looking for some opinions from people on here. I've been in contact with a few NHL teams in terms of part-time scouting, and have even had some interviews, and positive feedback.
If i have to leave the NHL alone and look at my second option, I need to decide whether or not to target a scouting service, or OHL teams. I have 40 pages of notes scouting players in person over the course of the year two unnamed teams told me they will likely use my notes at different points at the draft, and asked if that was alright with me, obviously that would be an honour if they acutally did, but my notes are directed towards their NHL potential as supposed to their playing potential in the OHL.
I have already been suggestedly informed by one pay scouting service that if i wanted to work part-time for them, they would welcome the idea. But if my goal is to end up scouting with an NHL team would it make more sense to go to a scouting service, which my notes would apply much better to as written, or to persue an OHL team first, which would likely have much better connections in terms of moving up when i'm ready to move.
Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated as it's a difficult choice and both have their advantages and any extra feedback will be beneficial in making my decision.
I'd suggest reading post #16 above (and other previous posts).
Thanks. I read the article but it isn't in the direction of my question.
I'm already getting positive feedback from Head/Directors of Amateur Scouting with NHL teams in terms of future potential in scouting, so being in my 20's I have an inside track long term in securing an NHL job eventually..
What i'm wondering is IF i do not wind up with an NHL job, I need to look at alternatives. Those would be either a Scouting Service or attempting to get in with an OHL team.
What i'm wondering is, considering my scouting reports are based on players NHL projection among their talents should I attempt to get in with a Scouting Service. Or considering how well junior teams may be connected to some NHL teams, would it be best to attempt to get on board with an OHL team in hopes of moving up a league over time.
Just looking for some opinions out there.
Last edited by Default101: 05-15-2010 at 01:59 AM.
Anyone have any information about really good grad schools with sports management? I have been looking around but figured I would come to HF to ask to see if anyone could enlighten me a bit more. So far my top few are Michigan, Seton Hall, NYU, and Columbia. Any help is appreciated.
I'm not sure if many people know about this program, but I just graduated through the Cosmos Sports Institute. Its basically a 2 week program, mostly about ticket sales & sponsorships. Kind of a "foot-in-the-door" type thing.
They guarantee a job once you graduate. (I got a few offers from OHL and CFL, but waiting on an opening for the Hamilton Bulldogs/T.O. Marlies)
I also heard of the Sports Management Worldwide school and it seems legit although I'm not sure how good of chances you would have to break into the industry with JUST this as an education, I would recommend getting a degree, in business or sports management as well.
have anyone here done a internship for a hockey team? how is it like? any specific skill? I know you need to be a college student? how many do they hire?
This isn't what you're going to want to hear, but you need to hear it all the same. I know the anonymity of the Internet allows anyone to say and pretend to be whomever they choose, so all you can do is trust that what I'm saying is true.
I work in hockey, and have for about three and a half years. Not a terribly long time, to be sure, but long enough to have worked for three clubs in two leagues (yes, including the NHL). The number one thing that I tell anyone who wishes to get into this career is to understand and embrace the fact that you will be married to your job for the rest of your life. You will not work traditional hours, (a 40 hour work week is a distant, distant memory), you will barely make enough money to survive (introductory pay in most leagues is 16k-22k, USD), and, you will work for people who have no business running teams, esp. at the minor league level.
Also, go ahead and throw out the notion that you can/are willing to start working in management or a scout. Unless you're a former pro with a substantial contact network, you're not qualified. What you are qualified to do, however, is sell tickets. This is a daily routine of phone calls and meetings, plus game-night responsibilities that rarely actually include watching the game. You're going to be responsible for putting on the atmosphere/carnival aspect that is modern sports. Making the transition from ticket sales/corporate sales into management/hockey ops is no easy task, but it can be done so long as you stick around in the business long enough to meet the right people. But don't expect that to happen within your first 10-15 years in the business, if ever.
I don't mean to be gloom and doom. Honestly, I don't. But, I can tell you, that if I were going to be hiring for any position within my club, I would actually throw your resume OUT if you had any kind of online sports management training, because that's not this business, and it shows me that you're idealistic and don't really "get it." A sports management major needs to know that ticket sales is how he/she is going to make a living for him/herself, unless you can break in to PR (where I work), and even then you still have substantial sales responsibilities.
Look, it can be a lot of fun. There's a rush of excitement as the season starts, and you get to meet a lot of people and provide them with entertainment. It's a lot of fun for me to see small children at my games and know that I've helped make a hockey fan for life. But I question myself on a daily basis if it's worth it or not. If you're not absolutely in love with what you're doing, and willing to sacrifice everything else in your life for it, you will not succeed in sports. I know people who have lost marriages, fiancees, savings, and all sorts of relationships so that they can work in this business.
If you want it, go for it. I recommend working game nights for a team for free, and getting your foot in the door that way. Please PM me if there is anything that I could do for you.
I was a college hockey player whose career ended in 1992..... I was a guy who ended with over 150 points , nice 4 year career but was never going to play in the NHL .... Coul no longer do the bus rides and minor hockey was never an issue but I wanted to stay in the game.... My coaches got me a job with a NHL club in Canada . I drove 6 hours for my first day on the job and did not make it past lunch ... 17.5k in salary was the end for me. 100 hours per week living in dumps
I was a college hockey player whose career ended in 1992..... I was a guy who ended with over 150 points , nice 4 year career but was never going to play in the NHL .... Coul no longer do the bus rides and minor hockey was never an issue but I wanted to stay in the game.... My coaches got me a job with a NHL club in Canada . I drove 6 hours for my first day on the job and did not make it past lunch ... 17.5k in salary was the end for me. 100 hours per week living in dumps
Are you saying that an NHL team was paying you a 17.5K annual salary to scout?
Are you saying that an NHL team was paying you a 17.5K annual salary to scout?
Most likely it was ticket sales or something. If you read the whole thread you have to break in. Unless you know someone at the top of that organization you have to work your way through the ranks. I'm minoring in Public Relations and am going to try to break in with an organization that way. I'm also trying to get an internship with an NHL team and network myself.
