We Need To Talk About Mental Health

If you were listening to The Hockey Show on UMFM yesterday - if not, go back and do it! - you may have heard that Autumn MacDougall is working to start a charity game in Buffalo to benefit mental health initiatives and research. Hockey tries to lend its reach to a number of initiatives each year, but mental health is something affects people quietly and unseen. Whether it be an NHL player struggling with OCD, a high-profile women's national team member battling intense anxiety and panic attacks, or a "quirky" goalie who is bipolar, our approach to mental health needs to be at both ends of the spectrum if we're ever going to make life better for those who need help.

I say this because athletes are usually on the side of breaking the stigma around mental health which is valiant in its efforts to get people to talk about their struggles. I'm a big advocate of talking about mental health and breaking the stigma that surrounds it as well, but not a lot of us are psychiatrists, social workers, or psychiatric nurse practitioners in our spare time when someone who is willing to talk needs a professional to assist him or her. The costs associated with this professional help can be a major barrier to getting help, so it's time we start asking for more than just lip service when it comes to efforts to raise funds for mental health.

I take nothing away from Autumn's efforts or the efforts from hockey teams across North America in raising funds and breaking the stigma surrounding mental health because that's where everything starts. Those efforts should be commended, and I'm doing so here today. What you might be asking, though, is what the point of this article is when it comes to mental health initiatives, and I'm here to tell you that the professionals who work with, diagnose, and treat mental health patients aren't getting the help they desperately need to continue to make inroads in mental health care work.

If you're thinking, "Teebz, you know nothing about mental health care," I'd agree with you. I'm not in the medical profession, I don't have a medical degree, and passing an MCAT just to get into medical school seems like a daunting task. I do know, however, that there are people way smarter than I am who have much better research teams and larger budgets to devote to investigating stories like this, and this is where I turn someone who informs while being entertaining in John Oliver.

While Oliver may be a comedian by trade, his HBO television show, Last Week Tonight, has pulled back the curtain on a number of issues, and mental health has been one of those things where he's devoted more than one show to it. Last Week Tonight has likely devoted more time to mental health treatment challenges than some politicians have, and that's not what you want to hear if you're a mental health medical professional or someone seeking mental health help.

I know not everyone is a fan of Oliver's delivery on his show, but the point he makes is hard to miss. We'll start with the episode he filmed in 2015 where he addressed how US states treat - or how often they fall short in treating - mental health. And while this focuses on the US, don't pretend that it doesn't happen in similar fashion here in Canada. And, as always, all of Oliver's material is PG-rated, so viewer discretion is advised if you click the play button below.

As Oliver makes clear in that clip, funding for mental health services needs to be improved in a great way, but the services themselves also need to be expanded in a big way in order to help more people. Having hockey leagues agree to donate proceeds from charity games specifically played to benefit mental health initiatives would be a good way to get more money to those initiatives. Having the NHL, its teams, and its rather wealthy players throw some of their monies in would grow that effort tenfold as well.

This is where things take a drastic turn, though, because once people get into the system, there's a significant shortage of professionals who are available to help, and that number is growing smaller by the day thanks to health insurance providers valuing mental health professionals less than physicians and surgeons. As we heard Oliver say in the previous clip, some 44 million Americans were struggling with mental health in 2013, and that number has risen thanks to isolation due to COVID.

Here's this past week's episode of Last Week Tonight (the main story about mental health care starts at 7:03). You have to watch it via the link because the YouTube version is geo-locked for US IP addresses only. I will say that I have no affiliation with the linked site - it's just a place where non-US readers of this blog can watch the episode. Again, viewer discretion is advised in watching the episode.

If you don't want to watch the episode, the highlights of the Last Week Tonight episode about mental health care include:

• Four in ten Americans reported suffering from mental illness during the pandemic. Do the math - that's 133 million people.
• 65% of psychologists reported no capacity for new patients.
• More than half of people suffering from mental health issues go untreated with minorities being more siginifcantly affected by this shortage in medical professionals.
• Funding has historically always been low for mental health.
• There are 6000 mental health professional shortages in the US with 60% of those shortages seen in rural areas.
• Minorities struggle to find mental health professionals moreso than caucasians as minority mental health professionals represent just 15.53% of those professionals. And yes, this matters IMMENSELY when it comes to understanding culture differences and backgrounds.
• Apps designed to assist with mental health are woefully ineffective and often rather useless when it comes to crises.
• Teletherapy is worefully inadequate in assisting those seeking mental health assistance.
• The lack of professionals is the elephant in the room in all scenarios.
• States and the US federal government were to enforce rules to make mental health care equal to that of physical healthcare, but the US health insurance industry has been anything but helpful in granting treatment for a variety of reasons (this part needs to be watched and understood) including costs, coverage, and a lack of agreements with mental health professionals.
• Federal and state agencies who are supposed to oversee health insurance companies to ensure they uphold their end of the deal are also failing mental health patients are they've done very little to force health insurance companies to be compliant.
• Mental health professionals who eventually do get paid by health insurance companies, the pay is so little that most mental health professionals will no longer work with health insurance companies.
• Psychiatry was rated at the bottom of 29 medical specialties in terms of pay while counsellors and social workers who have equivalent educations to their medical collegaues earn 33-45% less than those with a comparable education.
• A survey in Massachusetts found that for every ten mental health clinicians hired, 13 leave clinics and the industry altogether. Again, the math in that situation simply doesn't look good.
• The costs of not treating mental health issues affects everyone, not just those going through the mental health crisis. Mental health issues often lead to homelessness and situations within the criminal justice system which now makes prisons and jails the only place where they're treated for mental health issues. Both issues cost society an absurd amount of money to fix.
• The solution sounds simple: attract more people to the mental health profession, and pay them what they're worth.
• With more people asking for and seeking help thanks to efforts like "Hockey Talks", we need to invest in those who deliver that help. If we don't, we're going to find that all we're doing is providing lip service to people who truly want help.

If that's a too-long-didn't-read moment for you, the summation is that for all the good we've done in trying to remove the stigma surrounding mental health, there is a distinct and potentially devastating shortage of mental health professionals to treat those seeking help.

With NHL teams having the money to hire sports psychologists and sports therapists for their athletes, might we demand more from them in that each of the 32 franchises produces an annual scholarship for mental health professionals and people wanting to make that their profession? If the NHL teams can help to break the stigma for people seeking help, perhaps they can do wonders in helping more people find mental health professionals as well.

Autumn MacDougall should be commended for her efforts in making this mental health game into a real thing. I want to make sure she gets the kudos for making this a priority, and it will go a long way in helping the people in and around Buffalo with the money the Buffalo Beauts raise. And I want to be clear that people need to keep talking about mental health to continue to erode any and all stigmas that may still exist. All of this is progress in helping those who need mental health assistance find their way to the right people.

It's fairly clear, though, that we need more of those "right people" - psychiatrists, social workers, and psychiatric nurse practitioners - doing what they do best and being paid like the medical professionals they are. Governments will determine and monitor the payment side of the coin, but it's clear that we have an immediate, urgent need for more people doing professional mental health work. This is where sports can step in and ease the financial burdens and accessibility barriers to those medical programs so that we start filling the massive gaps in medical coverage across North America.

Autumn, keep up the great work. Readers, keep talking about mental health and breaking down stigmas. Demand more from the NHL and from your governments, though, and we can help more people. It takes all of us to make a difference, and the benefits of these improvements will be felt by each and every one of us.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 515

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with a chat that we've been looking forward to for some time thanks to everything this player has done. Usually, we track down former guests and invite them to come back to update us on what's been happening, but this guest reached out to us to ask if there was room on the show! With Jason off this week as he prepares for a summer break, Teebz goes one-on-one with a guest who is living the hockey dream and carving out a nice niche as well!

The logo to the left is the brand-new logo for this player and the merchandise she's selling, so let's get you introduced once more to Buffalo Beauts forward Autumn MacDougall as Teebz chats with her tonight! Autumn has been extremely busy since we last spoke to her in 2020 as she has a professional hockey career established in the PHF while using her time to benefit the hockey scene in Nova Scotia, the Maritime provinces, and in Buffalo. Tonight, Teebz chats with Autumn about the changes in the PHF, changes on the Beauts, coaches who have left a lasting impression on her, her new coaching and training career, her merchandise line (more on that below), charity work, and a pile of other stuff that has kept her busy since graduating from the University of Alberta! It's a fantastic chat with a woman who has moved into the professional hockey ranks, so make sure you're listening to The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

That logo above is part of the Autumn MacDougall collection of apparel found on Millions! Autumn and Millions came together to design the logo for her brand and for her hockey training camp - Peak Performance - and are now selling merchandise with her logos on them. The nice part is that Autumn is making a few extra bucks to help pay for some of the efforts she's putting in to make hockey better in the Maritimes and in Buffalo, but she's also donating money to mental health initiatives to raise awareness and help people who may need mental health services! That's part of the chat tonight, so make sure you tune in to hear how Autumn's working on that effort and how picking up a hat, a t-shirt, or a hoodie can help her do more!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The new UMFM website's online streaming player is pretty awesome if you want to listen online. If you're using an Apple device, the player doesn't seem to like Safari yet, so if you want to stream the show I'd recommend Radio Garden to do that as it works nicely with Safari. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store. If you do use the TuneIn app, you won't be disappointed. It's a solid app.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard!

Tonight, Teebz sits down with Autumn MacDougall as they chat about professional hockey, expansion, growth, hockey as a business, coaches, coaching, training, charity events, merchandise, new freedom in the summer, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: August 4, 2022: Episode 515

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

I Need The Back Story

I need you to look closely at the moment captured above at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. That's Belorussian forward Andrei Kostitsyn being drafted by Montreal after playing with the KHL's CSKA Moscow. One could argue that the Canadiens made a mistake drafting Kostitsyn at tenth-overall, but the real mistake is on the Canadiens jersey they handed him after choosing him with the tenth pick. Look closely.

NHL teams are usually very good at ensuring their first pick in any draft get a jersey. Some have their names affixed via velcro in case there are any surprises, but the name bars used in those situations have the correct spelling of the player's name on it. Except Montreal didn't have the correct spelling as they gave Kostitsyn a jersey with "Kastsitsyn" on it. Close, but no cigar?

I'm curious about how such an egregious misspelling would happen at the NHL level when it comes to a player's name. Teams have interviewed players who were on their radar long before 2003, so it's not like Kostitsyn's name wouldn't have been known prior to the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Even if there was some confusion over the Cyrillic writing in Russia, Google Translate seems to have no issue with the spelling of Kostitsyn's name which makes this even more baffling.

If anyone has the back story on how a mistake like this could happen, I'd love to hear it. If you work for the Canadiens and you're reading this, please reach out because I'd love to know how "Kostitsyn" became "Kastsitsyn" in the minds of Les Canadiens. Whatever the case my be, I'm almost certain the story will be a good yarn on drafting European-born players!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The W Stands For "Wridiculous"

If there's one thing that has become very apparent about NHL teams who own their AHL affiliate, it's that the AHL affiliate is often treated like it doesn't matter. That's not to say that they won't develop players for the NHL club or be good community partners in their respective communities, but it seems that more and more AHL affiliates are being named and branded in the most uncreative ways, and we got another example of that today with the Flames debuting their relocated AHL affiliate's name and logo.

On the surface, there is nothing wrong with the former Stockton Heat taking the name "Wranglers" as they move into Calgary. The Calgary Wranglers is a name with history in the Alberta city as the Wranglers were a former WHL team that called Calgary home from 1977-87. That team eventually moved south to become the Lethbridge Hurricanes for the 1987-88 season, and they were originally a Winnipeg WHL team from 1967-77 under the names "Jets", Clubs", and "Monarchs". For a decade, the Wranglers were a fixture in Calgary.

The WHL Wranglers had moderate success with their greatest season of success coming in 1980-81 when they posted 94 points and lost in the WHL championship final to the Victoria Cougars. Beyond that, they missed the playoffs three times and were ousted in the WHL playoffs in the first round two more times, so there were years where the junior squad had early summers. That '80-81 team was backstopped by Mike Vernon - also a fixture in Calgary - who was drafted by the Flames in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, so there were benefits to the WHL team playing in Calgary.

I want to draw your attention to the logo above, though, because the "W" used by the WHL Wranglers featured a very clear image of a cowboy with his lasso in the air as if he were trying to rope an animal. As per Merriam-Webster, a wrangler is defined as "a ranch hand who takes care of the saddle horses" and is more broadly known as a cowboy. In other words, the logo above is perfectly suited for the team name as it literally shows a wrangler in representing the Calgary Wranglers.

And that brings us to the logo to the left that features... fire? Where exactly do wranglers have to deal with fire? I suppose one could really stretch the meaning of "wrangler" and have the mascot as a firefighter who would "wrangle" with fire, but that stretch is one that really shouldn't be made. The logic of choosing this name for a team based in "Cowtown" should make using this logo so elementary, but it seems the Flames are all about epic failures in recent months with the arena deal falling through over a few million dollars, key players leaving the team, and now this ridiculous logo for their AHL affiliate.

There is simply no excuse for the lack of creativity being shown in giving AHL affiliates their own identities and culture. The newly-named Wranglers already wear Calgary colours for their uniforms, and now they have a team name that literally means nothing because the flame on the "W" is all about self-gratification for the NHL club.

Still think I'm being too critical? Check out this design element.

The Flames do own the rights to use the Atlanta Flames logo, but to re-appropriate an element from one logo to another is simply inexcusable. The Flames didn't even try to hide the fact that they took the same flame design from the Atlanta Flames logo. All they did was add a red splotch of colour to the flame and said, "We're done!"

Look, you may just shrug your shoulders and move on regarding this logo design because it's the AHL, but AHL teams who have identities of their own often do well on the ice and in the seats. Whether it's the Chicago Wolves, the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Hershey Bears, or the Rochester Americans, these teams have unique and interesting logos. They stand for something other than NHL greed, and that means something in today's world where the bottom line means more than creating something fun such as a logo for a hockey team.

You know what really boosts a bottom line for a hockey team, though? A great logo. Ask the San Jose Sharks when they entered the league. Ask the Edmonton Oilers when they introduced the Todd McFarlane-designed jerseys. As the New York Islanders who felt great pain the first time they introduced the Fisherman. Logos for hockey teams matter when it comes to helping to sell merchandise.

This logo is a massive disappointment, and the Flames deserve to make no money off this new logo. Recycled logo elements and a completely inexcusable effort make this another failure on the southern Alberta franchise, and there's simply no wrangling over those facts.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Terry Fox Day

Today is an official statutory holiday in most provinces, and each of the provinces seems to have their own name for the day off despite the Canadian government recognizing August 1 as Emancipation Day in Canada. The honouring of Terry Fox, shown above in a Darryl Sittler all-star jersey, with this day began in 2015 as Terry was born in Winnipeg as the province decided to honour his legacy with a holiday where all could reflect on the amazing effort Terry Fox gave in his Marathon of Hope after losing a leg to osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer that primarily affects young people.

Despite living in BC and being born in Winnipeg, Terry's favorite hockey players while growing up were Toronto's Darryl Sittler and Boston's Bobby Orr. Sittler and Orr met Terry Fox in Toronto during the Marathon of Hope, and both played big roles in helping to raise funds through the Terry Fox Run telethon after Fox was forced to stop running after cancer had spread to his lungs. Meeting Terry was something that Darryl had wanted to do as much as Terry had hoped for when it came to meeting one of hs hockey heroes.

"I continued to follow the news about him on the tour, but he wasn’t getting much exposure," Sittler told the Canadian Expat Network. "Bill Vigars, head of the Ontario Cancer Society, contacted me about meeting with Terry when he approached Toronto. I wanted to meet Terry as much as he wanted to meet me. We met at the Four Season’s Hotel and I found him very humble and shy.

“He had already done 13 miles that day. I brought my shorts and t-shirt, so I had the opportunity to run with him down University Avenue. There were thousands of people in attendance and it was very emotional. Before I left home, I had picked up my All Star Jersey to give to Terry."

The two jogged down University Avenue before arriving at Nathan Phillips Square where Fox was going to speak to the crowd of 10,000 that had gathered to celebrate Fox's efforts, but Sittler made the event a little bigger thanks to his star power. It was at this Nathan Phillips Square meeting where Sittler presented Fox with his NHL All-Star Game jersey in honour of his efforts to raise both awareness and funds for cancer research, and the 21 year-old Fox donned the jersey that his hockey hero wore before speaking to the enthusiastic crowd. It was estimated that the Canadian Cancer Society raised close to $100,000 that day alone as his Marathon of Hope came to an end, and Terry Fox would meet Bobby Orr later in the day where Orr presented him a cheque for $25,000 before the two went for dinner.

Unfortunately, Terry Fox passed away on June 28, 1981, and the Canadian government ordered that flags be flown at half-mast in honour of Fox. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau stated, "It occurs very rarely in the life of a nation that the courageous spirit of one person unites all people in the celebration of his life and in the mourning of his death... We do not think of him as one who was defeated by misfortune but as one who inspired us with the example of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity."

The Terry Fox Foundation continues to raise funds for cancer research and cancer cures in Canada and across the world. It's said that everyone knows someone who has battled cancer in some form - Terry Fox might be that person you know after his courageous Marathon of Hope. While today may be Terry Fox Day in Manitoba, I believe Fox would gladly trade any honours and accolades he received if it meant curing future generations of people of cancer. If you're able, please donate to the Terry Fox Foundation to help them achieve their goal.

Rest in peace, Terry. Manitoba may honour Terry Fox with a day of reflection, but his efforts in raising awareness and funds for cancer research while battling the disease makes him one of the greatest Canadians of all-time, ranking above both Darryl Sittler and Bobby Orr.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!