“Like most mental health programs, this was developed out of a tragedy,” Bev Gutray explains when the heavy issue of suicide in athletes is broached.
It was the BCHL that approached the Canadian Mental Health Association to break the culture of silence surrounding mental health and substance abuse in amateur sports, and a year-old program in Ontario seemed to be the right fit.
It’s something that receives regular attention in the pro leagues, something starkly remembered in BC after the death of Rick Rypien.
“Being very close to the Rypien family and what they went through in losing their son… It’s hard,” says Spruce Kings President Tom Bohmer, “As a result of that… some good things have happened. It seems like the logical step forward.”
While suicide and substance abuse in the NHL has left families and lawsuits in its wake, the topic doesn’t get much attention on a junior level.
‘Talk Today” was developed after a 20-year-old OHL player took his life in 2014, and CMHA CEO Bev Gutray says those problems aren’t limited to the semi-pros, either…
“Any type of high-performing athlete faces a combination of pressures. When we got invovled with the BC Hockey League, the fellow who is the mental performance coach for the Cowichan Capitals talked about how many players really come forward looking for mental health support and help dealing with addiction.”
A mental health navigator will be established in each BCHL community, and an outreach portion of the program will launch on Novermber first.
Coaches and staff will also be educated through the program, something Sarnia Sting President Craig Goslin wished for after the suicide of Terry Trafford.”
“You wish you would’ve known something. We’re not trained in those areas, we don’t know,” Goslin said in a media conference, “You wonder what you missed”
If the OHL version is any indicator, there is a desperate need for resources…
“From the Ontario counterpart, they’ve had as many as 400 people go through this,” noted Gutray.
While Gutray emphasizes the issue isn’t limited to hockey players, the ‘culture of silence’ in sports creates an image of physical power players feel the need to uphold, and when they are struggling mentally, they may be inclined to hide it.
“When you’re talking about young hockey players, you’re also talking about young men that are also in school, and face the pressures of leaving home and being with a billet family, or being traded because of a decision by the team.”
Bohmer also opened up about his experience with the pressures of playing hockey, and says the issue has been around for a long time.
“Having my dad pass away at a young age and then having to move away to go play hockey, there was a ton of pressure. There are so many times when you just need to someone to talk to. It’s a type of situation that isn’t unfamiliar for kids involved with sports- or anything else- at a high level. Having a program where they can reach out and just chat if they need to is so valuable.”