Babcock speaks out on mental health stigma

“Mental illness has nothing to do with mental toughness,” says the Leafs bench boss.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Babcock speaks out on mental health stigma
Keystone Press

Despite being one of the most successful coaches in the NHL, Mike Babcock is no stranger to mental health problems. In a sport where toughness plays such a huge role, Babcock admits that hockey players can sometimes conflate mental toughness and mental health. 

“Mental illness has nothing to do with mental toughness,” says the Leafs bench boss. 

It’s tough to get hockey players to open up, but Babcock is making it his mission to get these conversations out into the open and out of the shadows. He’s a mental health ambassador and is part of an initiative called “Ahead of the Game” which aims to de-stigmatize mental health in pro sports. 

In an exclusive interview with CBC’s The National, Babcock goes one on one with Ian Hanomansing to talk about the mental health issues facing today’s NHLers. 

Check it out:



Good stuff. Keep fighting the good fight, Babs!

Source: The National