Heika: So you want to be a professional hockey player?

Being a hockey player is a great job.
But it's also a tough job.
And, mostly, it is a job.
As much as you get a lot of money to play a game, you are an employee of not only a big company, but also part of a franchise of an even bigger company. Therefore, you have to comply with the expectations of your team, but also the rules of your league. You are part of a locker room that many want to call a family, but you are also part of a union that many want to call a brotherhood.

You are walking a high wire a lot of times, trying to figure out how to do your job the best way possible and make everybody happy. And yet there are times when it's pretty much impossible to make everybody happy.

All of this started bouncing around in my head because of the non-reunion of the Brothers Ritchie Saturday night. Nick Ritchie is in a contract skirmish with the Anaheim Ducks and is sitting at home in Ontario. He's trying to do what his agent thinks is right and what his union thinks is right, and that can be frustrating at times.
Older brother Brett, meanwhile, is fighting for a spot in the Stars' lineup every day. That's where he is in his career. The big winger was on a perfect climb up the career ladder when he was drafted 44th overall in 2011 and racked up 97 points in 136 games over three seasons with the Texas Stars.
He tallied 16 goals in his NHL rookie season in 2016-17 and seemed to be on the radar for a spot in the top-six forward group and some time on the first power-play unit. Talk about a quick riser in the company, Ritchie was living the dream.
And then he wasn't.
He struggled last season under Ken Hitchcock and got off to a slow start in training camp and preseason under Jim Montgomery. Sure, he's under contract for $1.75 million this year, but instead of feeling secure about his future at age 25, he has to be wondering where this is all heading.
"There's a lot of ups and downs emotionally -- winning losing games, worrying about your own game," Ritchie said.
"Everybody goes through it. Even Benny and Segs (go) through it. If they don't score for a while, they say it gets to them, too."
Ritchie shows up every day and tries to make people happy, tries to do what he's supposed to do. But the problem with that plan is there are people on the other side trying to make him look bad. That's part of their job. They're going to hack and whack and battle to make their bosses happy.

It's a fascinating dynamic to me. Nobody is chopping at my hands while I work the keyboard hoping they can mess up my story. Nobody is running into your office and knocking you out of your chair. Nobody is challenging you to a fight when you punch the timeclock.
We probably all have some sort of competition, but it's more of a golf environment -- we're trying to do our best, they're trying to do their best, and the winner gets more money. Very gentlemanly.
But that's not hockey. No, you have to go find a way to look good while somebody else is trying to make you look bad.
And that's not your only worry. You signed a contract that makes you the property of the team. If they want to trade you (depending on your leverage), they can. If they want to put you on waivers, you can end up in Buffalo (Hey, Remi). Sometimes, that's a good thing. Sometimes, that's exactly what you need in your job (Howdy, Patrik). But it's still an odd way to live your life.
Mattias Janmark was all set to play in Sweden three years ago, and the Stars decided to start him in the NHL. His dad had to go move him out of his apartment in Sweden and help get his stuff to Texas. That's different than what most of us deal with.
On the flip side, Nick Ritchie still can't find the compromise that will put him back in uniform for a team that really needs him. That's different than what most of us have to deal with.
As we head to Ottawa, the story of Jason Spezza also fascinates me. I went to his house when he was 15 and did a story on "The Next Gretzky." Think about that -- he's lived with that since before he could drive. Now, at age 35, he's trying to squeeze some of that potential out of a body that's 20 years older in a league filled with 20-year-olds.
Last season, he dealt with a change in coaches and styles that didn't fit his game. It wasn't something he asked for, but something his employer decided would be best for the company. And that changed how he viewed his job. That changed how he dealt every day with his own life.

Now, he is compensated very well, and he has earned the ability to decide where he wants to work and live. But that doesn't mean it's easy. He has to adjust, he has to be mentally tough, he has to find a way to make everyone happy -- his coach, his teammates, his GM, his owner, the fans, the media, Twitter people in Toronto and Ottawa and Dallas … pretty much anyone who wants to criticize his performance and has the open forum to do so.
And my guess is that rolls around his head every night. Just like it does with Julius Honka and Jamie Benn and Remi Elie and the Brothers Ritchie.
That's not a call for sympathy -- there are much larger calls that need it -- but just a realization that it is a job.
It's a great job.
But it certainly also can he a hard job.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika,and listen to his podcast.