When it’s time for athletes to retire, few of them know what’s next. Some change the way they impact their sport by shifting their influence from the playing field to behind the scenes, like former NHL all-star Adam Graves.

After the two-time Stanley Cup champion retired in April of 2004, he was brought back as a special assistant in prospect development by the New York Rangers, a team he played 10 seasons with.

Graves works with the Rangers’ young prospects to prepare them for life as a professional hockey player, but his role covers more than just the sport.

“You’re going through a very important position with these young guys because life is so much more than hockey,” Graves said. “But you’re just trying to be an outlet and a source of support for these young players.”

Graves concedes that the game has completely changed since he first broke into the NHL in 1989 with the Detroit Red Wings.

“It’s night and day as far as the preparation that goes in,” Graves explained. “I think analytics and the different directions that the game has gone in, there’s so much detail. The coaching has gone to a completely different level, but the emphasis on preparation is so much greater.”

There is one aspect that Graves knows hasn’t changed and it comes from the veterans on the team.

“It’s not just hockey, and again with anything in life you need leadership and there’s not a greater teacher than experience,” he said. “Everyone is going to have and endure their own experiences. Hopefully those experiences are ones which if you do have a pitfall it’s a small one and it’s something you can overcome and learn from. I think experienced people and people that you can lean on around you, hopefully prevent you from hitting a pitfall that you aren’t able to get over.”

While some former players are impacting teams in supporting roles, others are standing centre stage building franchises. Tampa Bay Lighting general manager Steve Yzerman and Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan are two examples of players Graves competed against who now have prominent front office roles.

But even with the pedigree these former players had on the ice and now have now off of it, Graves thinks anyone can have an impact similar to a former player.

“Everyone comes from different backgrounds and I think you have to respect their journey. The journey of competing and the journey of success isn’t predicated just on hockey, but it’s life in general. I think a lot of the skills are transferrable, he said. “If anything, you can learn something from everyone.”

There is one advantage former players do have over others: the ability to directly relate to the young guys trying to establish themselves as professionals.

“Experience is a great teacher because you’ve been there and you’ve done that,” Graves said. “You have the advantage of being able to talk from experience.”

The 1993-94 season was arguably Graves’ best of his career. He scored a career-high 52 goals, was named to the NHL’s second all-star team, and won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers. Graves’ substantial off-ice contributions were also recognized, as he was awarded the King Clancy Award for leadership qualities on and off the ice and noteworthy humanitarian contributions.

As a player he was involved in numerous programs, ranging from being the celebrity chairman of New York's Family Dynamic program for abused children to the Leukemia Society. Today, he continues to represent and support causes, like the Smilezone Foundation.

The goal of the foundation is to put fun areas in hospitals and places where children are being treated for numerous diseases. Graves summarizes the goal of the foundation more directly.

“A smile can be generated in many ways and essentially that’s what the SmileZone Foundation is about.”

The Smilezone started three years ago and is coming up on 76 fun zones completed at different centers in Ontario.

“I was very fortunate as a hockey player to go to many hospitals and meet so many great kids that were trying to overcome obstacles that a lot of us will never know the depth of,” Graves said. “Being in those hospitals and understanding how this can consume families and kids for all 24 hours of the day, every day they wake up.”

On July 18th the Smilezone Foundation will host their annual celebrity golf tournament at RattleSnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ont., to raise funds and awareness.

“One of the great privileges of being an athlete and playing is the people you meet along the way. There is no better way to meet people than in the community,” Graves explained. “I learned more from these kids that are overcoming these obstacles than you learn from anything in life.”