Dodging the dream police

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This article was published 29/09/2015 (3692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jay Harrison is fighting to hold onto his dream. Thomas Raffl is trying to make his come true.

The 32-year-old veteran Harrison and 29-year-old rookie Raffl are clinging to roster spots with the Winnipeg Jets right now, but the call to the GM’s office could come at any moment.

It’s the reality of pro sport. There are only so many jobs on a big-league roster and they’re among the most coveted opportunities on the planet. Money, fame and the chance to compete in a game learned from childhood. It doesn’t come easy and the window is narrow. One minute you’re an 18-year-old draft pick and the next, you’re getting your first grey hairs.

“Hey, didn’t you used to be somebody?” comes way too early for most pro athletes. In the case of Harrison, he’s trying to push it back a little longer. For Raffl, this is a chance to try and grab his moment, even if it will prove fleeting.

Harrison is in a three-way scrap for two spots on the blue-line with Paul Postma and Adam Pardy. Raffl is one of four forwards, along with Nic Petan, Anthony Peluso and JC Lipon, wrestling over two open spots among the forward corps.

Harrison is in the final year of a one-way contract that pays him $1.5 million no matter where he plays. He would have to clear waivers if assigned to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

Raffl is on tryout and has no contract.

Harrison spent the first half of his career bouncing between the AHL and NHL, but has been strictly a big-leaguer for the past five seasons.

He knows the numbers game and is well aware he’s on the bubble.

“I’ll deal with that when and if it comes. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been asked to play in the American League,” said Harrison, when asked about the possibility after a lengthy skate Tuesday morning.

Raffl left a comfortable existence playing pro in Austria to try his hand at life in the NHL. His younger brother, Michael, came over a few years ago and last season, his second in the NHL, he scored 21 goals for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Big brother wants his chance now.

“It’s the chance to play in the NHL,” said Raffl, when asked why he left Austria, where he had 53 points in 52 games last season with Salzburg while earning a nice living. “It’s been a goal since I was a kid, and now that I got the chance, I might as well take advantage of it.”

Harrison is well-spoken and has managed to extend his education while playing the pro game. He’ll have opportunities when hockey’s door closes. But he’s in no rush for that to happen.

“There’s several reasons. First and foremost is the game and my identity are intertwined and ingrained in a way that few people understand. Few people have dreamt and sought after and worked towards a goal and then achieved that goal,” said Harrison. “So when a roadblock comes your way, or a stumbling block, it’s not something you just turn off and take an easier road. You pound through and you push through.”

Raffl steered clear of answering whether he would sign a two-way deal and play in the AHL if the Jets made him such an offer.

“My agent is in charge of that,” he said, showing he may be a rookie in some ways, but already has the standard NHL contract answers down pat. “I’m not thinking about it. I’m not doing this for an amount of money. That doesn’t matter to me. I want to be playing and I want to show I can be part of the best hockey league in the world. I can always go back to Europe and make good money if I’m good enough to play here. Even if I’m 29, age doesn’t matter in sport. If you’re good, you’re good. I’m just trying to prove that here.”

For Harrison, a father of four, there are also practical reasons to rage against the dying of the light.

“It would be silly not to recognize the great financial opportunity that playing this game for a living affords you and your family, and certainly it would be silly to walk away from leaving that on the table. Especially when it’s tied into what you love,” said Harrison, who has career earnings of close to $7.5 million.

“I understand there will be life after the game and I am a big proponent of guys preparing. I’ve been preparing for a very long time, but that doesn’t mean you have to cut your window short and not enjoy it while you’re here.”

We all have our motivations. Money to pay the mortgage and buy groceries and send kids to school gets most people out of bed to go to work each day. But hopefully, it’s not why we choose our vocation.

It’s best when we love what we do and it comes along with a pay packet every two weeks. Harrison and Raffl have found that.

“You can’t reach the height of your chosen field chasing money. It won’t get you up before anyone else is out of bed to pound and grind and work,” said Harrison. “You have to love it to make the sacrifices to reach the top. That’s what’s behind success.”

It’s also why one desperately wants to hold on and the other is pushing to break through.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless