Photo Courtesy: ICBA
Mental Health Talk

Former Canuck to speak on mental health in Prince George

Feb 3, 2022 | 5:14 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Former Vancouver Canucks goaltender, Corey Hirsch, will be speaking at a free event in Prince George tomorrow (Friday).

The Stanley Cup winner, Olympic silver medalist and mental health advocate has been named the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association’s wellness ambassador for 2022. He’ll be bringing his speaking tour about mental health, titled “Just One More Day” to the Courtyard by Mariott hotel, with the event beginning at 7:00 a.m.

The event is free to register.

In 1994, just three years after being drafted by the New York Rangers, Corey both won a silver medal and drank from the Stanley Cup as a member of the Rangers’ championship team. What no one knew was that Corey tried to take his own life that same year.

Months later, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks and went on to play 100 more NHL games, before finishing his career in Europe. The entire time, Corey struggled with his mental health issues. When he could no longer play due to debilitating panic attacks and severe weight loss, he finally reached out to his team trainer. Corey was eventually diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder and got the lifesaving treatment that he needed.

Corey would go on to coach goaltenders with the Maple Leafs and Blues, before joining Sportsnet Radio to do colour commentary for the Canucks.

In February 2017, Corey wrote a piece for The Players’ Tribune, sharing publicly his mental health diagnosis and suicide attempt. His story sparked important conversations within hockey and beyond, as more athletes began to open up about mental health.