How a Sports Management Program Led Me to the NHL

I was born and raised on an acreage southwest of Okotoks, Alberta. Hockey was a big part of my childhood: playing shinny, travelling to watch my younger brother’s games and playing Okotoks Minor Hockey for 13 years. I never thought hockey would be part of my career, though. Having always been strong in math and science, and seeing my dad achieve success as a mechanical engineer, I enrolled in engineering at the University of Alberta after graduation. But it didn’t take long for me to realize engineering didn’t provide me with a sense of fulfillment. 

As I was beginning to consider other options, my dad took my brother on a tour of campuses in Atlantic Canada. He thought I’d love the small-town feel of the Maritimes. The following year, I moved across Canada to study sociology at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. In my final year at St. FX, I completed a thesis on hockey culture in Canada. Through my research, I learned about the people behind the scenes in professional sports. The idea of working in the sports industry began to take shape. 

I’ve always been a big country music fan, and my parents surprised me and my brother with a trip to Nashville after I graduated high school. From that trip onwards, I was obsessed with Nashville: the food, the music, the Southern charm. I googled “how to move to Nashville as a Canadian,” and came across the sport business management graduate certificate program at Durham College. The program included four months of school, followed by an internship, which could be completed with the Nashville Predators. It seemed like the perfect opportunity. I applied for the program and within a week of arriving on campus, I was interviewing with the Predators. I was offered the internship and headed to Nashville in January 2017.

My role with the Predators was in the community relations department, which focuses on giving back to the Greater Nashville community. I worked Monday to Friday and every game night. I shadowed other departments within the organization and learned everyone’s name, hoping to build as many genuine connections as possible. 

Following my internship, I moved back to Calgary and worked in logistics for CNRL, an oil and gas company. I also started my own business, Treadstone Sports Agency, which focused on building authentic personal brands for professional athletes. In both experiences, I was able to apply many of the skills I’d learned at Durham and with the Predators. But I missed the energy of working with an NHL team. 

One job that piqued my interest during my internship was the team services role—a position that combines logistics, scheduling and operations management, with a strong focus on interpersonal skills. Living in Calgary, I was able to connect with the person who ran team services for the Flames as well those who worked for opposing teams that came to town. I’d look for an email address and reach out to see if we could meet for coffee to discuss their career path. My networking efforts paid off when I was offered my dream job in team services for the Boston Bruins. I was thrilled to work for an Original Six NHL team. I packed my belongings into six hockey bags and, with the help of my family, moved to Boston in 2022. 

In my role with the Bruins I manage our team travel and logistics. This includes managing our season’s schedule, planning our hotel accommodations, booking flights and buses, and arranging practice ice. I also work with the players’ families, helping them coordinate details related to living in Boston and travelling with the team. In my job, I communicate with all kinds of people—players, hoteliers, bus drivers, management, coaching staff and fans—and I love that. I also appreciate the relationships I get to build with our players’ families. Every year, I organize our “special guest” trip. This past year, it was the moms’ trip, where the players’ moms came on the road with us to Florida. Through these shared experiences, you start to get attached. This is one of my favourite things about the job, but it can also be one of the toughest. For example, last season our captain, Brad Marchand, and several other players were traded to other teams. That was tough for me: the players are your colleagues, but they also become your friends. 

In this job, I’m on the road for extended periods, and the schedule is intense. There are many late nights, missed weekends and days when I feel homesick for my family back in Calgary. But the work I do, and the relationships I’ve developed, make it all worth it.

This story appears in the 2026 edition of the Ultimate Guide to Canadian Colleges. You can buy the issue for $19.99 here or on newsstands.