After a 16-year professional hockey career, former Flame Jamie Wright is fueled by a new passion: Firefighting.

On the heels of the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) recently announcing a new partnership with FESTI (Fire and Emergency Services Training Institute) which is about to welcome it’s inaugural class open exclusively to 20 current and former PHPA Members this off-season, Jamie Wright, who was enrolled in the program this past year shares his own FESTI experience, drawing some similarities to the game he played professionally for 16 seasons. 

“There are a lot of direct parallels between playing hockey and being a firefighter,” explained Wright.  “For instance, the level of intensity you feel during games and practice is the same feeling you get as you’re about to enter a burning building.  Knowing where you have to be; whether on the ice or in a burning building.  Looking out for your firefighting teammates when you’re in battle.  Your ability to help people in need is similar to a veteran guy helping out the younger players.  Being around the fire hall is a lot like being in a dressing room.  And of course there’s an element of danger in firefighting as with injuries in hockey.”

Wright drew these parallels with ease, as before the passion for firefighting was ignited from within, he proudly lived his dream of developing into a National Hockey League player. 

After a successful Major Junior career in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Guelph Storm, including winning a gold medal as a member of Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships in 1996, Wright began his professional hockey career with the Michigan K-Wings who were the IHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars at the time.

The transition from Junior to pro didn’t come without its lumps for Wright.  For the first time in his hockey career he lacked the structure that’s so prevalent in Junior. “I wasn’t given a lot of guidance in my first year with Michigan.  I had to figure out a lot of things on my own.  You now have a lot of off-ice responsibilities such as preparing healthy meals for yourself, while being committed to your on-ice responsibilities.  You really have to focus on your priorities and not get caught up in the lifestyle of being a pro hockey player.  I was a healthy scratch for a while when I first arrived in Michigan which taught me some valuable lessons.  I had to focus on my consistency.  It wasn’t until some time in February of that year before I took a regular role with the team.” 

As Wright settled in to the professional hockey environment and demonstrated improvements both on and off the ice, his coaches took notice. “Late one night while I was in my hotel room I received a call from my head coach, Claude Noel, who told me I was being called up by Dallas and to pack my bags for 2 weeks.  I was shocked but extremely excited.  After I called home I had a hard time trying to fall asleep knowing I had an early morning flight.  I ended up scoring my first NHL goal in my second game against Detroit.  Once you get a taste of the NHL as a player, you want it even more.  The key is to not get complacent.  No matter your role on the team, consistent play will determine your stay.”

Wright amassed 124 NHL games over his career between Dallas, Calgary, and Philadelphia, which also included stops in Utah (IHL) and Saint John, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Edmonton of the American Hockey League (AHL).  It was during his time with Toronto and Edmonton when he began thinking about possibilities for his post hockey career. 

“During my year with Toronto I didn’t receive a call-up to the NHL, then the following year (2004-05) was the NHL lockout season where players on entry-level NHL contracts were being assigned to the AHL.  I saw my window of opportunity starting to close which led me to think about life after hockey.  I reached out to the PHPA and was in contact with Rick Gorman who heads up the Career Enhancement Program, and went through the career testing.  But deep down I wanted to continue playing.  My agent found a deal for me to play in Finland, and once I started playing in Europe I put my post hockey career out of my mind.  I ended up staying over there for 6 seasons.  It was a different style of hockey with a focus on speed and skill.  The Swiss A League was very competitive.”

Although fully immersed in the European culture, Wright had other considerations to make when determining his career path. “During my last three years in Europe I began thinking that I didn’t want to drag my wife and daughter from city to city, and disrupt their lives.  I have an Uncle who is a firefighter and I kept in touch with some of my former teammates who became firefighters who really talked up firefighting.  When I took hockey out of the equation, and asked myself what I want to do, firefighting seemed like a natural fit for me.” 

After his return to North America, Wright began looking into different firefighting programs, with one in particular standing out among the others.  “The FESTI facility and instructors are really what sold the program to me.  They strive to be the elite program and give their students the skill sets that Fire Chiefs and Municipalities look for when they hire.  The instructors are veterans and offer lots of helpful advice which I liken to a well respected coach mentoring players.  It’s an in-depth, intense curriculum, and very physically demanding, but really provides an incredible opportunity to live the life of a firefighter day in and day out before you’re a firefighter.  Once you have graduated, you receive ProBoard and Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) certifications, which exceed all international standards when applying for firefighting jobs.”

When the inaugural group of twenty PHPA Members arrive in Toronto, Ontario for training this summer, having already completed an online training component throughout the season, players can expect an intense program.  “I went from having no medical training to writing a test on how to save someone’s life within a week.  The best part about the FESTI program is that every person gets a chance to take a turn as the sector leader in the burn tower.  Other firefighting programs don’t give you that hands on experience.  The instructors prepare you for the interviews, teach you how to properly prepare a firefighting resume that will make you stand out from other applicants applying for that same job.  The interview process can be very daunting.  I never had to put together a hockey resume – that was something my agent always did for me.  The job can be won or lost based on your interview.  The instructors here are veteran guys who have interviewed and hired for positions and will teach you how to talk under pressure and manage your answers well.  The guys entering this first class will feel overloaded at times, but will enjoy it immensely!”

With his firefighting certification almost complete, Wright is now preparing himself for the interview process and hopes it won’t be long before he is hired on with a department.  “Going through the FESTI program reaffirmed to me that this was the right decision and is what I want to do. “

“We had some great people in my firefighting class from all kinds of different backgrounds, but I would love to have gone through this training with a group of hockey players,” joked Wright.  “It will be mentally challenging, but so satisfying.”