Want A Job In NHL Management? Play Professionally.

In doing some research for a story I was writing, I tracked common traits among NHL General Managers. What I found reinforced a belief I've held for some time. The fastest way to the executive washroom is through the locker room.

• 19 of 30 (63%) NHL General Managers count "hockey player" as their most significant qualification for the job.
• 3 others, Bowman, Fletcher and Shero are legacies - their fathers were influential pillars in the NHL.
• 2, Chiarelli and Lombardi, were player agents
• The remaining 6 came to their jobs through other means - scouting, business, hockey ops.

Hockey is a place where the old adage, "It's not what you know, it's who you know" doesn't hold. The NHL adage should be, "It's not what you know, it's where you played."