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Careers in Hockey: A collection of resources

oil91 said:
Ok so without connections and say everything goes well and i have a few clients jsut from watching and so on would i then apply to a sports management company or would i just work individually
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Not a clue - it depends upon your personality and entrepreneurial abilities.
 
Sports Management Worldwide

http://www.sportsmanagementworldwide.com/

These are the guys you need to talk to if you want a career as a sports agent with no connections. Same thing goes for any NHL or other sport job they offer on-line training and of course you have to pay for it. They are actually looking to train people for an NHL scouting job right now as well. Hope this helps you out good luck.
 
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oil91 said:
hello i am currently taking a bachelor of applied bussiness and entrepreneurship in sports and recreation and plan to get a law degree after completion of the previous degree. i am just wondering if all goes well what would be the steps of becoming an nhl agent, and also how do pick up clients( i assume scouting them but im not completely sure)

thanks for any help
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Contact the big agencies and ask about intern programs.
 
Buffaloed said:
Contact the big agencies and ask about intern programs.
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ya ive done that.\

and also that smww degree i think is real iffy cause its not really school and its an online course/degree. ki think id better off taking a bachelor bussiness in sports and rec, and a law degree. even if that smww trains you in that general feild.
 
Rhinorage said:
http://www.sportsmanagementworldwide.com/

These are the guys you need to talk to if you want a career as a sports agent with no connections. Same thing goes for any NHL or other sport job they offer on-line training and of course you have to pay for it. They are actually looking to train people for an NHL scouting job right now as well. Hope this helps you out good luck.
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First question to ask - how many students have taken the course?

Second question - how many are actually working as sports agents?
 
Wetcoaster said:
First question to ask - how many students have taken the course?

Second question - how many are actually working as sports agents?
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Well I don't work for them but I did do some research on the net. According to their website they have students from over 100 countries worldwide and have a partnership with Concordia University in Chicago to get you a masters or a PHD in leadership/sports management or you can take their 8 week training course for other related fields like scout etc. Since you already are well educated you can bypass most of the intesive training and do their 8 week training course. It's right on their main website. As for students they have a ticker on their website with names and places they currently work for down at the middle. You can do some further research on these names some of them currently work for professional leagues like the NBA, NHL, and MLB etc. Also here is a link to their Sports Agent division:

http://www.smwwagency.com/

With the Better Business Bureau they have an A+ score with only 3 complaints total since they were in business in 2003 found here:

http://www.bbb.org/oregon/business-...-management-worldwide-in-portland-or-26025497.

There are also testimonials from past students you can find on the net if they are legit or not I have no clue. From what I read from sites OTHER then SMWW all but one person said they all started at the lower tier leagues to get their foot into the door like Junior hockey before moving up to the professional league. The one female student that graduated got a hook up from Sports Management Worldwide for a sales position with the Phoenix Coyotes right after she graduated and she is supposedly still working there in marketing. There are a ton of links so you can look that up yourself instead of me posting them all here.

Again I am not indorsing these guys it is up to you to do your research before committing any money to them. Visit the BBB website, and look up Sports Management Worldwide on Google and you will see a lot of stuff that they have done in the past with their students and how they got their foot in the door in all professional sports. Of course they are in it for the money, but if you don't have connections, and are well educated I am sure they can polish your knowledge of the industry and help you get your foot in the door that is how it starts you have to network. If after your research you are still not convinced these guys are right for you then you don’t go with them. Nothing to lose by at least doing some homework on these people hope this helps you.
 
Rhinorage said:
Well I don't work for them but I did do some research on the net. According to their website they have students from over 100 countries worldwide and have a partnership with Concordia University in Chicago to get you a masters or a PHD in leadership/sports management or you can take their 8 week training course for other related fields like scout etc. Since you already are well educated you can bypass most of the intesive training and do their 8 week training course. It's right on their main website. As for students they have a ticker on their website with names and places they currently work for down at the middle. You can do some further research on these names some of them currently work for professional leagues like the NBA, NHL, and MLB etc. Also here is a link to their Sports Agent division:

http://www.smwwagency.com/

With the Better Business Bureau they have an A+ score with only 3 complaints total since they were in business in 2003 found here:

http://www.bbb.org/oregon/business-...-management-worldwide-in-portland-or-26025497.

There are also testimonials from past students you can find on the net if they are legit or not I have no clue. From what I read from sites OTHER then SMWW all but one person said they all started at the lower tier leagues to get their foot into the door like Junior hockey before moving up to the professional league. The one female student that graduated got a hook up from Sports Management Worldwide for a sales position with the Phoenix Coyotes right after she graduated and she is supposedly still working there in marketing. There are a ton of links so you can look that up yourself instead of me posting them all here.

Again I am not indorsing these guys it is up to you to do your research before committing any money to them. Visit the BBB website, and look up Sports Management Worldwide on Google and you will see a lot of stuff that they have done in the past with their students and how they got their foot in the door in all professional sports. Of course they are in it for the money, but if you don't have connections, and are well educated I am sure they can polish your knowledge of the industry and help you get your foot in the door that is how it starts you have to network. If after your research you are still not convinced these guys are right for you then you don’t go with them. Nothing to lose by at least doing some homework on these people hope this helps you.
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I am not in the least interested having already worked as a player agent - law degree with some Tier II Junior experience. My first client came via a referral from a former Junior teammate who was in Europe first as player then a coach.

I was simply pointing out that this does not seem a well-known path to becoming a player agent and there are some basic questions that should be asked before plunking down your money.

If it is hockey the OP is interested in then also ask how many NHLPA certified agents have taken the course.
 
Again it may or may not be a well known path that is something for the OP to do his research on this company according to them they are well known and have gotten people in the door so to speak although I am sure people who finished their course are still looking for work nothing is guaranteed in life right after graduation. You have to work hard to get what you want and if they have the connections to at least get you an interview then it is worth it but that is just my opinion.
 
Rhinorage said:
Again it may or may not be a well known path that is something for the OP to do his research on this company according to them they are well known and have gotten people in the door so to speak although I am sure people who finished their course are still looking for work nothing is guaranteed in life right after graduation. You have to work hard to get what you want and if they have the connections to at least get you an interview then it is worth it but that is just my opinion.
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If you want to work as hockey player agent and not a single hockey agent has taken this course... what then?

Sometimes you do not have to work hard - sometimes it is having the right connections and being in the right place at the right time.

Personally I had no overwhelming desire work as a player agent - it fell in my lap.

Unless you are a former pro hockey player, get a law degree (and even then if you were a pro hockey player).
 
Wetcoaster said:
If you want to work as hockey player agent and not a single hockey agent has taken this course... what then?

Sometimes you do not have to work hard - sometimes it is having the right connections and being in the right place at the right time.

Personally I had no overwhelming desire work as a player agent - it fell in my lap.

Unless you are a former pro hockey player, get a law degree (and even then if you were a pro hockey player).
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There are many avenues to take to get your foot in the door. It was easy for you because you had connections and were at the right place at the right time like you said and so you didn't need to take these courses. But the OP said he has NO connections, doesn't know where to start so in his case he may not get lucky but instead find another way to get his connections and get eventually be at the right place at the right time. So in a way the OP has to make his luck by working hard and if that is taking the course they offer so be it.

There were other links posted as well other than the one I posted to fast track him into an agent position as well I was merely just giving him another option. I have no clue how many NHLPA agents have taken this course that is something the OP will have to do research on it is a good question to ask them and I am glad you brought it up.
 
You have to know people. It has nothing to do with a degree/course (though you probably need these to actually do the job well). To get your foot in the door, you need to have played hockey at a decent level, worked your way up in coaching/management, or have very good law/finance/management credentials (eg. You worked in a decent law firm for 10 years). It's a very exclusive club.
 
Rhinorage said:
There are many avenues to take to get your foot in the door. It was easy for you because you had connections and were at the right place at the right time like you said and so you didn't need to take these courses. But the OP said he has NO connections, doesn't know where to start so in his case he may not get lucky but instead find another way to get his connections and get eventually be at the right place at the right time. So in a way the OP has to make his luck by working hard and if that is taking the course they offer so be it.

There were other links posted as well other than the one I posted to fast track him into an agent position as well I was merely just giving him another option. I have no clue how many NHLPA agents have taken this course that is something the OP will have to do research on it is a good question to ask them and I am glad you brought it up.
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I had a law degree and was doing international deals so it was not as if I was inexperienced in contract and financial matters.

My recommendation is get a combined business/law degree and then you have something to fall back on if you do not make it as an agent.
 
A buddy of mine used to work with Rich Winter and he has great stories of people who called themselves agents and their dealing with some players and trying to scoop a player from an established Agent. he called it the Jerry McGuire hic up--some people saw that movie and thought it was easy to be an agent and get good money.

As in all business' it is all about conection and education--a law degree helps these days
 
Sports Management Worldwide Clip

Here is the president of Sports Management Worldwide (SMWW) talking about being a football agent and how to get your foot in the door. I am sure it applies to hockey too.


Here is a recent SMWW conference in Montreal night before draft day where Brian Burke and his son who is a Philadelphia Flyers scout attended a session hosted by the President of SMWW. The 2nd clip Burke's son starts talking about getting into sports management but gets cut off not sure if he took the course. Found this posted on the Leafs board by Hockeywiz542 so I won't take credit for it.



Just listing these video's to show that it looks like SMWW seems legit but as the first link with the guy talking about being a agent or scout it’s not just the course you take but who you know as to how to get your foot in the door. He is suggesting he can help you there not sure if that is the case again if someone can post that they took their course and became successful that would be great.
 
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I took the SMWW course about 5-8 months ago which i added with a Sports Management Masters 3 year program. I plan on upgrading it also.

Here is my story on what I did. So even before I started my the program or course I reseached everything possible and got to learn about leagues and players and how everything in hockey works. This way I was not limited to just North American hockey leagues or programs. I went to rinks in my local area, as well as semi-pro and major junior games. I have even made the trip the Entry Draft for 2009, to do the conference. Unlike my other classmates who only went the conference. I worked my way around that weekend meeting tons of socuts and hockey operations people from different leagues.

Once I got hope I contracted all the people i had met on that weekend. I went to a few interviews and magical got to spend the day with Dave Brown of the Ice Dogs on CHL Import Draft day. I also sent a 2 weeks with the Grayhounds over the summer. Later in the summer I had a trip planned with my girlfriend and few friends and their girlfriends to go to Sweden. So We went to a game one evening and I noticed Hakan Andersson sitting in the stands. so I went over at the end of the game and talked to him about the game and his work with the Red Wings. Over the next week I had left in Sweden, I meet up with him and went to another game with him, this time Tommie Bergman of the Leafs was at the game. I got talking with both of them and they showed some things they look for and gave me some tips.

Once I got back home I got a call 3 weeks later it was Mr.Nonnis of the Maple Leafs who wanted me to come in and meet with them. After I got off the phone I figured I go and meet them and it would help get me connected to the hockey world and would allow me to join a junior team. To my surpirse over the next 3-4 weeks I meet with the Leafs 4 times after which I got the grand player tour of the Leafs Empire and they hired me as a Intern to hockey operations. right now I don't do much but just learn the ins and outs of the game and how things work and over the next 5 years i'll be shown different areas and we'll take from there. I paid alot to here so I won't be wasting my time here. I also got to meet Cliffy before all this went down during a Leafs I went to and saw Cliffy leaving the ACC after the game and he gave me his card so the week after I emailed him so possible over looked players. I'm also a hugh fan of Farjestads in Sweden and I told him that Sweden has some good over looked talents and dropped some names, Gustavsson being one of them but I would take credit on finding Gustavsson. just Watching you know he was going be picked up by a NHL club at some point.
 
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Just one....... played in Sweden........

Kristoffer Jobs


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Born Jan 30 1983
Height 6.00 -- Weight 190 -- Shoots L
Regular Season Playoffs
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2000-01 Brynas IF Gavle SEL 25 0 2 2 2 1 0 0 0 0
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2007-08 Almtuna Swe-1 33 2 2 4 22
 
EASportsAgent said:
I will also have to respectively disagree with you on the Sports Agent comment.

"An agent needs to have a Law background, specifically contract and sports law. A background in Business doesn’t hurt either."

An agent does not NEED to have a Law background. I believe this to be the biggest misconception in the Sports Agent industry. There are both Attorney Agents and Non-Attorney Agents. Of course you need to be able to interpret the contract and massage the language a little. Mike Barnett is a perfect example of a non attorney agent. He represented Wayne Gretzky and some of the biggest names in Hockey. He successfully sold his practice to IMG before becoming the GM of the Phoenix Coyotes.

To become a successful sports agent, you need to be able to put in the work. It requires a lot of time, and a lot of work to land a good client, and once you do, you must be able to keep him. This is where having a specialty comes in. Again having a Law Degree will certainly help, but so will having financial planning experience, and having great negotiating skills. This is by far the key. A Law degree and all the business background in the world aren't worth a dime, if you don't know how to successfully sell your product, which is your player.
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Most agents now a days are lawyers. The CBA and complex contracts make this so.
 
NHL Off ice officials

I hate my job and had some questions about the off ice officials.

How much do they make?

I imagine a time keeper and penalty box attendant don't make as much as a goal judge but I could be wrong.

And how to apply to be one?
 
AIUI, the job is usually a part time position, arranged through local NHL teams. (They don't travel unless neutral officials are needed, say during the late rounds of the playoffs.)

My guess is maybe $50/game, if that. Most of the guys I see are "retirement" age.

An interesting book on the subject is "In the Bin: Reckless and Rude Stories from the Peanlty Boxes of the NHL" by Lloyd Freeberg (worked for Anaheim).

Off ice officials work the various off ice positions (time keeper, goal judge, penalty box attendant, stats, etc.) and may change jobs by game/month/season, depending on needs.
 
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Becoming a college scout

First off, if this isn't posted in the right spot, please move it, my bad.

A little background info here, I am a junior in high school, and very interested in hockey. I've played off and on for years but as everyone knows, hockey is expensive and I've been unable to play because of monetary issues. But, even if I did play, my "career" would not go far because I'm not very skilled. So, my hockey career is about as far as it can go. We have a USHL team so I watch hockey every weekend and I watch a lot of NHL hockey online.

Now like I said, I'm a junior in high school and everyone keeps asking what I want to do and I really want to become a scout. Now I'm not dumb enough to believe that I'm gonna be a scout in the NHL or anything like that. I would however, like to be a college scout. Division I may be out of the question but Division III might be.

I've been thinking about a plan to go to a school with a hockey team and talk to the coach about interning or maybe even starting out as a scout after I graduate.

Is this the best way to go about it? I would love to hear different ideas as to go about it.
 
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