Rookie Duties: Getting the Call

Finally, some good news. In case you don’t follow me on Twitter or Facebook, yesterday I got a call from Matt. After another weekend of games, the Dayton Gems – the Shooters IHL affiliate – are calling him up. He’s got one more practice with the Shooters today and after that he will be hitting the road. At this point we’re not really clear on the details – Matt only spoke with his coach briefly just minutes before he called me. I’m guessing they’re planning on signing him to a three-game tryout contract or something of that nature, but I’ll be calling the team today to find out for sure and we will just go from there.

In leagues at this level, it is pretty common to see players bounce around from team-to-team and league-to-league during a single playing season, so there is always the chance that this won’t be a long-term situation. Regardless of what happens though, Matt’s been playing extremely well and deserves this opportunity. And I know that if he skates the way that he can, he will be fine.

As far as my legal practice goes, things seem to finally be settling down a bit, but I don’t expect that to last long. I finally got all my required applications and filings submitted and as I had explained before, the administrative paperwork had been consuming the majority of my time. I’ve spoken with a few people in regards to various immigration issues and have some appointments set up for the coming week. I currently have my Mexican translator Gus (short for Gustavo) handing out flyers throughout his community and I plan to take out some ad space in a Spanish language newspaper in the near future. With Christmas presents to buy and my trip to Toronto coming up in a few weeks, though, I’m somewhat limited in the amount of capital I can afford to pour into the firm right now.  Juggling my finances has definitely been one of my hardest obstacles to this point.

Another issue I’ve been encountering lately is finding time to sleep. Going between these two demanding jobs often makes me feel like I never get a break. I’ve spent my days eating lunch at my desk while I  work and even after I leave my office for the day, I always seem to find something that needs to get done while I’m at home. On top of that, I’m still working nights and weekends at the ice rink. Obviously driving a Zamboni doesn’t really qualify as a mentally demanding occupation, but trust me when I tell you that after spending 8+ hours in my office, the rink is the last place I want to be.

A few weeks ago, I touched on balancing your professional life with your personal life and finding some outlets that help deal with stress and pressure. I’ve always been big on taking care of my body – in my mind, investing in your health is always a smart decision. Every day I make sure to get into the gym for at least 45 minutes. Some days I’ll get home from my office and just getting off the couch seems like it’s a monumental task. But sure enough, each time I leave the weight room, I feel more relaxed and energized at the same time.

One last item I want to touch on before I leave you is the importance of networking. Through authoring this weekly column, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and talk with some great people who share many of the same career goals as me, and these connections I’ve developed have become a huge asset. Obviously, with my firm, I have numerous resources available that only a large company can provide. But in an industry like ours, knowing people is the key to getting information that might not be publicly available yet.

To better illustrate – Matt just got called up from the Shooters yesterday. Obviously the Shooters still need to field a full roster, so there’s currently a spot open on their blue line.  None of this information has been released yet and it might not be for some time in these lower minor-pro leagues where the news posted online is usually outdated. But I have this information now, and if I know of another agent who has a defensemen looking for a chance in the AAHL, it sure doesn’t hurt to throw that tip his way (assuming I don’t have a client that’s able to fill that spot). You never know what happens the next time he has a client that gets called up or injured. This little network has given me a heads up a few times in similar situations and while the leads don’t always pan out, you can’t afford to miss an opportunity in an industry that’s as competitive as this one. And at the same time, it’s refreshing to see so many people realize that while this can be a cutthroat profession, working with each other is a great way for us all to succeed.

For next week, I hope to have some more information for you regarding Matt’s status in Dayton. They have games this week on Wednesday and Friday and hopefully Matt will get to see some playing time. The Wednesday game is also $1 Beer Night and knowing hockey fans, it could really turn out to be a memorable experience for him. The games are aired online via the team website and I encourage you to check that out if you’re interested. Well it’s time for me to get back to work. Until next week…it’s time to hit the showers.