Alex McKechnie chuckles at the leap of faith he took when he packed up almost all his belongings in Glasgow and booked a one-way flight to Vancouver, Canada on 7 September 1974.
"I had $300 in my pocket," he recounts. "And no job."
At that point it might have been hard for the newly qualified physiotherapist to imagine he would one day be telling basketball great Shaquille O'Neal - with his full entourage in tow - to wait his turn to see him.
Or that an idea he had when looking at a children's playground would spark a novel way to improve recovery from knee injuries.
His pioneering methods would make him one of sport's most sought-after physios and even earn him a small slice of British sporting history as the first Briton to win an NBA championship ring as either a player or member of the sideline staff.
He has now won six, and at the age of 74 the man credited with bringing players back from career-threatening injuries is still very much in demand.