Prince Albert Raiders captain Evan Herman was among the veteran players displaying support of Talk Today. (Prince Albert Raiders/Twitter)

By Rob Mahon

Mental Health Improvement

CMHA sees changing attitudes to mental health in young hockey players

Feb 14, 2023 | 12:00 PM

Ask a mental health professional what the biggest part of their job is, and many of them will tell you for years it’s been fighting the stigma around speaking up about mental health. There are signs, however, that this stigma is starting to lift.

The Canadian Mental Health Association’s Prince Albert branch partnered with the Prince Albert Raiders for their Talk Today event, and it was a big success. The next generation of hockey players coming up appear to have a good handle on the importance of speaking up on mental health.

“Because the players are leaders in the community quite often,” said Doug Kinar, executive director of the CMHA in Prince Albert. “We want them to be aware of it to be able to help others as well.”

Talk Today runs across the country through the various junior hockey leagues. With hockey being a tough sport, and an often revered one in Canada, young players are in a position to do a lot of good in the conversation around mental health.

“The stigma of mental health is such that the more we have people who are of note promoting that it’s OK to talk and it’s OK to realize we have mental health issues,” Kinar said. “As with any sport or any process where you’re trying to climb up a ladder, everybody is going to have good days and bad days.”

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The campaign to make people more comfortable talking about their mental health goes back years, but in working with younger players, Kinar and the CMHA get a glimpse into the future of the conversation. As time has progressed, they increasingly like what they see.

“It (the stigma) is definitely starting to come down,” Kinar said. “That’s one of the silver linings to the COVID cloud, that people are much more aware that mental health matters and we are all coping with mental health. I think the pandemic really demonstrated how important positive mental health is.”

The timing of the conversation is important as well. Not only is the junior hockey season in full swing, but the country is in the dead of winter right now, and this time of year is often when people are at their lowest. It’s part of the reason we have so many holidays in the winter.

“For the winter here in Canada where it makes that big impact, it’s no surprise to me we have Halloween, then Christmas, then Valentines Day, then Easter,” Kinar said.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP