School to Career - New York Rangers - Assistant General Manager, Hockey Administration



	As an attorney for the New York Rangers, Cameron Hope handles player contract negotiations, including player disputes, grievances and arbitration, as well as making sure that the team follows the collective bargain agreement signed between the NHL and their players. In addition, Cameron helps the team with planning so that they stay under the league’s salary cap and works on the team budget for travel, equipment and other needs. Starting With A Law Degree Having a law degree is the stating point for such a career, however, a lot of other specific skills and abilities are necessary. Cameron cites good reading skills, for understanding contracts and complicated documents such as the collective agreement. According to Cameron, the ability to work well with people both in person and on the phone, and the ability to plan and make sure the plans are followed, are also key skills to have when it comes to helping build a hockey team. Cameron, who worked as a lawyer for eleven years before becoming involved with the Rangers, was happy to merge the career with a personal passion. “I always loved hockey and have played hockey every year since I was six years old,” says Cameron, who was hired by the Rangers to work on some legal issues a few years ago. “Later when the job opened up, I applied… they must have liked the work I had done before.” From Pizza Delivery To Attorney “Every job prepares you for future jobs,” explains Cameron. “I learned about dealing with people by working at all sorts of jobs, including pizza delivery, camp counselor, salesman and store clerk. I learned about the sports business by playing sports, reading a lot, organizing and coaching hockey teams, and working in sports law,” adds Cameron, who also stresses the importance of doing well in college, having received a Bachelor of Arts Degree, and later a Law Degree from the University of Alberta, in Canada. When it comes to advice, Cameron believes that if it is your dream to work in a type of industry, you just have to keep trying and continue working at it.