Name: Uncertainty clouds NHL’s future, so union puts players’ mental health in focus
Brand: theathletic.com
SKU: theathletic-com-13
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Uncertainty clouds NHL’s future, so union puts players’ mental health in focus

preview

Apr 22, 2020As the NHL entertains the multitude of scenarios under which play could eventually resume, players are finding creative ways to connect with fans as all 31 teams stay idle.There have been pictures of newly adopted puppies, news of newborns and glimpses into players’ day-to-day activities, which include their means and methods of staying in peak physical shape.Some have been more conventional, others unorthodox (see: ). But as players hunker down and ponder what a protracted layoff can mean, their physical health will not be the only concern.When will play resume? What will that look like? What risks might be associated with returning to the game for the players? Their families? The fans, arena workers and support staff that make it all possible?And there’s another important question to consider: What impact will all of this have on players’ mental health and emotional wellbeing?“There are huge psychological, mental and emotional impacts for absolutely everybody, and professional athletes are included in the absolutely everybody,” said Kate Hays, a Toronto-based psychologist who specializes in performance and sports psychology.“In general, human beings are hard-wired to be social and to connect. Being separated for anybody is difficult … (and) if you add on to that somebody whose profession and sense of self is about being part of the team, it’s that much more strange and distressing and sometimes overwhelming.”This is not affecting the NHL in a vacuum. All major professional sports are confronting the challenges and acute stressors created by the layoff. The has been proactive in its outreach. , the NBPA’s director of mental health and wellness William Parham and player wellness coordinator Keyon Dooling have had “daily phone and texting conversations with players.”The NHL Players’ Association is aware of the additional stress this situation is putting on its members and is trying to prepare them, as well. Union leadership has connected with all 31 teams on conference calls, keeping them informed and making clear what resources are available, including access to teletherapy and programs facilitated through the Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program.The NHLPA recognizes it’s a difficult time for all its members, some of whom are already battling mental health and/or substance abuse issues. Additionally, some players may start recognizing some of these signs for the first time now while under such extreme stress and during such uncharted circumstances.goaltender , who has been one of the league’s leading advocates for mental health awareness and education, said that financial insecurity, potential loss of livelihood, and the stress both can exert on family and relationship dynamics may compound and exacerbate these feelings.“This is what a lot of (the symptoms) of mental health issues are. A lot of people are going through them right now — isolation, anxiety and depression,” Lehner said.The NHLPA, which is collaborating with the league to game out different return-to-play options, is working to make sure players’ emotional and mental wellbeing remains critical to that effort.The union is providing online resources on health and exercise, and even offering recommendations for podcasts and other outlets to help build community and professional development among those reeling in the absence of hockey.“Pro athletes have a lot of the same experiences that any normal people do and they are the same fears and anxieties over similar things,” NHLPA executive Mathieu Schneider said.NHL players are well-compensated, which can alleviate some economic turmoil, but they also face a constricted earning period, which can cause anxiety.“(Players) have a very short period of time to earn a living,” Schneider said, “and potentially losing a big portion of that, it affects you in a different way.”Take a player like defenseman , for example. He’s 26 years old, playing on the biggest contract of his career – a two-year, $3 million deal – and when the season was halted, he felt he was finally starting to round back into form following an injury that sidelined him for more than two months.Carrick explained that many athletes derive a sense of fulfillment and purpose in their careers, and have exhausted virtually every resource they have – time, money, energy – to thrive in a very niche role in society. If the average NHL career is between three to five years (as per current NHLPA estimates) and you shave off 25 percent of that, that comes at a significant price, not just in a player’s earning power, but in his opportunity cost for his future, too.“That’s the time frame where we’re chasing a dream,” said Carrick of the years most people devote to growing a career and building a family. “No one is going to feel bad for you, but we certainly have put a lot of eggs in this basket, and culturally, we’re not at a point of a ton of diversification just yet.”Even if players wanted to take this time to diversify their skill set and begin preparations for future post-playing endeavors, it’s not quite that easy. Resumption of play scenarios are simply too murky for players to lay much tangible groundwork such as taking time to go back to school or applying for internships, or something similar.NHL players, and most professional athletes, are also deeply entrenched in routine. Whether it’s the game day regimens — morning skates, pregame nap, postgame protein drink, etc. — or offseason training, elite performers often find solace in fastidious adherence to these daily methods of controlling their environment.This situation has thrown a wrench into all of that.“If we’re all creatures of habit, I suggest elite pro athletes tend to be even more creatures of habit because their day-to-day world is so structured,” said Joel Fish, a licensed sports psychologist who has worked with the for almost two decades.Fish noted that when the NHL season was paused, there was little warning or foresight. And not long after the league shut down, life as most have known it changed completely, as well. It was both jarring and abrupt.“If you’re in the NHL, you’ve been moving 100 miles an hour without any preparation for slamming on the brakes, forcing you to go from 100 miles per hour to zero miles an hour overnight,” Fish said. “I think human nature is better able to deal with disruption when you know a week or two or three in advance and were kind of able to mentally and emotionally prepare.”With the NHLPA making professional help available to all of its members, teletherapy is a critical option for anyone dealing with the triggers of this unsettling time period. It allows players the option of seeking professional help from the comfort of their home.Others who have been vocal in their own mental health advocacy have offered up additional tools to augment this effort.Lehner has been vigilant about staying inside for the past month, abiding by nationwide social distancing guidelines. He has been mindful of the risk COVID-19 poses to his wife, who has asthma. He encourages anyone experiencing a tough time to focus on the short-term rather than absorb the totality of the pandemic. He also warned about the effects of substances and said that one of the key mantras he learned in recovery — “This too shall pass” — has helped provide him the patience to take these challenges day by day.“Honestly, you have to understand that life is not always perfect and be fine with that,” Lehner said. “For me, it bothered me a lot when I had bad days and bad weeks. I’ve had to accept the bad times because that’s part of life and not do anything too impulsive or use substances to get through it. Before, I always thought (substances) made it better because it did at the moment, but it always makes it worse in the long term.”Carrick, who has been outspoken on mental health awareness, particularly via social media, said he allots time for specific activities in his day that will be uplifting, both to himself and others around him. That’s helpful when he’s riding the waves of uncertainty and starting to go down a path of wondering, “What if?” He writes down tasks and goals he wants to accomplish, gets the blood flowing with workouts, connects with his social network of friends and family, and also tries to incorporate some fun or “play” time – like taking his rollerblades out for a spin – to keep his mind occupied.Carrick also relies on journaling and breath work to keep him centered, and he has used some of this period to grow his podcast and pursue different philanthropic endeavors.“It’s interesting. I find every day different, frankly, and I think there’s a lot of idle time mentally where you go through ups and downs,” Carrick said as he was taking a weekend stroll in his Chicago neighborhood. “Today I woke up a little antsy, and I’m going for a walk now. I think the whole goal is to understand where you’re at mentally, understand the version of you that you want to be in that moment, that day, and having some tools to shift in the direction you want to go instead of riding the roller coaster of ups and downs.”Both Hays and Fish stress the importance of setting up routine and structure, even if those built-in windows feel arbitrary. Anything that helps the body and mind re-establish a sense of rhythm and daily accomplishment can be beneficial.Jamie Baker, a former NHL player who now works as a color commentator on broadcasts, said he has set up stations within his home to spend blocks of time daily.Baker, , makes time each day for journaling, exercise and even mindfulness activities like coloring and putting together puzzles. He listens to music — jazz and The Doors are his consistent go-to’s — and watches WWII documentaries about history when he needs to relax and escape.If he finds himself particularly anxious, he tries to go for a walk outside and avoids social media.The toughest thing for him is the loneliness; Baker is an extremely social person, so isolation has been difficult.“I like being around people,” Baker said. “It doesn’t have to mean a full house, but sometimes you just want someone to hang out with.”The lack of contact with the outside world can also make mental health issues trickier to spot. Baker suspects that many people are recognizing feelings they may not have recognized had the world around them not essentially stopped.Hays said that athletes can use some of the techniques they use to train their bodies to recognize when their mental wellbeing takes a turn.“One of the things that is really helpful in physical training is this concept of FIT — Frequency, Intensity and Time,” Hays said. “If one wants to get better (in physical fitness), he gradually increases each of those. As a metaphor, it almost works in terms of (assessing) mood (and) behavior. If you’re anxious, tense, stressed — I think you’d use some of those same three elements — how frequently, how intensely, and how overwhelming does it seem? How long does it last?”Hays also feels like this period could provide players a catalyst for thinking about what they want to do beyond their playing careers.Fish said the lack of in-person contact may spur more deliberate efforts at connectivity through different channels, with players becoming more proactive about building the type of “community” and familial atmosphere that many teams try hard to cultivate.“Who today do you need to reach out to?” Fish asked. “Players have always defined being a good teammate as celebrating each other when things are going well and being there for each other in times of adversity. What does that look like today?”Baker, who was forced to take a leave of absence to deal with his own mental health and substance issues in the fall of 2018, said sometimes it takes something drastic to effect a more healthy lifestyle or a more nuanced understanding of one’s own mental health.“(This is) an obstacle, but now it’s also an opportunity to grow in different ways that, when you’re so busy, you haven’t stopped and thought about,” Baker said. “Busy-ness is a coping mechanism and people don’t even realize it. It’s tough to talk about.”Above all, Baker said, players and their families need to treat the situation with the sort of kindness and understanding that is required of the moment. Leaning on the greater NHL community can and should provide a needed safety net at a time of extreme stress and anxiety.“We need a lot of compassion and empathy right now,” Baker said. “We’re all in this together.”(Photo of Carrick: Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Apr 22, 2020As the NHL entertains the multitude of scenarios under which play could eventually resume, players are finding creative ways to connect with fans as all 31 teams stay idle.There have been pictures of newly adopted puppies, news of newborns and glimpses into players’ day-to-day activities, which include their means and methods of staying in peak physical shape.Some have been more conventional, others unorthodox (see: ). But as players hunker down and ponder what a protracted layoff can mean, their physical health will not be the only concern.When will play resume? What will that...

public

Katie Strang

Get every sports story that matters. Download The Athletic app: https://linktr.ee/TheAthletic

Uncertainty clouds NHL’s future, so union puts players’ mental health in focus

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS