Most people go their entire life without launching an app, releasing an album or signing a professional hockey contract. Joshua Ho-Sang did all three in one week.

But he told Drive4Five that this did not happen overnight — it was the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, adversity and growth.

“I really appreciate how people have tried to see past the mistakes that an 18-year-old made and the mistakes that a 22-year-old made,” Ho-Sang said. “I really appreciate the people who give me space to grow and who support me through that growth.”

Those mistakes have been well-documented. In 2015, Ho-Sang slept in and missed the first day of training camp with the New York Islanders.

The 2014 first-round pick was immediately sent back to Niagara, but not before he was forced to run the stairs at Nassau Coliseum for three hours as punishment.

“I thought my life was over,” Ho-Sang said. “I had dreamed of the NHL my entire life.”

Nobody at the time was questioning Ho-Sang’s skill. He was going to play on a line with John Tavares and Anders Lee during camp, and was widely regarded as a top prospect.

Instead, people inside and outside the organization questioned Ho-Sang’s attitude. And once his mistake was documented so publicly, Ho-Sang had a target on his back for the rest of his career.

“I just felt this longing for simplicity. And I had a desire to not be harped on so regularly,” Ho-Sang said. “A lot of people called me stupid. And it gets hard.”

His relationship with the Islanders never fully healed after training camp in 2015. He criticized the team’s defensive structure while playing in Bridgeport in 2018. He requested a trade in 2019, but when it was not granted, he returned to the organization.

While the speedy winger was effective on the ice for the Islanders, tallying 24 points in 53 games, Ho-Sang said he couldn’t fully be himself off the ice.

“I was just a kid trying to chase his dream and trying not to make another public mistake,” Ho-Sang said. “When you’re tense all the time, you’re going to make mistakes. That’s the way it is.”

But almost a decade since that first training camp on Long Island, Ho-Sang feels the adversity helped make him who he is today.

“I’m happy with who I am. That stuff made me a better person,” Ho-Sang said. “Do I agree with everything that was done? No. But am I grateful for it? Yes.”

“I appreciate my time there. Long Island made me feel more special than I have ever felt in my entire life. I am really grateful for Long Island.”

From Puck Drop to Album Drop

Ho-Sang is now no longer just a hockey player — he is an artist and an entrepreneur, as well.

The 28-year-old recently released an 18-track rap album titled “SAME.” It included references to his past mistakes and also featured a song about Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews.

Ho-Sang credits the late Mac Miller for giving him the courage and confidence to release his record. 

“At the worst time of my career, I was really low, and my my best friend showed me this song called ‘2009’ by Mac Miller,” Ho-Sang said. “This song man, it saved my life.”

The song gave Ho-Sang the courage to emerge from a dark place, and the hockey player has valued the impact of music in a deeper way ever since.

“In creating my album, I wanted to keep that same feeling,” Ho-Sang said. “If one person listened to my music — if one person can take one song from my album and it can be there for them for even a day — that is the dream.”

Ho-Sang, who does not have any plans to perform his music live, wants to “offer people who suffer in silence the ability to have some space.” He previously released a single in 2020 called “Learning.”

Applying Himself to Pickup Pro Sports

Just a few days before dropping his album, Ho-Sang announced the launch of Pickup Pro Sports, an app that allows users to find local pickup games and workouts.

The app also provides coaches the opportunity to connect with clients, pays out rewards to people who host events and gives former athletes a chance to connect with the local community.

“If Tyler Seguin or Jake Walman wanted to host a practice for their local fans in Dallas or Detroit, they could pop into the platform, set a price and donate all the proceeds to charity,” Ho-Sang said.

With obesity on the rise in North America, Ho-Sang hopes his app will give people a fun way to be active.

“A lot of the stuff that is offered these days is very dormant. It is video games. It is movies. Everything is very stationary,” Ho-Sang said. “And people wonder why their backs hurt and their knees hurt and their shoulders hurt. Motion is lotion.”

Ho-Sang spent hundreds of hours developing the app with his staff. During this process, a person who has been told his entire life that he should stick to hockey became so much more.

“Apple and Google didn’t care that I played hockey,” Ho-Sang said. “It was really cool to see myself outside of this identity that has been thrust upon me by the public. I never told anyone that I’m just a hockey player. Everyone told me that I have to just play hockey.”

Eying a Three-Peat

Just because Ho-Sang took a break from professional hockey does not mean he wants to give up the sport for good. He just needs a fresh start.

He is taking his talents to Florida after signing with the Everblades of the ECHL.

The playmaker is joining a team that is attempting to win its third consecutive Kelly Cup, something that has never been done before.

“It would be so cool to be a part of hockey history,” Ho-Sang said. “Not many guys have the opportunity to do that in their career.”

Ho-Sang is returning to professional hockey after breaking his hand while playing in his first game for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in Russia last year.

“I really wanted to do well for HC Salavat,” Ho-Sang said. “They treated me so well, I can’t even express it. I wanted to play for them so badly.

After suffering the injury, Ho-Sang went through an arduous rehabilitation process, but he is viewing that journey as a blessing in disguise.

“It has given me so much time to understand things in such a different light, through my projects and working on myself,” Ho-Sang said.

In Florida, Ho-Sang is entering a locker room with some familiar faces, including Nathan Staios, the son of former Islander Steve Staios, and Robert Carpenter, who played with Ho-Sang in Bridgeport.

“It’s awesome. [Carpenter] is such a good guy. Him, his sister, his whole family — they are all wonderful people,” Ho-Sang said. “It’s always nice to see familiar faces. There’s a couple of guys that I have worked out with in the past here, too.”

Ho-Sang will wear No. 44 with his new team, a number that he has never worn before.

“It was assigned to me. I do like the number 44. I could definitely give it a meaning for fun,” Ho-Sang said with a laugh. “One of my favorite movies is ‘The Express.'”

With the Islanders, Ho-Sang first chose to wear No. 66 as an homage to Mario Lemieux. When Lou Lamoriello took over as general manager, Ho-Sang was given No. 26.

Putting It All Together

Ho-Sang’s professional hockey career has included stops in New York, Bridgeport, San Antonio, Sweden, Toronto and Russia. It has included spats with the media and a well-documented mistake.

But that is all water under the bridge. All of Ho-Sang’s focus is now on Florida and an opportunity for redemption.

“I’ve been called an idiot. I’ve been called lazy. I’ve been called a problem. I’ve been called every name in the book,” Ho-Sang said. “You just have to stay focused on your path.”