While he lived moments of distress in his early years with the Canadian, Stéphane Richer had decided to talk about his moods with Ronald Corey and Serge Savard.
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“Mr. Corey and Mr. Savard, as I called them at the time, told me that I had no reason to worry,” said Richer yesterday.
“They explained to me that I had everything going for me. You have money, you look good and you score 50 goals a year. You don’t realize how lucky you are.
“Don’t think about the rest. It will pass. “
Richer had no bitterness in his voice. It was just to say that at the time, little was known about mental health. But some did less well.
“When you see guys like Todd Ewen [qui jouait le rôle de policier avec le Canadien de 1989 à 1993], actors and musicians who commit suicide, it’s serious, ”added Richer, who has already admitted having thought of ending his life.
The joy of helping a young person
The former No.44 would have liked to talk to players like Andrei Kotistsyn, Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk to help them deal with the Montreal hockey market.
He does so occasionally in other spheres of activity by meeting young people on Native reserves and in schools.
Curiously, he receives requests only from English-speaking institutions.
Nothing on the French-speaking side.
“When a little guy runs behind you to come and thank you, I’m happy,” he said.
“I tell myself that maybe I managed to save one. ”
Naive
For their part, Guillaume Latendresse and Maxim Lapierre, from TVA Sports and the podcast The Blue Pocket, said they had never experienced anxiety disorders when playing with the Canadiens.
“I was perhaps too young and naive,” explained Latendresse, who was 19 when he made his debut with the Habs. But I believe that with the help of mental health professionals, the issues related to anxiety can be overcome. “
He and his friend Lapierre believe that Drouin will be of great service to the Canadian if he feels good about himself.
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