Jack Todd: Athletes Who Prioritize Mental Health Deserve Our Support

Jonathan Drouin will deserve a massive standing ovation when he returns to game action at the Bell Center after stepping back to recover.

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The first thing you notice about hockey is its speed. It’s fast and dangerous, and you almost have to be level with the track during high-octane NHL practice to understand how fast and dangerous it really is.

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Most fans know this, and if they forget, the league and broadcast teams offer constant reminders, and coaches always tell us they want their teams to “play fast.”

Now imagine you’re out there with big bodies flying and crouching and 100 mph shots whizzing from all directions, and you’re trying to play through a fog of sleeplessness and exhaustion.

Welcome to the world of Jonathan Drouin, the world where he participated in pregame skateboarding before a game in Calgary on April 23, then left the ice and did not return for the remainder of the season.

Drouin had spent three sleepless nights when he made the wisest decision of his young life.

“That’s where he hit a wall for me. It was time to get away from the game, literally step back from it all and enjoy life, “he said. “It was not an easy thing to do. But I am proud of what I have done and happy that I did it. It’s hard to walk away and see all the guys. But in that moment, I made my decision and I stood my ground. “

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In doing so, Drouin not only helped himself, but also reached out to millions of people suffering from anxiety and depression.

In the immediate aftermath of Drouin’s first public statement since leaving the ice in Calgary, came the revelation that star goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé battled anxiety and panic attacks while leading team Canada to gold in soccer at the Games. Tokyo Olympics.

After a rib injury forced Labbé out of Canada’s first match against Japan, he returned to lead Canada the rest of the way, but paid a heavy price for his heroism.

“My adrenaline was so high and my neuromuscular system was so well tuned that I struggled to get down between games, resulting in high levels of anxiety and multiple panic attacks,” he said. “It got to the point where I couldn’t train.”

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Labbé had been through a lot. “Looking back,” he said, “I realize that it was an accumulation of everything that I had experienced in the last year: the pandemic, the change of coaching staff, the lack of clarity about my position in the team. Getting to the Olympics wasn’t just a magic cure for all of this. “

As we know from dozens of other athletes (including the great Canadian Olympian Clara Hughes, founding spokesperson for the Bell Let’s Talk movement), understanding is the key to acceptance.

Drouin has been accepted most eloquently by his teammate Josh Anderson, among others. It is wonderful that you have been flying in camp, but even better that you feel rested and able to rejoin high pressure situations with your team.

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I’m one of those who once took Drouin’s sometimes dazed appearances on the ice out of laziness, straightness, or just plain indifference. There are athletes who just can’t be bothered, but if anything, Drouin seems to suffer from worrying too much.

Would Drouin and Labbé have found the same level of support five or ten years ago, or at any time before the pandemic? It’s not nice. Elite athletes are expected to be tough inside and out, impervious to the doubts and weaknesses that assail mere mortals.

But we evolved, and the pandemic has brought anxiety so widespread that today’s fans are more forgiving and understanding of mental health issues. In fact, they are leading the way, ahead of the media, teams and leagues that run the world of sport.

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There will be dissenters, but Drouin can expect a massive cheer when he returns to game action at the Bell Center. He deserves it.

Lies, rumors and vicious innuendo

– We now live in a world where high school dropouts and athletes who have never opened a book believe they know more than all the doctors and scientists put together. But among many other things, anti-vaccine athletes make really lousy teammates.

– Thanks to Peter Halliday for this gem: “It took a while, but the Leafs finally went 4-1 against the Habs.”

– A rather odd decision by the Tampa Bay Rays to promote their future partnership with Montreal during the playoffs, especially when neither city has an approved ballpark project in the works. Ultimately, it seems more likely that the Rays will just pack up and move north.

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– Speaking of something strange, TSN’s devotion to Argos defensive “consultant” Chris Jones during their game against the Als was downright strange. At every opportunity, TSN cut Jones and his battleship-sized ego by patrolling the sidelines. It was as if Vince Lombardi had returned from the dead to train the Argonauts.

Heroes: Jonathan Drouin, Lewis Hamilton, Josh Anderson, William Stanback, Jake Wieneke, Wilfried Nancy, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Annie Fernandez, Naomi Osaka, and last but not least Stephanie Labbé.

Zeros: Tyler Bertuzzi, Zac Rinaldo, Bode Wilde, Sylvain Lefebvre, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Chris Jones, Tom Dundon, Claude Brochu, David Samson, and last but not least Jeffrey Loria. Now and always.

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Reference-montrealgazette.com

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