A professional hockey player's career is based on known routines. They know when the season starts, when it ends, how much off-season they face, and how to stay in shape while between seasons. They know when to ramp up their training so that they arrive for the start of their season in peak physical condition. Unfortunately, the 2019-2020 hockey season has been riddled with unknowns.
With the start of the 2020-2021 hockey training season, there are still some uncertainties, but one thing is still crystal clear: professional hockey players need disability insurance. While rookie players are building up speed and agility they are also putting their bodies at risk every time they get slammed against the boards. Since the club owns the players rights during the rookie period, it's imperative that your NHL clients have a permanent total disability policy in place. The policy protects against career ending injury or serious illness while training and playing professional hockey.
Once a player reaches free agency and signs a long-term contract, the deal is fully guaranteed. But the NHL contract has a gaping hole in it. An NHL guaranteed contract can be voided by a club if the player becomes injured or ill while OFF the ice. When your seasoned NHL clients hit the ice this training season, it's crucial to safeguard their multiyear, multimillion-dollar deal with Off-Ice Coverage, which offers protection beyond training and game days.
There often comes a time when a career-threatening situation occurs off the ice, a circumstance that the athlete has no control over. Bryan Bickell, the Carolina Hurricanes forward, announced his early retirement after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. At only 31 years of age, Bickell potentially had in front of him another four-or five-years’ worth of paychecks. Putting a permanent disability policy in place prior, which also covers any career interruptions due to a life-threatening illness, would have insured the player a substantial supplement to future paydays now gone.
Watch now! [WEBINAR] How Sophisticated Advisors Insure Their Athlete & Entertainer Clients
