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Former NHL goalie speaks with MSU student athletes about mental health

Free Press
Feb 03, 2023

Feb. 2—Clint Malarchuk was a beacon of hope for student athletes battling with mental health problems during an event at Minnesota State University on Thursday night.

The former NHL goaltender held himself out as evidence that even those successful in their career and expected to be strong at all times can suffer from mental illnesses or emotional distress, but that doesn't make them less of an athlete or a person, and that "it's OK to not be OK."

The event was sponsored by MSU's Student Events Team, Center for Rural Behavioral Health and the Athletic Department with the hopes that Malarchuk's story would resonate with others struggling with their mental health and encourage them to talk about it.

Malarchuk's own mental health suffered for years and was made worse following the near-fatal accident he endured while tending goal for the Buffalo Sabres on March 22, 1989.

Malarchuk's jugular got sliced by a skate blade during a game against the St. Louis Blues. He lost 1.5 liters of blood, and his six-inch wound required 300 stitches.

Despite all odds, he survived, and was back on the ice in just 10 days. But while he was physically getting better, Malarchuk's mental health took a turn for the worse.

He was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and PTSD. And, at the time, he went through it alone. It was less common back then to speak openly about mental health, so Malarchuk chose not to.

He noted that he's also a cowboy, so he's "supposed to be tough."

"I struggled and suffered in silence," Malarchuk said.

It eventually became too much for him to handle, and Malarchuk attempted to take his own life. After surviving the attempt, he realized he needed to seek help. It took him 20 years to do so.

Malarchuk's decision to speak with athletes, students and community members on Thursday night about mental health not only stemmed from a place of wanting to normalize conversations and rid the stigma around it, but to also encourage those in the audience to seek help sooner than he did.

"That's a message I strongly want to get across," he said. "Do not go that far down that rabbit hole before asking for help. It's OK to talk about it, to get help. Talk to a friend, talk to a counselor, talk to a therapist, talk to a coach, talk to your parents. Get the help you need to get well."

Malarchuk's message is the same one Kevin Buisman, director of athletics at MSU, wishes to get across to his students.

"There's an alarming rate of self-identified mental health challenges amongst our student athletes," he said. "Whether it be performance anxiety, performance pressure, depression, just a number of concerns. We want to show them that it's OK to not be OK, and inspire them to reach out to somebody for help."

Buisman teamed up with Thad Shunkwiler, director of the Center for Rural Behavioral Health at MSU, to bring Malarchuk to campus to help spread the message.

Shunkwiler suggested hosting someone with legitimacy and a compelling story to share — someone who would help student athletes who feel the pressure of having to be "strong warriors" see that asking for help when they need it is not a weakness.

"We wanted to bring somebody to campus to talk to the student athletes about the importance of taking care of your mental health, and we thought who better than somebody who's a former professional athlete?" he said. "We landed on Clint Malarchuk because of his story, and how that warrior mentality put him back on the ice 10 days after the accident, despite the number of underlying mental health challenges."

During the event, Malarchuk shared about it all. From his near-fatal accident, the mental illnesses he battles, to the tools he now uses to help manage them and keep himself afloat.

Malarchuk's story isn't a Disney fairytale, according to Shunkwiler. But it's as inspiring as one.

"I think it's important that we talk about these things to let people know that they're not alone," Malarchuk said. "We all struggle."

An audience of over 600 was present at the Centennial Student Union ballroom, eager to hear from him.

Dylan Engel, a fifth year photography student and big hockey fan, was one of them.

"It's not every day you get to meet someone like this, to see someone so inspiring, who came out of something so traumatic," he said. "It's beneficial for everyone to hear about mental health, and there's so much you can take away from someone who's been through so much."

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(c)2023 The Free Press (Mankato, Minn.)

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