Photo: Capitals
In partnership with Medstar Health, the Washington Capitals hosted their first “HockeyTalks” Mental Health Awareness Night as they clashed with the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. The initiative is to raise awareness and help end the stigma around mental health.
The Capitals joined 14 other NHL teams hosting Hockey Talks tonight. The Hockey Talks mental health awareness initiative began in 2013, following the tragic passing of Canucks player Rick Rypien in 2011. Rick’s wish was to support others and help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness by being a spokesperson for this issue.
Happy to be joining these other @NHL teams by hosting our first #HockeyTalks night for #CapsDevils pic.twitter.com/4bbbvxqxHS
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 16, 2020
Players such as center Lars Eller, forward Garnet Hathaway, and defenseman Radko Gudas took to social media to promote the initiative.
Join us to help end the stigma of talking about mental health. #hockeytalkshttps://t.co/fUPmTmOpMF pic.twitter.com/JyM3fNIAxU
— Garnet Hathaway (@GarnetHathaway) January 16, 2020
Together we can keep the conversation going. Tonight we work to end the stigma. #hockeytalkshttps://t.co/6Smfq2xBHv pic.twitter.com/DDaYAsZidW
— radko gudas (@radkogudas) January 16, 2020
Captain, the team dog and future service dog, also tweeted about HockeyTalks. Being a part of America’s VetDogs program, an important quality of Captain is his 16-month training to become a service dog for a veteran or first responder with disabilities, which includes mental health.
meet my good friend Mollie who spent 12 years in law enforcement and Nahoa her PTSD service dog from @AmericasVetDogs. to learn more about VetDogs programs for Veterans and First Responders, visit https://t.co/y0uqyynYeZ#hockeytalks pic.twitter.com/77aPZWL77Y
— Captain (@CapsPup) January 16, 2020
The team kept the conversation going by wearing HockeyTalks decals on helmets tonight.
#HockeyTalks decals on the buckets tonight — let’s keep the conversation going. https://t.co/nHfSSWGZgZ pic.twitter.com/DKDlu6NpX2
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 16, 2020
On January 9, Hathaway and his fiancée Lindsay Minges and defenseman Nick Jensen and his wife Jenner participated in a discussion apart of Talk Saves Lives, an introductory presentation on mental health and suicide prevention.
Last week we hosted our first ever #HockeyTalks presentation and panel with @medstarhealth called Talk Saves Lives.
Together we can help end the stigma around mental health. pic.twitter.com/o7XHxGzyau
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 16, 2020
Tonight’s Capitals matchup featured different activations related to mental health, including PSAs and an AFSP informational table on the 200-level concourse.
For more insight on the Hockey Talks initiative and signs and resources for mental illness, please click here.
By Della Young
Mental health: a conversation hockey is ready to talk about. #HockeyTalks @NJDevils pic.twitter.com/fpLC5azl48
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 17, 2020
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