Like many professional athletes, NHL players don’t always simply ‘retire’ the day of their last big game. Some become coaches or commentators. Other still, pursue a totally different career path. Surprisingly, the food service industry is often a good fit for former sports stars. Players can lend their name to an establishment where fans can come to pay homage and relive their favorite career highlights. Here are a few restaurants where hockey lovers can go to dine among fellow fans. Wayne Gretzky’s Wayne Gretzky is arguably the most well-known hockey player to ever start in the NHL. With a career spanning twenty season (1979-1999) across four teams, and as the leading scorer in the league’s history, “The Great One” was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame after his retirement. Since then, Gretzky has stayed busy with endorsements, appearances and his sit-down namesake restaurant in downtown Toronto. The restaurant and bar showcase a personal collection…
Catfish is Not a Crime: Best Places to Eat Catfish during the Stanley Cup Playoffs
If you’re a fan of the NHL, you’re probably familiar with the Octopus toss at Joe Louis Arena, the home of the Detroit Red Wings. That tradition started in the 1950’s during a Red Wing playoff run. The Nashville Predators began mimicking the Octopus tradition in October of 2003, during a game against the Red Wings, by throwing catfish onto the ice at their home rink, Bridgestone Arena. And the tradition has continued. Most recently it caused a spectacle at Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when Jacob Deveral Waddell, 36, of Nolensville, Tennessee tossed a dead catfish onto the ice of PPG Paints Arena and was promptly escorted out of the game. The incident prompted local, popular fish market owners to take extraordinary steps to ensure the catfish fling doesn’t get out of control. “You have to show your ID if you want to buy catfish here,”…
8 restaurants owned by former NFL players
Former NFL players. Present foodies. Most athletes will spend the majority of their time focusing solely on their skills. They will clock endless off-field hours fine-tuning their physiques so they stay at the top of their game. The most successful and marketable athletes will spend time, with the help of an agent, crafting a public persona — giving interviews, attending fan events, endorsements and appearances. After a physically challenging career, most athletes will disappear from the public eye to a world of beautiful houses, cars and chiropractor visits. Others will get in to commentary. Still others will pursue a different industry all-together: food service. What is it about athletes that makes us flock to their restaurants? Maybe we think athletes know something about nutrition. This might be true, except most of their restaurants revolve around red meat. Maybe we feel a solidarity with the other diners. Or maybe we think, somehow,…