The Greater Toronto Hockey League is proud to share the second edition of Off the Boards — a new GTHL alumni series celebrating former players making a difference beyond the ice.
From teachers to trades workers, doctors to first responders and beyond, these are the stories of character built in the rinks and carried into everyday life.
The series continues with Jason George, now wildlife photographer and alumnus of the Reps Hockey Club, who shares how hockey taught him lessons and skills he still uses today.
It’s been a wild ride for wildlife photographer Jason George, whose career has taken him from the rink to the rainforest. Through it all, the former Reps Hockey Club player credits hockey for giving him the mindset, work ethic, and community that have shaped his journey.
“Hockey taught me how to be resilient,” said George. “If you try something, you might fail, but if you work hard, you can get better.”
George got his start playing road hockey with his brother Chris. It was through the game that he began to understand the value of failure as a tool for growth.
“I watched my brother compete and get to all these levels. He [was] drafted to the NHL, but never played a game,” George explained. “He had to work so hard to get so far, and he still didn’t make it.”
Out in the field as a wildlife photographer, George sees that same lesson play out in nature.
“I’ve watched a cheetah go for a chase, probably one of its first times on its own, and it didn’t catch the gazelle,” he shared. “It sucks. We all fail at certain points.”
That willingness to fail became critical when George left a decade-long teaching career to pursue photography full-time.
“I learned to try new things, and be willing to accept that you might not be amazing,” George said. “It made me willing to take those chances and change careers.”
“I knew that if I trusted myself, I would get somewhere.”
While the lessons were key, George says his hockey community shaped him just as much — starting with his own family, who introduced him to the game.
“My brother always tried to teach me how to play right-handed,” George shared with a chuckle. “But I’m left-handed, so now I can sort of play both hands because I was forced a bit as a kid to play right-handed.”
Even learning to skate came with a twist.
“My dad taught me and my brother how to skate,” he explained. “My dad can’t skate. I watch him now, and I don’t know how he was the one that actually taught us. I think that’s hilarious.”
As he got older, hockey helped him form lifelong connections — some of which have blossomed into new ventures.
“It’s amazing the community that’s around,” George said. “I met one of my best friends playing hockey in Australia, and now we’ve started this charity called Epic First, where we take special needs friends to sporting events. It’s such a cool thing […] all because of a guy I met through hockey.”
George remains deeply connected to the game through playing and coaching. He recently started suiting up as a goaltender in senior leagues, and jumps into tournaments or charity games when needed.
“I have always played,” he said. “If my buddies need a guy, they’ll call me.”
George’s time in hockey has done more than just guide his career — he also believes that it may have saved his life while out in the field.
While on a trip to South Africa, George encountered a troop of about 100 baboons. As he was taking pictures, he noticed one suddenly break from the group and charge. Instinct took over.
“After a few seconds I’m like, ‘oh, this thing’s coming in’,” George explained. “It’s running at me, teeth exposed, and I don’t know what to do.”
Drawing on the confidence and calm he developed through years of sports, George acted fast. He put down his camera, grabbed a rock, and waited for the right moment.
“This is where, luckily, playing sports my whole life, I’m fairly confident. I throw the rock as hard as I can, hit the baboon square in the chest, and then we’re able to run away.” George recalled, adding that he believes he would have died if he hadn’t hit the baboon with the stone.
Before his days in the wilderness, George spent a decade working in education, and he sees direct links between what he learned from his hockey coaches and how he mentors students.
“I learned from my coaches that everybody’s different,” said George, who still tutors five students. “You have to try to figure out how to push the people who need to be pushed, and motivate people in a certain way to get the best out of them.”
He recalls one student in particular — a former pupil who went to college to study welding but was struggling. The student’s father asked George for help.
“I don’t know anything about welding,” George laughed. “But I knew this kid. I helped him to understand how to learn, because I related to him and I understood the person, and he got a job the next year.”
“Just like coaching, you put everybody in the right position, and they start to excel,” George added.
George’s path hasn’t followed a straight line, but the lessons he learned through hockey continue to guide him. From the rink to the wild, they’ve shaped the person he is today.
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