EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers responded on Friday to comments made about the team by a former forward who has gone public about his mental health problems.
Former Oilers forward Patrick O’Sullivan recently published a book called Breaking Away in which he chronicles his abusive upbringing.
In an interview with Global News on Thursday, O’Sullivan said he continued to struggle with the fallout of the abuse as an adult and that while with the Oilers in 2009-10, he asked them for help.
READ MORE: Former Edmonton Oiler Patrick O’Sullivan will carry scars of abuse for life
“When I was in Edmonton, I asked for help from the team and I got nothing in return,” O’Sullivan said.
When presented with the quote on Friday, the Edmonton Oilers issued the following statement to Global News:
“We are aware of the comments made by former player Patrick O’Sullivan and are happy to see he is trying to raise awareness for mental health, however we disagree with his statement about the Oilers organization not being able to help him when he played in Edmonton.
Since 2005 the organization has employed a sports psychologist to assist players with any off-ice struggles they may have. In addition to this, the Oilers have always been proactive in supporting initiatives to raise awareness about mental health, including Hockey Talks, a program driven to bring awareness to mental health by utilizing information from experts to help alleviate some of the misconceptions and stigma associated with mental illness.”
In his interview with Global News, O’Sullivan also said the National Hockey League Players’ Association has an inadequate support structure in place for players struggling with mental illness.
“With hockey, it’s such a macho, tough guy’s sport, right? Nobody wants to talk about how they feel or what’s going on and the NHL and our own union… the stuff they have in place for mental health is dreadful,” he said.
When Global News asked the NHLPA for comment, the union replied with an email that said “players have access to confidential counseling through the joint SABH (Substance Abuse/Behavioral Health Program) program for any issues they may be facing, such as mental health. A network of professional counselors are available in each NHL city.”
With files from Kevin Karius and John Sexsmith
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