[Mattman]

After seeing Bobby Ryan get a hattrick last night, in his first game since November 2019 and submitting himself to the NHLPA Assistance Program for alcoholism, I felt compelled to write something on the recent wave of players coming to light with their addictions or struggles with mental health.

If you haven't seen his post-game interview I'll link it here, but man as emotional as it is to hear him talk about it you have to feel so proud for the guy and the emotional effort he's had to put in to get better.



This also comes after we saw Robin Lehner talk about his struggles with alcohol and the demon's he battled when he even thought about taking his own life at some point. Also, with Nate Thompson speaking in an interview on his troubles when he started drinking at 16, going to practice messed up sometimes, and the trouble it had with his wife and kids.

I'm glad we are at a place this day in age where people like Brian McGrattan, Bobby Ryan, Robin Lehner, and Nate Thompson can openly talk about their struggles and find the help they need before things take a turn for the worse.

I know it's also easy to separate ourselves from guys like these and rip on them for having slumps and bad games. But at the end of the day, we are all human and we have to be aware of the things we say about these guys who are forced into the spotlight at a young age and many are struggling with their own demons.