Brooks Laich: Canadian former ice hockey player and adventurer

Markos Papadatos chatted with Canadian former ice hockey player Brooks Laich about his career in sports and latest endeavors in the digital age, which include World Playground (where he serves as founder).

Laich reflected on the greatest lesson that ice hockey has taught him, and he furnished his advice for young and emerging athletes.

American track and field running legend Steve Prefontaine once said: “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” This quote applies to Brooks Laich.

After spending more than a decade competing at the highest levels of professional hockey, Brooks Laich has found a new source of purpose. These days, the former NHL player is focused less on life in the arena and more on family, entrepreneurship, and helping others experience the world through travel.

At the center of everything, he noted is his family.

"This summer, I'm marrying my fiancée, who is an incredible woman and means the world to me," Laich said. "I'm counting down the days until we get to say our vows to each other." The couple also recently welcomed a daughter, now six months old, who has transformed his perspective in ways he never expected.

"Being a partner and a father are the roles I'm most proud of and most committed to," he said. "They push me to grow and become the best version of myself. Everything I do is driven by the desire to provide for them, support them, and love them in the best way I can."

Professionally, that same drive fuels his work as the founder of World Playground, a travel company dedicated to making travel more accessible. Its recently launched booking platform eliminates commissions traditionally added to travel services, allowing individuals and families to book hotels, cruises, and travel insurance at lower prices.

"The opportunity to lead a company that's reshaping the travel booking landscape is incredibly motivating," he said. "It's what energizes me and drives my work every single day."

Although hockey defined much of his life, Laich noted that retirement gave him the clarity to understand what he loved most about the sport.

"At its core, it was the competition," he reflected. "More than anything else, I loved competing with and against the very best in the world and measuring where I - and our team - stood."

Before stepping away from the game, he might have pointed to skating, shooting, or the balance between physicality and mental sharpness. But distance changed his perspective.

"I loved hockey, no doubt," he said. "But what I was really addicted to was the competition woven into it."

That competitive mindset also shaped the greatest lesson of his career: greatness isn't achieved overnight.

"It's built over a lifetime of consistency, dedication, and deliberate effort," he said. "There are no shortcuts. Greatness isn't a destination - it's a continuous process of growth."

Much of that work, he notes, happens far from public view.

"When I look back on my journey, it's the work no one ever saw that I'm most proud of. That's what earned me the chance to step onto the ice in arenas full of 20,000 people and play with and against the world's best."

While hockey required years of sacrifice, technology helped soften some of the distance from loved ones. Leaving home at just 16 years old to pursue his dream meant missing countless family moments, but video calls and digital communication helped bridge the gap.

Today, Laich is embracing technology in a different way through World Playground. The platform integrates video and interactive features that allow travelers to explore destinations, resorts, cruise lines, and experiences before booking.

"Travel should feel exciting from the very first moment," he says. "We're creating an experience that's more engaging and fundamentally better for the traveler."

Retiring from hockey in 2017 also unlocked another lifelong dream: seeing the world. For two years, Laich immersed himself in adventure, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, going on safari in Tanzania, trekking with gorillas in Rwanda, swimming alongside humpback whales in Tonga, scuba diving in Indonesia, and exploring countless other destinations.

"I went everywhere and did everything," he said with a smile. "Being a professional athlete consumed my life, and every decision within it. Once I retired, the world opened up to me, and I wanted to experience it all."

Those travels ultimately inspired the creation of World Playground. In 2020, he partnered with longtime friend Jeff Shafar to build a community centered around unforgettable adventures.

"I figured if I loved these experiences, others would too," Laich said. "Coming from a lifetime in team sports, I missed that sense of shared pursuit."

What began as a travel community has since evolved into a full-scale booking platform designed to remove commissions and make travel more affordable.

"We give every traveler access to the lowest possible prices on hotels, cruises, and travel insurance—every time," he explains. "No commissions added, ever. Just honest pricing, so you can spend more on the moments that matter."

Looking back, one of the defining moments of Laich's life came long before he ever laced up skates professionally.

At 12 years old, while competing in a provincial baseball tournament in his hometown of Wawota, Saskatchewan, he struggled through the opening day and felt he'd let his team down. Seeing his disappointment, his mother offered a simple piece of advice that would change his life.

"She said, 'You're hoping to hit the ball instead of believing and knowing you're going to hit the ball.'"

The lesson transformed his mindset almost instantly.

"From then on, I approached everything in life with a deeper sense of confidence and conviction."

His team went on to win the provincial championship, but the bigger victory was internal.

"I've probably failed more than I've succeeded," he said. "But from that point on, I never questioned my ability to figure things out, keep moving forward, and always believe in myself."

He credits both of his parents for helping shape the person he became.

"I love my mom so much, and my dad too. I'm so lucky to have terrific parents who supported me every step of the way."

For young athletes and aspiring adventurers, Laich's advice is straightforward: pursue what genuinely excites you and commit wholeheartedly.

"Find what you're deeply passionate about and go all in on it," he said. "Take ownership of your life and create your own opportunities, because no one else will do it for you. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it."

Asked to define success, Laich's answer has evolved significantly over the years.

"It's about laying it all on the line and being proud of the effort you gave, regardless of the outcome," he said.

He spent 34 years chasing hockey's ultimate prize - a Stanley Cup - but never won one. Yet he refuses to measure his life by a single accomplishment.

"If success is measured by getting to do what I loved every day, the incredible people I met, the places I experienced, and the fact that it led me to my fiancée and our daughter, then it was a success beyond anything I could have imagined."

Today, success is measured differently.

"Every time we help someone save money on a trip, that's a win," he said. "It means we've played a small role in turning someone's plans into meaningful, lasting memories."

Ultimately, though, he believes success is deeply personal.

"Each person has to discover what it means for themselves and decide how they want to measure it."

And to everyone who has followed his journey - from hockey arenas to mountain summits to the next chapter of entrepreneurship - his message is simple.

"I would simply say, thank you," Laich said. "Whether you showed up to games, followed along on social media, joined me on a World Playground adventure, or are just discovering my story now, it all means more than you know. I hope to be of service to you in one way or another."

To learn more about Brooks Laich, follow him on Instagram.

For more information on World Playground, follow its Instagram page.