The NHL Alumni Association and Game Plan have partnered to launch the Entrepreneurial Strategies Program, specifically designed for former NHL players. This first-of-its-kind program will provide members of the NHL Alumni Association access to online education, mentorship resources, and online webinars specifically designed to help them with their entrepreneurial success after they finish playing.
“The NHLAA is supportive of developing and sourcing resources to assist in honing our players’ toolbox for their next journey after hockey and this remains a major part of our core values. Our goal is and always will be “to make tomorrow better than today” for NHL Alumni and their families” Said Glenn Healy, the Executive Director & President of the NHLAA.
Through this partnership, the NHL Alumni Association intends to uphold their mission to “Honour the Past” by providing top-tier education on a topic that surfaces often with retired professional athletes; Entrepreneurial Success.
For this program, Game Plan is partnering with subject-matter experts such as Advance and Enriched Academy as well as experts inside the NHL Alumni Association to create learning modules that are aimed towards educating former NHL players on topics such as business planning, securing financial funding, evaluation of partnership opportunities, and more.
Game Plan and the NHLAA will set up a mentorship forum where alumni can connect with mentors from various business sectors to gain advice in a 1-on-1 setting. Throughout the program, virtual webinars will cover overarching topics in the entrepreneurial journey to allow members of the program to learn from experts in their respective industries, upon completing the learning certificate.
“In business, it's priceless to have something that inspires you, or an experience or a passion that drives you. It is a natural fit for a player when they retire today to envision creating their own business opportunity. The NHL Alumni and Game Plan have recognized the parallel skill sets and have created a new program to set up our Alumni Family for success in venturing into this exciting entrepreneurial space” States Wendy McCreary, the Senior Director of the NHL Alumni & Transition.
“We were beyond excited when the NHLAA approached us with the idea for this program. At Game Plan our mission is to support athletes through their entire journey and this program, in partnership with the NHLAA, allows us to make a significant impact towards that mission” said Christian Kuehne, EVP of Athletic Organization at Game Plan. “Retired professional athletes have an immense skill set and reputation that can help them in their entrepreneurial pursuits but also need to be aware of potential risks associated with this approach. Through eLearning, mentorship, and webinars we believe we are able to set these players up for success way beyond their playing days.”
Game Plan is thrilled to launch the Entrepreneurial Strategies Certification Program with the NHL Alumni Association. We value our partnership with the NHLAA and can’t wait to see the impact on professional hockey players for years to come.