Bourne Blog: How the hockey lifestyle changes at each level

With pretty much any job, the better you are at it, the better you're able to live when you're away from it. Being good at what you do rightfully enables you to earn more money, which should allow you to live more comfortably. I knew that would be the case with pro hockey as well, but I wasn't aware of just how drastically different the quality of life would be at each level. The lifestyle, the money, and the hockey were all completely different universes depending on which league I was playing in at the time. Here's what I mean. Money When you make an ECHL team, you're aware there's a league minimum of $350 a week (that's what it was when I last played in 2008/2009 anyway. Also, that's before tax). You're clearly not there for the money, you're there for the opportunity to move up. I was fortunate to be on a two-way deal with the AHL, so I managed to squeeze out $650 a week while I was on the lower rung, which is neither as bad, nor good, as ...