When ex-wife of NHL veteran Kirk McLean spoke out on the adversities of being a hockey wife - "Being a hockey wife almost killed me"

In 2015, Jane MacDougall, former spouse of NHL veteran Kirk McLean, had a year that almost broke her. She found herself moving from one place to another not once, not twice, not even three times, but four times in the span of 11 months.

Her relocations were not just limited to her city, province, time zone, or country. She was sent to places she had never been to before and had no interest in visiting or moving to.

"It was a year that just about killed me," she said in an interview years later. "It was the year I moved not once, not twice, not three times, but four times. I didn’t just move within my city. Or province. Or time zone. Or country. I moved to places I had never been to before. To places I had no interest in moving to, or even visiting. And I did so on short notice. I had no say in the matter. I was a hockey wife — and it just about killed me."

As the wife of a hockey player, Jane had no say in the matter. She had to follow her husband's career and relocate on short notice. She thought her life with Kirk would be predictable, with a set schedule of practices, games, and road trips with the team he played for. However, she was wrong.

"Life in the NHL was like being in a faulty witness protection program," she said. "It was a No Home Life."

The couple went from a rental in Florida, where Mclean was planying for the Panthers, to buying a house and then selling it. They returned to Vancouver, where they were renovating a house, and then headed off to New York to search for one. They eventually bought a house after deciding that apartment life in Manhattan was not for them.

The damage and losses were shocking when the couple had to move to New York after Mclean joined the Rangers. The movers misplaced all of their belongings, and they had to wait for a month. In the meantime, they had to order mattresses from 1-800-Mattress and use toilet paper rolls as pillows, hoping their things would arrive soon.

Jane had 12 different phone numbers with three different area codes that year. She had the home phone, her husband and her cellphone, and the phone at their official home address in Vancouver. Each time they moved, they had to get new numbers, and Jane had trouble remembering them all. She often found herself stuttering and struggling to remember the right sequence of digits when asked for their phone number.

Jane's experience shows the challenges and difficulties that come with being a hockey wife. The constant relocation and uprooting can take a toll on one's mental and emotional health.

Kirk McLean's NHL career

Kirk McLean is a former NHL goaltender who played for six different teams over a 16-year career. McLean was born on June 26, 1966, in Willowdale, Ontario, Canada. He began his professional career in 1984 after being drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the sixth round.

Kirk McLean played his first NHL game in 1985 for the New Jersey Devils, but it was with the Vancouver Canucks that he made his mark. He was traded to the Canucks in 1987 and spent the next ten seasons there, becoming a fan favorite and helping lead the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1994.

McLean retired from the NHL in 2002 and finished his career with 612 games played, a 2.89 goals against average, and 22 shutouts.

Since retiring, Kirk McLean has been involved in various coaching and broadcasting roles. He currently works as a studio analyst for Sportsnet, providing analysis and commentary on NHL games. Kirk McLean is also involved in charity work, including the Kirk McLean Children's Foundation, which raises money for children's hospitals in British Columbia.