School to Career - New York Rangers - Massage Therapist



	Bruce Lifrieri provides massage services for Ranger players, assists with general practice and game preparation, and helps the training staff as necessary. In addition, he works on injured players when needed. To be effective as a massage therapist, it is important that he understands the human body, has good hands, and keeps himself in good physical shape. “You also need to carry a positive energy with you and not draw energy from other people…(you) should be upbeat and energizing,” explains Bruce. See You In the Summer During the hockey season, Bruce is kept very busy by the needs of the team. His schedule is not 9-5, but is instead “as needed”, which can be before or after games, at practices and even on days the team is off. During the summer, however, like a teacher, Bruce has a long vacation and catches up with friends and family. It is also important that during the season, Bruce takes time to remain organized, making sure he has all the tools of the trade handy. He also tries to stay upbeat, while always maintaining a mature attitude about his work. Headaches, Holistic Health & Hockey “I had severe migraines as a kid. Then I started reading books on holistic healing. Soon I found that I could cure everyone’s headaches but my own. My migraines were stress related. Once I learned what I could do through holistic healing, massage, etc., it changed my life and started me on my career, “ explains Bruce, who not only graduated from Pace University with a BA in Business Administration, but also completed the 1,000 hours necessary to complete the training at an accredited massage school. In 1987, while part owner of a restaurant and running a part time massage business, Bruce received a phone call from Ranger’s medical trainer, Dave Smith about working for the Rangers. At first, never being a big sports fan, Dave was not particularly interested. “He called a 3rd time and caught me on the phone. I told him, I really do not know what you have in mind, but I am quite busy. He invited me to Playland, the Rangers practice site at that time, to talk. We hit it off right away and he offered me a deal to start part time. I had to make a choice to give up my practice, to do this. I was never a hockey fan. I played football, track, and baseball, but could never sit still long enough to watch games. Today, however, I love what I do… it’s a great job and hockey players are a great bunch of guys,” says Bruce. Bruce, who now has worked at the Olympics and has a Stanley Cup ring, recommends that you try to work with local teams; high schools or college and get internships to determine whether you like working in sports or not. “Everyone likes the glamour of a job like this, but they don’t see the behind the scenes hard work. There are a lot of demands on you mentality and physically, so you need to prepare yourself for this type of job,” says Bruce.