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Carissa Lushefski and Anthony Chianese engagement

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<p>Last year, former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin Chris Collins wrote an article for The Players&#8217; Tribune, a media company founded by Derek Jeter to gives athletes a platform to share their experiences with fans.</p><p>Collins wrote about the uncertainties of life after hockey and how the transition from professional hockey player to working in the real world can be difficult.</p><p>It&#8217;s a challenge that all hockey players will face, and Collins&#8217; account did catch the attention of a few current Penguins.</p><p>Tom Kostopoulos said the end of a career is something every player struggles with and, a week away from his 37th birthday, knows that he will soon make that same transition.</p><p>Preparing for that day, however, can be just as challenging as facing the reality.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s tough to tell a player who has always been so focused on the game to start thinking about what they&#8217;re going to do when they&#8217;re done,&#8221; Kostopoulos said. &#8220;Early in my career someone told me it&#8217;s good to get your mind off the game and think about other things. But when you&#8217;re working hard always trying to get to the next level, it&#8217;s tough. Your mind and body are dedicated to the game.&#8221;</p><p>But that doesn&#8217;t mean some players aren&#8217;t preparing for their future even while their playing career is in full-swing. Kostopoulos said he&#8217;s had teammates take college courses in between games and practices. The Professional Hockey Players&#8217; Association does have a career enhancement program to assist players with the transition of life after hockey.</p><p>Kostopoulos said it&#8217;s up to the player to take the lead.</p><p>&#8220;The individual has to take the initiative. Every player has a different background, interests and education that they can use,&#8221; Kostopoulos said. &#8220;Some guys might want to go back to the family farm and other might get into business. There&#8217;s no set path.&#8221;</p><p>Defenseman Steve Oleksy established his path before his pro career began. When Oleksy finished his college hockey career at Lake Superior State University, he never expected to play a game in the pro ranks. The bigger question for Oleksy at the time was what to do after college?</p><p>To prepare for that transition, Oleksy started his own business and he&#8217;s kept it active throughout his hockey career knowing that, one day, it&#8217;s something he&#8217;ll need.</p><p>&#8220;A lot of players fail to realize it&#8217;s a short-lived career. You play with a lot of guys who have no plan and it hits them all at once,&#8221; Oleksy said. &#8220;You go from being at the rink four hours a day with a lot of free time and not having to work a regular job. It&#8217;s a huge adjustment.&#8221;</p><p>Kostopoulos said the key to dealing with that adjustment is making sure you have options available for a career after hockey. That means making a commitment to allot some time away from the rink to prepare for the future, he said.</p><p>Kostopoulos recalled former Carolina Hurricane teammate Jay Harrison as the perfect example of preparing for life after hockey.</p><p>&#8220;After games on the bus a bunch of us would be playing cards and he was studying for his college courses,&#8221; Kostopoulos said. &#8220;He wanted to be a doctor, and I always respected that he knew what he wanted to do and prepared himself to step right into it after he retires.&#8221;</p><p>Preparation is even more critical considering when most players leave the sport they&#8217;re at an age where others have already established careers in the real world.</p><p>Oleksy said players who play in juniors and then in college might be 25 or 26 years old by the time they graduate and turn pro.</p><p>&#8220;Most people are already working at 21 and jobs are a lot harder to get when you&#8217;re older,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It puts you behind the 8-ball trying to start a career in your mid-30s.&#8221;</p><p>Kostopoulos said age is one of the biggest challenges. A lot of players can&#8217;t see themselves going back to college in their 30s, yet it&#8217;s a tough age to start a new career in life.</p><p>Kostopoulos admits he&#8217;s not sure what he wants to do after hockey, but stressed that his wife and kids will be a major part of the decision.</p><p>&#8220;People might overlook just how much a player&#8217;s wife has sacrificed in their lives so we can chase our careers,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Sometimes when we&#8217;re done playing, maybe it&#8217;s their turn to pursue a career that they&#8217;ve wanted.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Penguins captain Tom Kostopoulos says players need to prepare themselves for another career after their playing days are over. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_pens_phantoms1_faa.jpg</photo0><caption0>Penguins captain Tom Kostopoulos says players need to prepare themselves for another career after their playing days are over. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams| for Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Penguin players each have different approaches to the inevitable</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Preparing for life after hockey