Toughest Job In Pro Sports?

[ChitownHabby]

Given the Habs recent collapse being largely pinned to the free-falling confidence of their young number 1 goaltender, it begs the question:

Who has the hardest job in Pro Sports? I know we are on the Habs website so that we all have an obvious bias but I truly feel that the most pressure packed, toughest job in sports is being the highest paid player on the New York Yankees like Alex Rodriguez.

That's my vote.

The media is bigger, nastier, even more invasive, the stakes are higher, the franchise is even more glorious and the pay is 3 times more than any hockey player. I would say Alex Rodriguez is the person under the most scrutiny, holding the hardest/toughest job in all of pro sports.

Next, I would rank Tony Romo. Look at the paparazzi that follow him around, its insane, I live in the US, you wouldnt even imagine.

Third, I would say the bilingual media storm that is Montreal makes being head coach of the Canadiens the 3rd toughest job.

Next would be NFL commissioner, organizing that league of criminals and putting a positive spin must be gruelling.

I would rank Carey Price as 5th. Starting goalie for les glorieux is one large task, especially in the 100th season, the season that Roy's number gets retired and his record subsequently passed in your own building.

[A-K-46]

id say head coach for the habs and any other team theres so much pressure put on you especially as the habs coach

[gracie12]

These are all tough jobs by sports standards, but when compared with "the real world" they are almost laughable.

There are so many jobs where the employee is paid a small fraction of a pro athlete and deals with life and death situations all day. Surgeons, firemen, ER doctors. Heck, look at the life of a lumberjack - sleep poorly the night before & you could kill yourself & what do you get paid? $50k if you're lucky.

I know it wasnt the point of the OP but I think when you put things in perspective of "life" NONE of these jobs should really be considered "tough." Then again thats probably why Carbo didnt "make it" as a coach - he said he'd wake up every day & think "its just a game."

[habs-24]

ya the toughest job in pro sports not real life obviously

being the highest paid player on Yankees has to be the toughest

[BarbraT]

I know we are all hockey and habs fans...

But being a football quaterback in the NFL for ANY team must be brutal!

That is hands-down the hardest job in pro-sports I believe. There are way more football fans in the world than there are hockey fans and just as crazy passionate fans out there like the habs fans.

Probably quarterback for a team like green-bay or New England would be the worst.

[TexasCanadien]

Hands down it would have to be a professional bull rider.

In a lot of other sports, if you arent doing your job, you get booed.

In bull riding, you get gored or stomped.

[brazinrasin]

I can think of one thing worse than being the goalie for the Montreal Canadiens:

Being Alexei Kovalev. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Damned for what you are and damned for what you aren't. Damned for what you've never been and damned for what people want you to be. Always dammed.

[Larry-Launstein-Jr]

Yes, being a Habs goalie and a Habs coach is tough, but being the next Rocket Richard is perhaps asking the impossible. He was one of a kind.

[BarbraT]

I can think of one thing worse than being the goalie for the Montreal Canadiens:

Being Alexei Kovalev. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Damned for what you are and damned for what you aren't. Damned for what you've never been and damned for what people want you to be. Always dammed.

so true.

[SteenIsThaFuture]

I think Captain of the Yankees or Cowboys QB is the worst, with an edge going to the Yankee captain. Jeter has handled it amazingly his whole career, but the job description in itself is huge.

[DeepNYR]

I think its a tie. Between being the Habs #1 goalie and the Flyers #1 goalie. Living in here in Philly, the media is pretty tough on Biron. And since the days of Ron Hextall, the Cryers had too many goalies for one to county. Sometimes I think they would do better with having a garbage can in the net.

[tache]

Yankees highest paid player

[Lynch_mtl]

A soccer player in Iraq. I'd much rather be a habs goalie than a soccer player in Iraq. I'm sure you all heard of this:

http://realtalkny.uproxx.com/2009/03/topic...o-score-a-goal/

Hockey players whine too much. At least they won't be killed. Not like some other sports or countries. The habs have some really good fans, and the majority of them aren't PSYCHOTIC. No appreciation for what they have.

[Rocket-1]

A star soccer player in Argentina/Russia or some small places in Italy, England (anywhere where the craziest holigans in the world are)

Here on our side of the ocean, i would say being QB for the cowboys.

Being a number goalie for the canadiens is quite nothing actually.... okay in the NHL it might be one of the toughest job, but the NHL is such a small market that no one really cares about except us canadian people.

You gotta see the big picture worldwide, holigans kill the fans from the other team and they kidnapped some players family in the past.

Now that's pressure.

[concreteveins]

I am going to go with Tiger Woods because the golf world doesn't have a bonified competitor for him. He is needed to sell the sport. Hell, when he came back from knee surgery the Golf Channel had a "24 hour Tiger Cam". Without Tiger Woods golf has basically no major endorsements, adveertising or marekting and loses a massive percentage of their fan base. You know that he must feel some of that pressure...

[habs-24]

I can think of one thing worse than being the goalie for the Montreal Canadiens:

Being Alexei Kovalev. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Damned for what you are and damned for what you aren't. Damned for what you've never been and damned for what people want you to be. Always dammed.

dammed if you do for 27? i dont understand...... when the guy does his job there are no complaints

[ChitownHabby]

These are all tough jobs by sports standards, but when compared with "the real world" they are almost laughable.

There are so many jobs where the employee is paid a small fraction of a pro athlete and deals with life and death situations all day. Surgeons, firemen, ER doctors. Heck, look at the life of a lumberjack - sleep poorly the night before & you could kill yourself & what do you get paid? $50k if you're lucky.

I know it wasnt the point of the OP but I think when you put things in perspective of "life" NONE of these jobs should really be considered "tough." Then again thats probably why Carbo didnt "make it" as a coach - he said he'd wake up every day & think "its just a game."

jedi: my job as a doc in downtown detroit is certainly harder than being carey price. That is obvious but I was curious about a fantasy world question. I'm sure all of our jobs are harder than playing a game we all bleed for free to play, their job is clearly easier than anything in the real world. I still think Alex Rodriguez has the toughest job. Commercials, scandals, paparazzi, steroids...he definitely has more pressure than anyone in north american pro sports. I must give a nod to those who brought up international football. I neglected its literal life or death pressure.

[swimmerpuck]

Hmmm..........I like the question, it's an interesting one. To start I'll say a high profile athlete's job is more difficult than a commissioner of some sort although I'm sure that's no picnic in the park. A commissioner can always pass the buck or say the politically correct thing. An athlete can't exactly pass the buck, but can be politically correct. LOL I'll be biased and say the Habs # 1 goalie.

Versus baseball, hockey is a more grueling sport IMO. There is more physical contact even for a goalie. A goalie doesn't have a chance to duck into a dugout for 15 to 20 minutes. I think the travel is more demanding in hockey. Athletes are not settled into one city for two or three nights. The length of the seasons from training camp through playoffs is about the same I believe for baseball and hockey.

Not to demean a Yankee infielder, but I don't think the mental preparation is as grueling either. If a goalie makes a mistake, chances are the puck is in the net. He's the last line of defence. If a ballplayer makes an error, he still has more of a chance to redeem himself either on the field or at the plate.

The media.........I don't know how other cities compare. I live near Philly too and see / hear a lot of Philly sports news. I can't imagine it's anywhere close to the scrutinizing Montreal media and tabloid press chasing the Habs.

Now versus an NFL quarterback. Again I live near Philly and I can't stand Donovan McNabb. I still don't see the scrutiny that compares to the city of Montreal and a goaltender. Football teams are multifaceted with offense, defense, special teams. Granted a hockey team is too but my perception is that there are more "facets" and players to absorb blame when things are not going well. Again in hockey, the goaltender is the last line of defence and that's the last perception seen on the ice.

I'm definitely biased and say a Habs goalie. LOL I've always thought that a hockey season in general is more grueling than a season in a stick and ball sport.

Thanks for the question posed.

[Guest olddude]

I chose other, that being "The Fan". We're the only ones who don't get paid, are required to pay for everything and have no say in anything.

[SteenIsThaFuture]

I chose other, that being "The Fan". We're the only ones who don't get paid, are required to pay for everything and have no say in anything.

You also have the choice not to pay, its not a tax, so therefore its not a democracy.

[puckoff1]

id go with javelin catcher. now theres a tough job

[kent]

it is rally hard to do anything with the habs{goalie, coach) but being the manager of the yanks has to be the toughest well not really toughest its easy writing down 20 million dollar players down. but thee team throws out a lot of money to win every yr so they are expected to win every yr. but i really hate the yanks and aj burnett i hope he never wins again.

[QbGamer]

Towel boy has it pretty bad

[tomto]

I think the toughest Hockey Jobs are

1. Goal tending for the Habs

2. Coaching the Habs

Too much fans and media just expect those 2 peoples to be perfect all the time.

As for toughest Job in pro sports... I couldn't really tell, I don't follow other sports all that much

[QbGamer]

Anything where alot of people are watching you is tough

Id have to say being a Quarterback in the Nfl is alot harder then a goalie in the nhl

but things like that

Quarterbacks/Goalies/Pitchers

Any position where you have ALOT of touches with the ball the Ball/Puck And can change the course of the game, by a good save/good pass, good pitches and so on