Former Islanders captain, Stanley Cup champ dishes on life after hockey, new business venture

Stanley Cup champion Mark Streit talks to Fox News Digital about his new assignment off the ice. 

Stanley Cup champion and former New York Islanders captain Mark Streit retired from the NHL in 2017 after 12 seasons in the league. 

Now, nearly six years removed from his professional playing career, the Swiss ice hockey icon has taken on a new role as a business professional and a shining example of what life can look like after hanging up the skates. 

Captain Mark Streit #2 of the New York Islanders keeps the puck away from Tomas Plekanec #14 of the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game on December 13, 2011 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  (Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)

"I think whenever you stop playing hockey, it's kind of – it's not foreseen," Streit told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.  "You never really know when your career is going to be over. I was fortunate enough to play for a very long time, until I was 39, and honestly at the beginning I wanted to take some time off because I was so busy with hockey."

PENGUINS TRIO SETS ALL-TIME RECORD AFTER STARTING 18TH SEASON TOGETHER

Streit had made a name for himself in his native Switzerland in the mid-90s and had eventually caught the attention of the NHL after playing in the top tier of the Swiss league. But after a brief stint in the AHL, he returned to Switzerland. 

Eventually he was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft at 26 years old where he would have an immediate impact as a two-way defenseman. Streit played for more than a decade in the NHL and played for several teams including the Philadelphia Flyers and the Islanders, where he would become the first Swiss-born team captain in league history in