Many were surprised by the news this month that retired Dallas Stars hockey legend Mike Modano and singer/actress wife Willa Ford have filed are divorcing after five years of marriage and four previous years of courtship.

Details may one day shed light on the causes of this sports star/entertainment celebrity breakup, but observers point out that it’s notable that the breakup comes less than a year after Modano experienced a major life change by retiring from his pro hockey career. Relationships involving highly successful dual-career couples often come under strain when one partner retires, says Brad LaMorgese, a partner in the Family Law firm of McCurley Orsinger McCurley Nelson & Downing L.L.P.

"The toll paid on a marriage when a spouse has a major change in their professional life can be irreparably compounded when the other is still moving ahead full speed in their chosen field,"  LaMorgese says. "The initial compromises a high-power couple forge to make their relationship work may not be able to withstand the seismic shift in goals and expectations."