Skip to content

Daniel Carcillo putting careers of others before his own

Greg M. Cooper / USA Today

Daniel Carcillo has yet to sign with an NHL club this offseason, and he's OK with that.

The 30-year-old is coming off a season that saw him play just 39 games with the Chicago Blackhawks after suffering a concussion. After dealing with the injury and getting a chance to spend time with his son, he's not in a hurry to sort out his playing career.

"If I told you that I've already made a decision 100 percent to not play I'd be lying," Carcillo told Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. "But every year, especially the last couple, I've definitely thought about it. And then when you have a son it kind of changes things because being away that long with that travel schedule is just not conducive to being the father I want to be. I want to be here and I want to see things."

Another reason Carcillo is in no rush to make a decision is because he has a new venture in his life. Carcillo has started Chapter 5, a non-profit organization aimed at helping NHL players after their careers end.

"The first thing we would do with every retired player in the league would be to reach out to them and see how they're doing," Carcillo said. "And then, when they were ready, run them through a Stage 2, which would be a program that would identify their strengths and weaknesses and what they would be good at and what their interests are. You want to do something you love and you're driven for.

"It's going to be on a player-to-player basis because every guy is so different. Everyone has a different education and different interests. It's just tapping into those and getting to know a person and creating that personal relationship and then moving forward when they're ready to move into another career."

Carcillo hasn't made a decision about ending his playing career, but at least he's helping other players who have ended theirs.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox