HALL OF FAME GOALIE OPENS UP ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

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Jacob LP
December 15, 2022 (9:51 PM)

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Recently, hockey players and athletes in general have been more and more open about mental health issues. Players such as Jonathan Drouin and Carey Price have spoken openly about their respective problems, proving once again that professional athletes are, in the end, only human. Sports fans are passionate and loyal, but they can also be rude to athletes. Removing the stigma surrounding this issue in sports can only have a positive impact on the future.

We all remember the blockbuster trade between the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche in December 1995, which came after an 11-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Patrick Roy was traded to Colorado along with Mike Keane for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Rucinsky, and Jocelyn Thibault.

In a recent episode of "La Poche Bleue," a podcast hosted by former NHL players Maxim Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse, Roy admitted that he struggled with mental health issues when he was traded. He mentioned that he suffered from stress and anxiety. These declarations are shocking as Patrick Roy was always regarded as one of the most fearless hockey players of all time. In fact, it was Roy who proudly stated that he feared "nobody" during his 2003 retirement press conference.

"I remember that, sometimes, I would get watery-eyed on the plane," Roy explained. "I missed Montreal. Usually, after a trip, my wife Michèle would pick me up. But this time I came back with Pierre Lacroix. He was my GM, but above all he was a friend and my former agent. I told him I was afraid to disappoint."

"Pierre looked at me and said, 'Will you stop this? Just be yourself and everything will be fine.' From that moment on, I took the pressure off myself. My next-door neighbor in Colorado was Mike Keane. We used to travel together. We became very good friends. He helped me through it all."

"It was in Colorado that I discovered I was claustrophobic," Roy said. "Michel Lefebvre made my masks. Once, he put plaster in my face to make my mould. I only had to breathe through a straw. That was my first episode! The second, I had injured my neck and had to have an MRI [magnetic resonance imaging]."

"I looked at the doctor and said, 'Sorry, but I can't do that!' That's when I found out that I had anxiety. In those days, we didn't know that. It was a different time. Like with concussions. The healer would tell you, 'Take a shower and two Tylenol and go to bed. You'll be fine tomorrow.'"