'General culture of silence': Canadian researcher says NHL not doing enough to support player health

A Canadian researcher with a brother working for the NHL says there's a reason professional hockey players don't seek mental health help when they need it.

A Canadian researcher with a brother working for the NHL says there's a reason professional hockey players don't seek mental health help when they need it.

Katie Crawford, a student of the University of British Columbia's kinesiology program, said cultural and systemic factors are at play, and the league hasn't done enough to support its players.

Her study was released after the anniversary of the death of former Vancouver Canucks forward Rick Rypien. Rypien died of suicide on Aug. 15, 2001, and had a history of clinical depression.

"Despite several extreme and unfortunate cases, and the fact that they've had numerous athletes openly struggle with mental health, the NHL hasn't really taken concrete steps to provide adequate and impactful support," Crawford said in a news release from UBC Wednesday.

She and co-author Mark Beauchamp, a UBC professor, say that other studies have looked into the mental health of elite athletes, but none have looked specifically at why male ice hockey athletes don't seek help when they need it.

Previous studies, they say, suggest up to one-third of current and former pro athletes experience mental health issues.

Crawford and Beauchamp's work looked at why those athletes are reluctant to access support, and when they do, why they don't receive what they actually need.