The NHL has seen many players have success in the league and go on to sit quietly at home after their storied careers. Others don’t quite do the same thing, beginning successful post-career ventures.
Let’s take a look a 10 NHL players that made it big after their careers.
Which NHL players grew their net worth after retiring from the game?
Mario Lemieux
Lemieux had one of the most storied NHL careers, maybe second only to Wayne Gretzky.
Many say that his NHL totals would have far exceeded the great ome had he not suffered through injuries that saw him miss significant time in the show.
Before his retirement in 2005, the star forward assumed ownership of the Penguins franchise with which he had played his entire career.
Lemieux continued to be the owner with great success until he ultimately relinquished the majority title in 2021, but he continued to have a stake in the franchise.
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Paul Bissonette
Biz Nasty is one of the most-known names in the NHL today. This is not for his on-ice play but his off-ice media, mostly.
His NHL career saw him play more of an enforcer role as he played 202 NHL games split between the Coyotes and the Penguins and enjoyed 340 minutes in the box.
As of 2023, Paul Bissonette is enjoying a phenomenal career as an NHL Media Personality and is one of the go-to names for NHL news.
Steve Yzerman
Yzerman retired from the NHL in 2006 and would go on to make it big after his hockey career while becoming an NHL GM.
His NHL General Managing career started in 2010 when he took the job in Tampa Bay. He then took his talents back to where he played his NHL games in Detroit in 2019.
Yzerman has made a pretty good life for himself. He is considered one of the best GMs in the league to date and has a term coined “the yzerplan” for his NHL squad’s success.
Ken Dryden
Goalie Ken Dryden’s successful career came to an end in 1979 after a historic career played mostly with the Montreal Canadiens.
Dryden ended up once again making it big after hockey as he ended up competing in ABC for 1980, 1984, and 1988 Olympic Games. He also quite literally owned the Maple Leafs from 1997 till 2004.
Not only did he have success commentating and owning, but the storied tender also became a lawyer, an MP, and almost the Canadian Prime Minister.
Also read: 5 NHL Players Who Need to Retire ASAP and 5 Who Should Keep Playing
Randy Gregg
Gregg went undrafted but played 11 seasons in the NHL and is most known for winning the cup with the Edmonton Oilers five times.
His NHL stats weren’t necessarily eyepopping as he put up 193 points in 474 NHL games across a few different teams, but he’s on this list for a reason.
Before coming to The Show, the defenseman studied medicine at the University of Alberta and he would end up going to a well-paying sports medicine career after his time in the NHL, a job well done and a career well spent.
Rick DiPietro
DiPietro was drafted by the Islanders with the 1st overall pick in the 2000 NHL Draft and would remain with the team for 13 seasons.
Dipietro may have played 13 seasons, but his injury history did not aid him, forcing him to retire early.
DiPietro still makes $1.5 million annually after they bought out his contract midway through a 15-year contract, and DiPietro will continue to make the sum through the 2028-29 season.
His post-career success also comes from being an NHL analyst for ESPN as he covers the league for the sports broadcasting giant.
Joe Sakic
Sakic played with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise his entire career, from 1989 until his retirement in 2009.
His Hall of Fame NHL career saw him score 1,641 points through 1,378 games played, making him one of the franchise’s all-time greats.
His post-career success came when Sakic was named the team’s GM in 2014 and he would win a Stanley Cup with the team in 2022 as their GM, winning an award as the league’s best GM.
In the 2022 off-season, he relinquished the role and took a front-office hockey operations role with the team.
Also read: 10 NHL Players That Would Definitely Be Hall Of Famers If It Weren’t For One Mistake
Wayne Gretzky
The great one was no doubt going to be on this list. His NHL totals are like no others, and he is named the great one for a reason.
Gretzky’s post-career success may be just as good as his NHL success, and it’s evidenced by his many post-career ventures.
He is now an analyst along with other former NHLers on NHL on TNT and his hockey school is another venture that he has lost of success in.
Teemu Selanne
Known as the Finnish Flash, Selanne had one of the most storied NHL careers, leading to a Hall of Fame induction.
Selanne played 1,451 games, splitting between the Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Colorado Avalanche, putting up 1,457 points before retiring in 2014.
After his NHL career, the Hall of Famer opened a few restaurants in Laguna Beach. He has a background in restauranteering and owns four in Finland, which adds to his comfortability.
Chris Phillips
Chris Phillips played 1,179 points in the NHL all with the Ottawa Senators before retiring after the 2014-15 season.
He only scored 288 points, therefore his popularity in The Show wasn’t at an all-time high, but he played well enough to stick around.
Since his retirement, his post-career endeavors have included becoming a co-owner of a brewer called Big Rig after his on-ice nickname, which won a gold medal at both the 2014 Canadian and Ontario Brewing Awards.
Also read: 10 NHL Players You Had No Idea Went Broke and Lost It All
