smithers joe

"came across as an arrogant, pretentious prick. I'm not convinced he was a lawyer though"

How does that description invalidate him being a lawyer?

I know an ex-Canuck. You need exceptional natural ability, an insane amount of passion, and the drive to work hard and make sacrifices. Now this guy didn't have a very long career but he talked about how much playing in the minors sucks, how insanely cut-throat being an athlete is, and the intense pressure to do things you don't want to do to stick around (IE fight). Another guy in my office who played for Chicago and New Jersey also decided to leave hockey because he didn't feel like fighting anymore. 

Going to a normal white collar job in comparison is a cake walk. I am a bigger guy (6'2 230lbs). Imagine due to my size I was expected to come into the office and fight the toughest guy in the room in front of everybody on national television. And if I wasn't able to win these fights I'd get a 90% cut in pay and work for some crappy small town company in a rust belt city of 60,000.

On the flip side I know smaller guys who had good college careers but toiled in the minors. I've received comments like "if I was your size I might have made it to the NHL". The thing is this little guy in particular is far more gifted as an athlete than I am. A lot of stars need to align in order to make it. My size, his skill, parents who will throw you on skates at 3 years old, passion for the game, hard work, and a little luck & opportunity thrown in will open up the door. Then you gotta still beat the odds for one or two spots against 30 or 40 other guys who are also amongst the world's best.