Athletes aspire to play professional hockey

Countless hockey-playing youngsters dream of growing up and graduating to the National Hockey League one day.
It's not too often one hears of individuals who aspire to play pro hockey ­ in the minor leagues. But since there are 30 NHL franchises, there's only a certain amount of playing jobs available in the world's premier hockey circuit. As a result, those who do not make the grade but wish to continue playing hockey can do so in the minors, provided of course, they are talented enough to toil at that level.
Three Aboriginal players who are earning paycheques in the minors are Colt King, Lance Monych and Gary Gladue.
King, who was drafted by the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, is playing for a Colorado-based squad ­ the Central Hockey League's Rocky Mountain Rage.
Monych and Gladue are both in the former East Coast Hockey League, known simply these days as the ECHL. Monych suits up for the Mississippi Sea Wolves while Gladue is a member of the Victoria Salmon Kings.
Though they have catchy monikers, these three minor league teams are certainly not steeped in tradition like say the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens or New York Rangers are.
"I was hoping to be in the NHL by now," said King, a 24-year-old Ojibway, who has spent all four of his pro seasons in the minors. "But it's a long hard road there. I'm still kicking at the can."
King, who was the Avalanche's fourth-round pick at the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, said he cannot pinpoint one reason why he hasn't made it to the NHL.
"Maybe it just wasn't the right time," King said. "Or maybe it was things I didn't do. But I can't sit here and think of what I could have, would have and should have done."
King, who was born in Calgary, never did get to experience what should have been his first NHL camp. He was scheduled to fly to Denver for his inaugural Avalanche camp on Sept. 11, 2001. But his flight, as most others across North America, were grounded that day, following terrorist attacks in the U.S. Because of travel uncertainties in the ensuing days, King said Avalanche officials opted not to bring some of their prospects to camp that year.
King has been to three NHL training camps since ­ one with Colorado, one with the Minnesota Wild and one with the Vancouver Canucks. But he was cut from camp each time.
But he hasn't given up his hockey dreams. The Rage is the fourth minor league team he has suited up for during his pro career.
King has played in the ECHL for the Augusta Lynx and Utah Grizzlies. And he spent last season in the United Hockey League (which has since been renamed the International Hockey League) with the Michigan-based Port Huron Flags.
Most minor league contracts are usually paid weekly in hundreds of dollars. And they pale in comparison to what those in the NHL are earning. Yet King still sounds content with his life.
"You're doing what you want to do," he said. "In my opinion it's the greatest job in the world. You get to hang around with 18 of your friends and play hockey. And you get to travel around to different cities. Every day is a new experience."
"It's my fourth year as a pro and sometimes I think I've had my shot," he said. "I think I'll stick with it though and play another year or two. But my girlfriend says play as long as you can and see what happens."
If another NHL opportunity does not materialize, King might take his act overseas and play in a pro circuit somewhere in Europe.
"I've thought about that," he said. "It's something I'd like to do before I hang them up."
Monych, a 23-year-old Métis from Winnipeg, has also considered moving overseas to play.
"Europe is definitely a possibility," said Monych, a third-year pro who has already suited up for six different minor league squads, in the ECHL, Central Hockey League and American Hockey League.
Like King, Monych was also drafted by an NHL team. He was the Phoenix Coyotes' fourth-round selection at the 2002 draft.
He went to the Coyotes' camp three times. And he played in a pair of exhibition contests each year before being cut.
Monych's NHL aspirations are very much still alive in large part because he has had some stints, including a six-game callup to the AHL's Norfolk Admirals this season. The AHL is just one step below the NHL.
So he figures if he's good enough to make the AHL, no matter for how brief a time, perhaps then maybe some day he could get an opportunity from an NHL squad.
"I'm just a guy waiting for his chance," Monych said. "You never know what's going to happen."
For now, Monych continues to earn $700 per week from the Sea Wolves. The club also pays for most of his living expenses, including his apartment, hydro and cable. Monych is responsible for his own groceries. But Mississippi players receive $32 per diem expenses when the team is travelling on the road.
"You get to do what you love," Monych said. "I'm still having fun. And it's still really good hockey. I don't think the East Coast (league) gets the credit it deserves."
Gladue also obviously enjoys the fact he gets paid to play hockey. The third-year pro is making $650 per week, an increase from the $450, which he was paid during his first ECHL season. But still not much money to brag about.
"I guess the only negative is it's tough to make a living out of this," said Gladue, a 23-year-old Cree who was born in Coquitlam, B.C. "The pay isn't that great."
So far Monych has spent his pro career in the ECHL. Besides Victoria, he's also played for the Columbia Inferno and the Long Beach Ice Dogs.
The 6-foot-190-pound defenceman was never drafted by an NHL team. So he's been forced to make his own year-by-year deals.
"Being a free agent, there's a lot of options for you," he said.
And like King and Monych, he's hoping to one day get a call to the big leagues."Maybe I haven't gotten my break yet," Gladue said.
No doubt he's hoping that his chance will still come, especially when he sees some of the multi-million dollar contracts in the NHL.
"I think it's unbelievable," he said of the amount of money some pros are paid. "There's players up there (in the NHL) you think you are better than. There are guys in the NHL that I played junior against or with."
Even though they've grown up now, Gladue and King and Monych are still dreaming of the NHL. But at the same time they're all fortunate to be playing a game they love. And being paid for it, albeit not handsomely.