Stop me if you have heard this before, but athletes are people too. They are not just one-dimensional, where all they know is the sport they have excelled at throughout their respective careers. Instead, they are just like us normal folk and have outside interests and hobbies that make them well-rounded. Every person is uniquely different, and today, we are going to discuss some things NHL players can do when they are not on the ice.
Compete in Poker Tournaments
Yes, this is a thing some professional athletes do as they are used to playing card games such as poker on the plane as they are traveling from city to city. They can compete in person or in real money online casino tournaments during their time off or even in the offseason as they await the next season to come. They can play in more relaxing games or in high stakes poker tournaments, but the sense of competition is definitely there with professional athletes.
Video Game Streamer
We hear about this more in other sports than we do with hockey for some reason, but athletes tend to love playing video games as it is something that this young crop of players has grown up with. It is a way for them to connect with their fans and just relax and have fun while staying at home. They are definitely not limited to paying for EA Sports’ National Hockey League’s video games, as they can play anything they really want.
There are athletes like the New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres; Charlotte Hornets small forward Gordon Hayward, Minnesota Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns; and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster that stream on Twitch whenever they feel like it, Along with a few NHL players. Still, the community and the amount of people that would watch for the insight and entertainment value is definitely something they can do in their free time.
Spend Time with Their Family
A lot of players tend to spend a significant portion of the year away from their loved ones as some players are from other countries traveling to play while others are just on the road a lot and do not get the luxury of being close to their physical home. Some players just want to be “dad” for as long as they can and will relax with their significant others and children for the time that they are able to do just that.
Begin A Music Career
Some of these National Hockey League players are extremely talented and have incredible interests off of the ice. One thing some of the people that play in the top hockey league on the planet are able to do is excellent, as they are musicians. One example is former New York Rangers star goaltender s he can play the guitar extremely well and make a second career out of it if he so chooses.
Again, this is not uncommon as we have seen players transition into the music industry after their playing career is over, like New York Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams. He now plays in a band filled with Latin jazz music.
Conclusion
There are a lot of things that players in the sport can do in their free time as they are extremely talented individuals with a unique set of skills that make them unique individuals. There is a lot of downtime between games and practices so what people decide to do during them tells you a lot about each individual person. There are thousands of different things they can do, and what we listed above are just some of the more popular things professional athletes do in their time away from work.
What are some things that you know that your favorite hockey players are doing when they are not on the ice?