Examining the Athletic Career Experiences of Canadian Major Junior Hockey Players

Lauren K. McCoy & Nancy Arthur University of Calgary

Dissertation 2015 operates as a for-profit business, During the athletic career, showcasing the talent of elite 16 elite athletes’ lives are dedicat- Abstract to 20-year-old players. Every ed to sport and are structured year, more than 1000 young by coaching staff and highly This project explored the athletes relocate across organized around competition; unique athletic career experiences and the to join their however, athletic retirement often of Canadian major junior hockey respective teams. They must adapt serves as a catalyst to athletes’ players. Six recently retired play- to a new city, a new high school, restructuring and independently ers’ experiences were collected new teammates, and new coach- managing their lives (Cosh, using semi-structured, qualitative ing staff and if traded to another Crabb, & LeCouteur, 2013), interviews that were analyzed in organization, their transition pro- impacting how athletes perceive accordance with the interpreta- cess begins anew. Many CHL ath- themselves, their abilities, and tive phenomenological analysis letes devote up to five years in the the quality of their lives (Laval- method. Themes identified in each league with the hope of advancing lee & Wylleman, 2000). Athletic participant’s account of their CHL to the professional level; however, career transition literature has experiences were compared and less than 20% of CHL athletes suggested that experiences within contrasted across all participants will ever play a single National an athletic career often impact to generate an in-depth portrayal Hockey League (NHL) game the subsequent retirement transi- that gave voice to participants’ and only 5% of CHL players tion. For example, pre-retirement career experiences. The findings will ever achieve long-term NHL planning, psychosocial support, have the potential to enhance careers (Campbell, 2007; Camp- and balance of life have all been career and mental health prac- bell & Parcels, 2013). The CHL associated with positive athletic titioners understandings of the has been described as a closed career transitions (Park, Lavallee, specific sport context, whereby community, with many coaches & Tod, 2013). Conversely, a per- highlighting important considera- and management officials who ceived lack of control over athlet- tions when working with athletes commonly restrict access to the ic career transitions (Alfermann, undergoing personal and/or career institution and its players (Allain, Stambulova, & Zemaityte, 2004), transition. 2013; Bruner, Munroe-Chandler, failure to achieve sport-related & Spink, 2008; Robinson, 1998). goals (Ceric Erpic, Wylleman, & Keywords: athletes, athletic career Players are socialized to guard the Zupancic, 2004), and a strong ath- transition, interpretative phenom- best interests of the institution to letic identity (Lally, 2007; Martin, enological analysis, qualitative protect their own athletic careers Fogarty, & Albion, 2014) have all (Allain, 2013). Given these bar- been associated with poorer tran- Considered one of the riers, limited exploration has been sition outcomes among athletes. world’s top professional develop- conducted into the psychological, Therefore, understanding the ath- ment junior leagues, social, and physical experien- letic career experiences and per- the ces of CHL players during their ceptions of players in the CHL’s (CHL) is comprised of 60 major athletic careers or upon athletic unique, amateur sport context junior hockey teams among three retirement. was the focus of the current study, associate leagues Each CHL team with the hope that such accounts

The Canadian Journal of Career Development/Revue canadiene de développement de carrière Volume 16, Number 2, 2017 Examining the Athletic Career 39 would also provide knowledge represented in this study were As an iterative and in- that could be used in facilitating drafted to the NHL. ductive process, IPA data an- athletic retirement transitions. alysis cycled through Smith et Data Collection and Analysis al.’s (2009) recommended steps. Method First, transcripts were open coded Consistent with the IPA and loosely annotated for initial The qualitative method of method, data was collected using impressions of the interview con- interpretative phenomenological semi-structured interviews lasting tent, the participant’s language, analysis (IPA) was selected to between one and three hours. and potential concepts (e.g. understand former CHL players’ Interviews were audio-recorded identity loss) (Larkin & Thomp- experiences and uncover how to facilitate verbatim transcrip- son, 2012). Next, each transcript they perceived events during tion. Interview questions traced was reviewed and reread with the their athletic careers. This meth- athletic career and transition intention to engage more deeply od prioritizes giving voice to experiences from a flexible, with the participant’s experience each individual’s subjective, temporal perspective—collecting to create a line-by-line analysis personal accounts through its em- information regarding the partici- that acknowledged additional phasis on the conceptualization pants’ experiences as elite hockey associations, connections, ampli- of meaning-making processes at players, the circumstances sur- fications, and contradictions. To the level of the person in context rounding their retirement from introduce additional structure into (Eatough & Smith, 2008; Larkin, major junior hockey, and their the analysis, all emergent themes Watts, & Clifton, 2006). experiences around transition were listed; abstraction was used away from elite sport. to cluster themes that shared Participants Data analysis involved meaning or contextual references developing an evocative rep- while subsumption was used to Participants included six resentation that illustrated the synthesize or collapse emergent recently retired CHL players, relationships between themes de- themes (Smith et al., 2009). who ranged in age from 20 to 21 rived from the interview data and Next, the data analysis processes years old, and represented top acknowledged the researcher’s shifted to examining participants’ round, late round, and undrafted own perceptions, conceptions, accounts for points of conver- players in their respective CHL and processes (Larkin & Thomp- gence and divergence (Smith et entry drafts. Each participant son, 2012; Smith, Flowers, & al., 2009). Final themes were not played between two and four Larkin, 2009). As a provisional selected purely on prevalence seasons in the CHL and, across registered psychologist, the older but, rather, the interpretative cod- their athletic careers, collective- sister of a former CHL athlete, ing was developed from and con- ly represented 11 different CHL and a professional figure skating nected to the core topic of inquiry teams. Participants varied in their coach, the first author approached to generate pattern of themes that temporal relation to CHL career this research project with a best illustrated the meaning of termination and, thus, represented unique perspective. Consistent the participants’ athletic career retirements that occurred be- with the IPA approach, subjectiv- experiences and athletic career tween four weeks and 12 months ity is not claimed to be removed transition experiences (Larkin & prior to data collection. Reasons from the research process but Thompson, 2012). for retirement also varied to rather is acknowledged for its include voluntary retirement, contribution to the interpretive Results de-selection, and exceeding the process of data collection and an- maximum age of eligibility in alysis (Moules, McCaffrey, Field, In accordance with the league. Like the majority of & Laing, 2015). participant responses and the CHL athletes, none of the players researcher’s interpretation, re-

The Canadian Journal of Career Development/Revue canadiene de développement de carrière Volume 16, Number 2, 2017 Examining the Athletic Career 40 sults were organized into a total bage like that. Politics and who experiences to developing a habit of eight superordinate themes, you know and what you know… of second-guessing himself. He including (a) precariousness of that kind of stuff away from the retraced the thought process, ice time, (b) frustration over game that shouldn’t matter but remarking: “I’m not doing some- role constraints, (c) being at [it] has the biggest impact on the thing good enough. Does the the mercy of the business, (d) game.” coach just not like me? Does he navigating coaching styles, (e) Trade decisions and de- have his favourites? I mean am I damaged confidence, (f) a cul- selection decisions also seemed not skilled enough for this? Am ture of silence, (g) an emotional to emphasize the best interests I not experienced enough? Like rollercoaster, and (h) personal of the team and not the individ- what do I got to do better?” Sim- development. In the interest of ual player being impacted. Four ilarly, Tim explained that he also space restrictions, a selection of participants were faced with the felt as though his confidence had four superordinate themes will be realities of unexpected trades been damaged by maltreatment presented with support of partici- and five of six participants were and verbal abuse from one of pant quotations. In an effort to traded at least once during their his head coaches. He explained: protect participants’ anonymity, CHL career. When asked about “Like everybody can only take all participants will be referred to these trade experiences, most [the coach screaming and de- by pseudonyms. players indicated that such events meaning] so long…before you occurred “out of the blue” (Tim) do really internalize it and then Being at the Mercy of the and left them “shocked” (Paul) you start to suffer and then you Business as they “never saw it coming” just don’t have the same belief in (Paul). Similarly, Scott recalled yourself.” Participants recounted his experience of being traded as the gradual realization that the sudden and unexpected. A Culture of Silence trajectory of their careers was not based solely on their skill or And they told me at 5 a.m. Despite the challenges merit. Participants discussed their and I went home and packed facing players, participants also athletic careers as being at the my stuff and I was on the indicated that they often felt mercy of the business interests of road. So I probably shouldn’t constrained in their ability to their respective hockey clubs and, have been driving, but [the speak out or seek assistance for therefore, largely beyond their other team] called me and said physical and emotional strug- control. Jim remarked, “I worked ‘okay, you have practice at 2 gles in fear of negative conse- so hard and got absolutely noth- p.m. and you better be here’. quences on their athletic career. ing. You’re trying to do every- I know during that eight-hour While participants recognized thing you can, but it’s just kind drive or whatever it was, I that “it was not in [their] best of like a road to nowhere.” Paul know I was l…probably a bit interest,” two of the participants attributed some of the discrepant of a wreck. interviewed admitted to playing opportunities to league structure with suspected concussions due and politics, stating, “Just the Damaged Confidence to pressure from coaches and opportunity some guys had…and the perceived need for ice time me sitting there like ‘oh, what the Many participants felt to further their athletic careers. heck, I can work just as hard and their confidence had been dam- Robert recalled playing with an do more if I had the chance…’ aged by a combination of fac- injury: but his dad played in the NHL tors, including the perception or something you know. Yeah, of insufficient ice time, role I remember I broke my hand that kind of stuff makes me hate constraints, and mistreatment and I went to the hospital in hockey. All the politics and gar- from coaches. Scott related these the morning and got a cast or

The Canadian Journal of Career Development/Revue canadiene de développement de carrière Volume 16, Number 2, 2017 Examining the Athletic Career 41

whatever and that night I just want to admit anything to anyone participants’ athletic careers. The assumed I wasn’t playing. in case it got back to a coach….” stigma and shame associated with And then [the coach] was pursuing support silenced partici- kind of like ‘Oh no, you’re An Emotional Rollercoaster pants and prevented them from playing. Like it’s a broken seeking resources when coping hand and you’ve got a cast Many participants refer- with physical and emotional on and you’re fine’. Honest- enced the term “rollercoaster” to challenges. The majority of par- ly, our trainer was so scared describe the “peaks and valleys” ticipants articulated an intense, of [the coach] that he didn’t of their athletic career experien- and often singular focus on their even say anything, so I just ces in the CHL. Tim explained athletic career while playing in played with this cast for a that battling the fluctuations in the CHL. When this commitment month. his mood was the most chal- was challenged by unmet person- lenging part of his major junior al expectations, coaching difficul- Several participants hockey experience. Paul shared a ties, and organizational decisions explained that this cultural similar experience noting that, for that benefited “the business,” expectation of physical impene- him, “winning was the best thing participants described a loss of trability extended to include an in the world” and, conversely, self-confidence and a degree of assumption of emotional tough- “when it’s not going right you’re emotional instability. ness among CHL athletes as well. kind of moody and you’re kind of Although the amateur Tim noted that there is a “stigma mad, you’re kind of on edge all sporting structure of the CHL is of hockey in general and you’re the time.” Fluctuating emotions unique (Allain, 2013), the experi- just supposed to be able to tough were described to be “flagged to ences that former CHL players through anything and get through the fortunes of the team at the in this study described as having it and be able to deal with every- given time” (Tim). Scott indicat- impacted their athletic career thing and anything.” Despite this ed that these cycling emotions experiences and transitions were expectation, Jim explained that could be dependent, not only, not. A meta-analysis by Park following several injuries and on winning or losing, but on ice et al. (2013) identified several battling for ice time he “was in time opportunities as well, noting factors that have been associated a very, very dark place like all “I’d be upset or rattled and that with the quality of athletic career around…it’s just like so sad and because ‘oh, I didn’t play tonight’ transitions, including athletic a long time being miserable and or I’d be happy because ‘yeah, identity, voluntariness of the just not mentally kind of stable.” like I got the chance to play’… retirement transition, injuries, Tim explained that after months the emotional rollercoaster side sport career achievement, and of trying to navigate difficulties of it.” relationships with coaching staff. with coaching, he felt as though The participants in this study also he was “in a bit of a depressive Conclusion discussed most of these factors; state,” adding that “it was very however, the organization and rare for someone to step out and Participants in this study culture of the CHL seems to re- say I need help” as “you’re not described many similar athletic sult in participants experiencing a sure exactly what the conse- career experiences. Although par- high number of experiences asso- quences might be.” Jim echoed ticipants acknowledged benefits ciated with athletic career transi- this fear of stigma, stating that he of personal development and the tion difficulties and a relatively never reached out for help with formation of lifelong friendships low number of perceived resour- the pressures and expectations while playing in the CHL, the ces. In accordance with Stam- of the CHL because “You can’t perceived lack of control over ca- bulova’s (2003) athletic career really trust anyone. We wouldn’t reer trajectories was recounted as transition model, this mismatch an ongoing difficulty throughout between resources and barriers

The Canadian Journal of Career Development/Revue canadiene de développement de carrière Volume 16, Number 2, 2017 Examining the Athletic Career 42 leaves athletes at a greater risk References 5, 45-59. doi:10.1016/S1469- of maladaptive transitions and a 0292(02)00046-8 greater need for intervention. Alfermann, D., Stambulova, Cosh, S., Crabb, S., & LeCou- This research study N., & Zemaityte, A. (2004). teur, A. (2013). Elite athletes intended to explore the athletic Reactions to sport career and retirement: Identity, career experiences of former termination: A cross-national choice, and agency. Australian major junior hockey players, and comparison of German, Lithu- Journal of Psychology, 65, although it is not designed to anian, and Russian athletes. 89-97. doi:10.1111/j.1742- represent the experiences of all Psychology of Sport and Exer- 9536.2012.00060.X CHL athletes, this study provides cise, 5(1), 61-75. doi:10.1016/ Eatough, V., & Smith, J. A. a representation of multi-level S1469-0292(02)00050-X (2008). Interpretative phe- factors that interact and inter- Allain, K. A. (2013). ‘What nomenological analysis. In C. connect to impact athletic career happens in the room stays in Willig & W. Stainton-Rogers experiences and subsequent the room’: Conducting re- (Eds.), The SAGE handbook athletic retirement transitions. search with young men in the of qualitative research in The athletic career transitions Canadian Hockey League. psychology (pp.179-195). of participants in the current Qualitative Research in Sport, London: Sage Publications study were not solely impacted Exercise and Health, 6(2), Ltd. by individual factors including 205-219. doi:10.1080/215967 Lally, P. (2007). Identity and age, athletic ability, and physical 6X.2013.796486 athletic retirement: A pro- aptitudes (Patton & McMahon, Bruner, M. W., Munroe-Chand- spective study. Psychology 2014). Rather, the social system ler, K. J., & Spink, K. S. of Sport and Exercise, 8, of teammates, coaches, parents, (2008). Entry into elite sport: 85-99. doi:10.1016/j.psych- and sport culture also played a A preliminary investigation sport.2006.03.003 significant role in how partici- into the transition experi- Larkin, M., & Thompson, A. R. pants experience their athletic ences of rookie athletes. (2012). Interpretative phenom- careers and, subsequently, their Journal of Applied Sport enological analysis in mental athletic career transitions (Mc- Psychology, 20, 236-252. health and psychotherapy Mahon, 2005). The findings, :10.1080/10413200701867745 research. In D. Harper & A. R. taken together, have the potential Campbell, K. (2007, Novem- Thompson (Eds.), Qualitative to enhance career practitioner ber 13). Just how tough is Research methods in mental understandings of the sporting it to reach the NHL? ESPN health and psychotherapy: A environment and the specific Sports. Retrieved from http:// guide for students and practi- experiences of this unique group sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/ tioners (pp. 101-116). Malden, of athletes. As such, career transi- story?page=campbell1113 MA: Wiley-Blackwell. tion assistance and interventions Campbell, K., & Parcels, J. Larkin, M., Watts, S., & Clifton, should take into account the com- (2013). Selling the dream: E. (2006). Giving voice and petition level, sport, and athlete How hockey parents and their making sense of interpreta- age (McKnight, Bernes, Gunn, kids are paying the price for tive phenomenological an- Chorney, Orr, & Bardick, 2009) our national obsession. Toron- alysis. Qualitative Research as well as environmental factors to, ON: Penguin Group. in Psychology, 3, 102-120. (e.g. culture, sport context, sport Cecic-Erpic, S., Wylleman, P., & :10.1191/1478088706qp062oa structure; Park et al., 2013). Zupancic, M. (2004). The ef- Lavallee, D., & Wylleman, P. fect of athletic and non-athlet- (2000). Career transitions in ic factors on the sports career sport: International perspec- termination process. Psych- tives. Morgantown, WV: Fit- ology of Sport and Exercise, ness Information Technology.

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The Canadian Journal of Career Development/Revue canadiene de développement de carrière Volume 16, Number 2, 2017