NHL Has Come A Long Way on Mental Health
It was once said that hockey was played by men with an iron will and murderous determination. Real hockey players never showed fear or vulnerability, or weakness. Ever. Not only…
Rick Rypien
NHL Beginning to Raise Mental Health Awareness
Athletes face issues. Some issues are physically visible while others affect the mind. Both can be serious and treatment is necessary. For National Hockey League (NHL) players, seeking treatment for…
Rick Rypien: A Personal Story
Today marks the eight-year anniversary of the suicide of Vancouver Canucks’ enforcer Rick Rypien. This may be one of the hardest articles I’ve ever had to write because Rypien’s death…
Canucks’ Top Fourth-Line Heroes: #5-#1
The NHL game is evolving. Gone are your typical fourth-line bruisers, and many teams promote speed and skill throughout all four lines. Adding more speed and skill improves the pace…
War on Ice: The Chilling Truth of Enforcers, CTE and Fighting in the NHL
Before a big game, players may be sleeping, focusing on trying to score the game-winning goal that lifts their team ahead. Some are simply resting, trying to relax and focus.…
For the Love of Hockey & Escaping Everything Else
They say laughter is the best medicine. For many of us hockey players though, the sport we love is the best medicine. Whether it’s the endorphins, adrenaline, pure love of the game…
The Canucks Are Soldiers in the War against Mental Illness
When the Canucks re-structured their organization this summer, they didn’t just look at the players they would be putting on the ice this season. They instituted sweeping changes, from the…
Twilight of the Goons?
Head injuries and hockey have a long, storied history together, much like peanut butter and jam. However, over the past few years there has been a growing concern over the…
Canucks Launch Mindcheck Program In Memory Of Rick Rypien
On January 24th 2012, the Canucks, in association with the Canucks for Kids Foundation, Fraser Health and Provincial Health Services Authority and BC Children’s Hospital, announced the launch of a new website dedicated…
Hockey’s Five Mournful Moments of 2011
As 2011 comes to a close, it provides a time for hockey fans to reflect. In the first of a two-part series, The Hockey Writers’ Steve Kendall will examine the…
Two Touching Rick Rypien Video Tributes
Rick Rypien, underrated as a player, much more underrated as a person. Not the biggest, strongest, most skillful or highest scoring players by any means but one of the toughest and…
Wade Belak, Rick Rypien, and Mental Illness: Sometimes You Lose the War…
By James Phieffer – Special to TheHockeyWriters.com I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Wade Belak. I didn’t know him, but when I heard he had taken…