Even though the warning signs were there, Phoenix Coyotes enforcer Paul Bissonnette didn't map out a strategy for coping with the NHL lockout.
He enjoyed his offseason, began training at the end of the summer and returned to the Phoenix area in September with the intent to play hockey.
But as the lockout stretched on, now in its 60th day, Bissonnette's circumstances started to simulate a reality he didn't anticipate confronting at 27 years old.
"It's kind of a wake-up call as far as preparing for the end of your career, because the fact that right now there's no hockey as if there wouldn't be, what am I going to do after that?" Bissonnette said. "I know it's a question a lot of guys struggle with, and there are a lot of guys who run through their money and they don't have any on the other end.
"I'm definitely taking a hard look at that, figuring out some things to see what I want to do on the other end of it."
This is new territory for the rookies in the game and a harsh reminder for the role of fringe players who aren't guaranteed work each season. Shelf life in this league is a premium.
While veterans have had years to shore up their bank accounts and can envision a life after hockey with their families, the 20-somethings such as Bissonnette don't have the same infrastructure.
That has made enduring this lockout and imagining life beyond hockey challenging.
"I'm sure the guys who have kids enjoy the time with them, but if you don't have kids or anything, you're staring at the walls for a while," Coyotes forward David Moss said.
Moss is among the group of NHL players skating at the Ice Den in Scottsdale. Bissonnette was there, too, before he signed on to play for the Cardiff Devils in Britain's Elite Ice Hockey League.
But before he left, Bissonnette contemplated the logistics of surviving after his playing career. Employment and financial security are obvious priorities.
Like many former players, Bissonnette is considering broadcasting. But he's also interested in real estate, even talking with a friend in British Columbia to see if courses in one province would transfer.
"I've got a big Twitter following," Bissonnette said. "If I were to sell houses, it's easy to list them and get that word spread out."
As for money, most hockey players hope to make their NHL earnings last for at least part of their retirement from the game.
The league offers sessions for managing money, Moss said, but most are told by older players when they enter the league to be mindful.
"When I played in Calgary, it was a cold-weather city. Everyone had a decent car, but you never saw a car over $50,000 or $60,000," Moss said. "Guys are pretty down to earth. There's a select few guys in the league who can afford pretty much whatever they want, but everyone else is in that mode where you need to be smart."
Saving for the future and finding a post-playing career job or hobby can be difficult, but it's the loss of identity that is a concern.
"You're out of the limelight," Bissonnette said. "You're out of the newspapers, and then all of a sudden it's real life."
That's why Bissonnette is investigating his options. That's why he's a vivid character on social media. Because once he has played his final game, he doesn't want to struggle to find out who he is when he's not a hockey player.
"Once that road's done, man," he said, "you've got to have a plan."
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