At just 20, Ryan Leonard is taking big strides in the NHL world. After moving out of his dorm room in the first week of April, Leonard received a text just before he signed his ELC with the Washington Capitals. “Hey, it’s Ovi,” it read. His friends thought it was spam, but Leonard knew he had to respond either way. And sure enough, the sender was none other than Alex Ovechkin, inviting Leonard out for some sushi. It was quite the induction to the team for Leonard, who shortly after found himself giving the Alex Ovechkin a tour of his old school, followed by pizza and drinks at the nearby Circle Tavern with Ovechkin and some of the Caps, as well as his Boston College teammates.
It was a surreal night that turned into a surreal week, as days later Leonard found himself on the ice for Ovechkin’s record-tying goal No. 894 against the Chicago Blackhawks. A game where he scored an empty netter for his first NHL goal. And then received some words of praise from Wayne Gretzky in the locker room. You know, just another day at the office. But the week didn’t end there, as Leonard was also in the lineup for Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal against the Islanders and the subsequent celebrations. But academia waits for no one, and shortly after Leonard found himself completing coursework online for his degree.
From celebrating with Alex Ovechkin to making sure he got all his credits… now that’s versatility. But hold on, although this was widely reported on, it looks like the timelines had gotten confused. In a recent interview with the NHL, Leonard offered some clarification. “That was misinterpreted. So I did the quiz Saturday night in New York. So I did it Saturday, played Sunday, and then the celebration was Sunday night.” And for those of you wondering exactly what class this quiz was for, Leonard added, “Self-minded society. Gotta continue to plug away at the credits.”
Leonard is pursuing a major in communications from Boston College. “It (offers) a variety you kind of go into. You don’t know how long you’re playing the sport for, so to have a degree you can look back on and enjoyed and worked hard towards it, it’s pretty important,” he said in a different interview.
In what was a wild first week in the NHL for Leonard, he appeared for the quiz on Saturday, played with Ovechkin on Sunday, and soon found himself in the thick of all the celebrations. But despite the remarkable start to his hockey career, Ryan Leonard was equally serious about his academics. And he’s not the only hockey player who is.
NHLers who’ve gone the extra step to balance sports and academics
Ever since his first NHL goal against the Blackhawks, Leonard hasn’t looked back. In fact, earlier last night, he was once again in the lineup during the the Capitals’ 3-2 overtime win over the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite slowly becoming a mainstay in the Capitals’ lineup, Leonard has no plans to ditch his degree, just like many of his predecessors.
Like Ryan Donato, for instance. Although he was signed by the Boston Bruins after completing his junior year at Harvard, Donato wasn’t about to let his credits go to waste. Shortly after recording a goal and two assists in his debut game, Donato missed the next day’s practice to attend class. Similarly, former Caps defenseman Taylor Chorney took one online class per semester to slowly chip away at his degree after he left college with two semesters to go.
“I’m in a position where I’m fortunate to be playing in the NHL, and you get to lead a pretty good life, but at the same time, eventually I’m going to have to get a real job,” said Chorney. “Not everybody’s in that position — some guys make enough money where you can just kind of retire and are good to go — but I’ll have to find something that I want to do after I’m done playing hockey. The first step is going to get some sort of degree.”
But this was before the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, it’s never been easier for players who wish to complete their degree to do so remotely. During the pandemic, Ryan McDonagh of the Lightning also took advantage of online classes to work towards his personal finance degree from the University of Wisconsin, which he completed last year. Another defenseman, Colton Parayko of the Blues, also got his degree, but before the pandemic, from Alaska-Fairbanks.
“With the pandemic, everything is available online,” McDonagh said. “My old roommate told me about it, and I started exploring it. With our season and our schedule, I was going to have some free time to hunker down.”
Like Chorney and Leonard, many players complete their degrees as a safety net. Others, like former defenseman Brooks Orpik, did it to set a good example for their children, while some players did it to fulfill promises made to their parents.
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