Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Samuel Girard: anxiety and death threats are the reasons behind his move to the player assistance program

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated 5/3/24

Being a professional hockey player is far from being a boy’s dream. When the money starts rolling in, so does the pressure, and it’s not easy to manage.

Over the past few years, many players across the NHL have asked for and received help to get by.

Samuel Girard is one of the most recent players to come in and out of this program. Currently effective with the Avalanche, he’s been through some pretty tough times.

His father, Tony Girard, opened up on the subject to JiC on his show earlier today.

Samuel Girard’s father gave a most touching interview to @JiCLajoie https://t.co/8v19zZokY0

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) May 3, 2024

He told the TVA Sports host about experiencing anxiety, episodes of depression and death threats.

He said there were times when his son couldn’t even have a beer without thinking about people talking badly about him.

Girard’s father acknowledged that social networks make it very easy to try to destroy someone.

He’s very proud of his son, who had the humility to ask for help and got out of his dark thoughts.

Girard (Samuel) also spoke with Jonathan Drouin, who went through the same thing. He helped him get through it.

Pressure can have many negative repercussions on a player’s health. While some players find it easier to deal with, others need to seek help. In recent years, more players have done so, and this is very encouraging.

Combined with the greater use of sports psychologists, we can see that the mentality of players is starting to change, and in the right direction.

Injuries aren’t just physical, they can be mental too.

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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