From hockey stars to basketball icons and gold-medal Olympians, here are 10 athletes who had big dreams once their sports careers ended

You might not think pro athletes earning millions would have to worry about the risk of outliving their retirement savings. But when you consider their retirement could conceivably stretch 50 years or more, that risk isn't so far-fetched. That's why retired athletes love making off-court investments, often into their own business ventures. Some have success while others flop horribly. After all, being young, rich and athletic doesn't always equate to possessing sound business judgment.

Now, Ross Rebagliati, the Canadian snowboarder who was temporarily stripped of his Olympic medal after marijuana was found in his system, is hoping to use his athlete celebrity to sell pot. Rebagliati plans to open a medical marijuana dispensary business in Whistler, B.C. With the flagship store, to be called Ross' Gold, Rebagliati aims to capitalize on changes to Canada’s medical marijuana business being rolled out by the federal government in March.

“We’re fashioning our entire operation to be within those laws, obviously. This is going to be totally legit, 100 per cent on the right side of the fence as far as the law is concerned,” Rebagliati says.

Will his venture succeed or — ahem — go up in smoke? That remains to be determined. In the meantime, check out our gallery of wild business ideas and other far-flung plans from other sports stars.

Related: More on Ross Rebagliati's plans to open a pot shop

**All figures in USD.