Corey Hirsch is a former NHL goaltender who spent parts of seven seasons with the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals, and Dallas Stars.

I was watching my friend Todd Walsh of Fox Sports Arizona interview Shane Doan at intermission during Saturday night's game, and it prompted a lot of internal questions of my own that I didn’t even realize were there.

Todd had asked Doan how he felt about about Martin Hanzal, who was traded to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday after 10 seasons with Doan and the Coyotes. Doan was visibly upset and disappointed, saying he just didn’t understand it. So why was Doan so shaken? He has millions of dollars, plays in the NHL, has a great life, great friends - why would the trade bother anyone?

After examining my own thoughts and feelings on this, I realized that while this is a business transaction for the organization, for Doan and Hanzal this is a human transaction. As a professional athlete, we all accept the responsibility that our lives can be changed and uprooted at any moment. It’s part of the business, and you get paid handsomely for it.

What you are never ready for is that someone can be part of your everyday life for 10 years, and then with one decision, in an instant, it’s over, gone, like they were never there. Your children played together. Your wives hung out together. You know everything about each other. Then poof, gone. They will never be a part of your life like they were before. Never again.

Some will say, "Well, that’s part of life, you can be transferred from a job at any time." Yes, that’s true, but it is never like being traded. Once dealt, the player is usually gone within 12 hours, and sometimes sooner.

There’s no corporation saying, "Hey, we’ll give you two months to sell your house, and help you along the process." No, it’s more of a "Thank you for your service, we’ll miss you, don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. You have a flight in three hours to your new team."

There is little time for goodbyes, if any at all.

I was once in a situation where I was traded in a minor-league deal. I drove eight hours and played that night with my new team - gone within three hours of the trade being finished. So what’s the big deal? I had two little kids under the age of three, and a wife that was left with them, alone, to pick up the pieces.

Lost in this are the wives and girlfriends, left at home to pack up the house and the kids and get everything to their new city as fast as they can. They’ve built lives as well, ones they don’t want to leave.

So, should we feel sorry for players that make millions, and that get upset over being traded, or their friends being traded? Absolutely not - but remember, there is more to a trade than just a bunch of names moving from team to team. There are hearts involved. There are people in the background whose lives and friendships will never be the same.

Glen Metropolit is still one of my best friends to this day, and I wish he lived next door to me. I spent every day for two years with Metro on the same team, sharing laughs and secrets. We knew everything about each other. Sadly, though, he doesn’t live near me anymore, and never will again. Why not?

Because that’s hockey.

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