Another former player reveals he tried to take his own life.

It is a story that we are starting to hear more and more often and it only continues to get more and more disturbing every time that we hear it.

In a recent article published for The Athletic former National Hockey League player turned San Jose Sharks broadcaster Jamie Baker opened up about how close he came to not being here today to share this story. On the outside Baker seemed like a jovial happy go lucky kind of guy but those closest to him knew that he experienced bouts of depression and horrible mood swings. It was during one of those seemingly happy days that Baker, unbeknowst to everyone around him, decided that it was no longer worth living. What makes this even more stunning is that the decision game in the midst of a game that was being called by Baker.

From The Athletic:

But during the second intermission, Baker made a decision with both urgency and permanence. He pulled out his phone, booked a flight home to California and resumed his day’s work as if nothing was wrong.

In those 20 minutes between periods, Jamie Baker decided to end his life.

Baker would get on the plane to Columbus with the rest of the Sharks crew following that game but when he arrived at the hotel he was merely buying his time for when he could sneak out and hop on his commercial flight back home. Once he arrived home he cleaned out his garage to make room for his car, popped a bunch of slipping pills and prepared to end his own life. Thankfully it was the thought of his two young daughters, Bridget and Reilly. He thought of how devastated they would be at the news and the anguish of that thought both simultaneously crushed him but also prevented him from going through with his suicide. 

It is a haunting story but one that will become even more so when you learn what many believe caused this sudden shift in Baker's life and his personality. Baker's first wife, Annie, remembers when Baker's personality began to change, remembers when he became more and more bitter and resentful and even grew paranoid. Unsurprisingly the timing of that comes off the heels of two major injuries that were suffered by Baker during his NHL career, injuries to the head.

From Strang:

By this point, he had experienced a few major concussions, one from a collision with a teammate that caused him to lose consciousness before hitting the ice, and another from a 90 mph slapshot that fractured his orbital and kept him sidelined for weeks.

Scans that Baker would later have done at a mental wellness clinic would in fact shows signs that he is dealing with what is known as diffuse brain trauma and given all the cases that we have seen similar to this one it's hard to believe that this time there is no connection.

The good news is that Baker has been in treatment since he came so close to taking his own life that day and appears to be doing remarkably well al things considered. The mere fact that he now has the strength to share this story with the public is a hugely positive sign and obviously we wish him and his family nothing the best moving forward with what will likely be a lifelong battle for him.