NHL Surviving Extinction: A Career Path Review

About one year ago, I was forced to make a choice. I was at a crossroads; I was 18 at the time, and was coming to the end of what I would describe as a pretty good childhood. Lots of vacations, and having a brother six years my elder allowed us to get into plenty of trouble during the summer months.  If there wasn't trouble to be found, we'd simply make some.

So here it was. My destination. My fork in the road.

Through the course of my life, all 19 years of it, I have wanted to do many things with my life.  There was a police officer (something I still think about.  It is a fine career to serve and protect.)  Then there was a whole whack of things.

A singer in a rock band I was to become. Except for one problem: I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.  So it was onto storm chasing, which, well, would still be cool to do.

Then of course there was my career in professional wrestling.  Yes I like wrestling.  I know it's fake, but so are movies, and we watch them too, don't we?

Then I thought a coast guard, also a good career choice.  Of course this decision was reached in spite of the fact I was a hack when it came to swimming.

Also who can ever forget my dream aspiration of having a voice over on the cartoon M.C. Hammer show?  Okay, that one I made up, but remember that show?  What a classic!

So, after all that careful deliberation, here I was, with two paths to forge. One direction led me to a path in the sports agent field and the other led me to the life of a sports writer.

Well, not withstanding, it's easy to find out which path I took, and I am thankful I did, for more reasons than one.

Not only have I had my voice heard to a wider audience than I could have ever imagined, I have also met some great people, and made friendships.

But, there is also another reason.  A bullet dodged.  You see, thinking about my path today, something donned on me.

It appears to me that the people we know as sports agents are going the way of the dinosaurs, the do-do birds, and my M.C. Hammer aspirations (and M.C. Hammer for that matter.)  They are on their way to extinction (in the NHL at least.)

Lets use Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin as our model for this thesis.

Ovechkin is in the final year of his three-year rookie contract.  Following this season he will begin his 13-year pact with Washington who will pay a very lofty $124 million.  

This deal, and the deals of others, represents why in three easy steps, the NHL agent is erased.

First off, the typical agent receives 10 percent of the contract.  

Now, I am no mathematician, but by my calculator, Ovechkin has saved himself 12.4 million dollars.  If numbers aren't your thing, put it this way:  Ovechkin's agent would have made more off of his clients contract, than some NHLers make in their career (and I think they are the type of players who are gritty, pay the price.  They certainly work harder for it than any power agent.)

Onto to phase two, where we will finally give the agents their due.  

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