Laich, who played for the Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Los Angeles Kings, spent years unable to even utter the word retired. The transition was compounded by a divorce, leaving his personal and professional foundations in upheaval. He spent this period searching for a new sense of purpose, moving through podcasting and fitness app development before finding a path in the travel industry with his new venture, World Playground.
His journey offers a blueprint for those facing mid-career shifts. Laich suggests that the key to reinvention lies in following one’s natural curiosity—identifying the activities that naturally occupy one's time and intellect, then building a business model around those passions. He emphasizes that the discipline, resilience, and work ethic honed in elite sports are transferable, even when starting at the bottom of a new field. By viewing his post-hockey life as a project to be built brick by brick, just as he did his professional athletic career, Laich has moved from the locker room to the global travel space, proving that the skills required to reach the top are not tethered to a single jersey.
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