Hockey players share stories on mental, emotional toll of concussions in Maclean’s
Posted May 19, 2011 6:33 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, On. – A new Maclean’s magazine cover story speaks with pro hockey players, like Eric Lindros, about the extreme toll of concussions; it reveals lengthy battles with depression, anxiety and isolation.
The feature is called “Concussions: The Untold Story” and looks at the emotional and mental toll of head injuries in the professional hockey world.
Eric Lindros, among many players who spoke up about their injuries, is seen on the cover of the latest issue – which hits stand today – collapsed on the ice.
The author of the article, Cathy Gulli, said Lindros suffered from at least eight concussions while playing in the National Hockey League, between 1999 and 2007.
Several players like Lindros and Sidney Crosby fell victim to devastating blows to the head, never really living up to the potential fans placed on them.
“A lot of fans of hockey know that [Lindros] was never the same kind of player. He never lived up to all of the potential that people had sort of put on his shoulders – that he would be the next Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux. A lot of the same things people are saying about Sidney Crosby.”
The Maclean’s article reveals that the injuries not only decimated their physical performance, but it wreaked havoc on their mind and emotional state.
The former NHL player has improved much since then, and Gulli said that is why he can now openly share his story with others.
“I don’t think he quite realized at the time what was happening to him, but he felt an incredible amount of anxiety,” she said. “He used to be able to do public events or be in a crowd … over time, those things became really stressful.”
Lindros admitted to the magazine that he began to feel depressed, became sarcastic, and gained up to 30 lbs.
A number of other professional players shared their story with Maclean’s, and Gulli said they are extremely candid stories. Depression and anxiety were universal themes among the slow-to-recover players.
Two former American Hockey League players also tell the magazine that they were impaired by thoughts of suicide after sustaining concussions.
Two truths have been exposed, and are now more prominent than ever: concussions are downplayed and they are not well understood by scientists. Gulli said it is very clear people want to see some massive changes in hockey, either by making the sport safer or to better understand the injury.
