Glenn Healy reveals the amount of members in NHL addiction counselling
Anyone who consumes any amount of hockey media is aware of the stereotype that hockey players party too much. Alcohol and drugs are often most associated with people who live in the elite areas of big cities, and athletes embody this with how much they get paid. It's crazy to hear how many players will fight with mental health issues such as addiction and depression, but even those are only the rare cases that are made public.
The NHLAA is an association run by the NHL to help assist ex-players with a variety of different services including addiction counseling, financial assistance, emotional counseling and other services. It will give players help anonymously, so they don't have to disclose who is receiving help. Spittin' Chiclets had Executive director and president of the NHLAA Glenn Healy on the podcast to talk about the organization, and he dropped an absolute bomb of information on the air.
Healy states that the NHLAA is currently helping over 200 players, which is certainly a big number. That's 200 ex-players who are struggling with some kind of mental health issue or bankruptcy.
It's obvious why they can't publish the exact amount, but I can't imagine how great NHL players are feeling after this comment. It's most likely not the superstars of the league, but is most likely those guys who played for pretty small AAV contracts. These are the types of reasons that make players demand the absolute max for their contracts, as some players get the reputation for signing wherever will give them the highest contract. It's awful to hear just how many of these players are in the program, and hopefully the league can find a way to be more proactive and help players help themselves. It's also great to hear that there's such good resources for these players to access and better themselves if need be.
