Links - kevinweekes1com The most uncertain offseason of m - North River Minor Hockey Association

kevinweekes1com The most uncertain offseason of my careerHome Golf Classic About KevinBiography Mentors & Heroes Charities Kevins AList The AthleteCareer Stats Shutouts Masks Tips & Advice Kevins Blog Fan ZoneGuest Book Q & A Cards Wallpaper Press Box MultimediaPhoto Gallery Game Highlights NHL TV Shop Contact The most uncertain offseason of my career CBC Sports CBCSportsca Blogs & Columns by Kevin WeekesIt was quite an interesting offseason for me definitely THE most uncertain in my 14 years as a professional goaltenderEarly free agency was spent in my ancestral home (beautiful) Barbados for my Celebrity Golf Classic benefiting the Phoenix Academy on the island and Skys the Limit in CanadaThe search for a teamBetween workouts rum punches catamaran charters beach barbeques golf our parties at Sandy Lane (Tiger Woodss wedding choice) OK you get the idea there was the reality of NHL free agency Checking the internet and seeing goalie signing after goalie signing calls to and from my agent and a quickly shrinking marketplace for meThis was a stark contrast to what I discussed with my agent prior to July 1 The opportunities and compensation were still below market for a capable backup goalie let alone the fact that I was a number one goalie for four years had playoff experience was a Stanley Cup finalist and had a 920 save percentage last season in a very limited roleThe past two seasons I played for NHL rookie salaries in spite of my resume and I wasnt going to make that concession again We had discussions with teams in Russia but that was like dealing with some senior Taliban officials There was LOTS of run around there! The last team there gave me time to make my final decision but in the end the dollars were below market by KHL standards New beginningsThe opportunities starting with the CBC and the NHL Network in addition to other networks here and in the US were more in line Compensation support and room for growth were higher than what teams were offering me!I looked at the picture with a wideangled lens and a longerterm approach Almost forensically I broke this down with family friends teammates mentors industry insiders and even Benjamin a local Rastafarian (dreadlock) sage who hangs on the beach on the Platinum west coast of BarbadosIn the end I came to a very Zenlike state and made the decision to pursue this career in broadcasting choosing the legendary Hockey Night in Canada and the NHL Network I knew I was going to eventually transition into TV it was just a matter of when where and with whom Different perspective on the gameIts been a smooth evolution for me so far but Ive hit the ground SPRINTING! Im busier than ever and everybody knows that I cant hide behind a playing schedule so they take advantage of that in many ways Trust me on that!Watching the game from the broadcast booth is like watching the war from t...