Samuel Girard Enters NHL Player Assistance Program: Taking Care of Mental Health in the NHL

2023-11-24 23:51:37

Samuel Girard is already in his seventh year in the NHL. The defender, a native of Roberval, is also a Stanley Cup champion and overall, he is having a great career.

And he does it by representing his part of the country.

That said, for two weeks, Girard’s case has been quite unclear. The player has missed a few games and has not been seen in action since last Saturday.

It was worrying… especially since we didn’t really know what was bothering him.

However, we learned that Girard has just entered the NHL player assistance program.

Samuel Girard has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) November 24, 2023

Initially, we didn’t really know what the reason was that motivated him to enter the program (the league protects the players and does not reveal the reasons), but this time, Girard decided to admit it through him -even.

It is a problem of severe anxiety and depression which bothers him, he who claims that he has resorted to excessive alcohol consumption. He therefore wants to resolve the problem at the source and, thereby, tackle his consumption.

A statement from CAA Hockey client Sam Girard. pic.twitter.com/IE4hlAG0ZI

— CAA Hockey (@CAAHockey) November 24, 2023

Obviously, we wish the best to the Quebec defender, who had the excellent idea of making a proactive decision by taking care of his mental health. He also invites everyone to do the same and seek help if they feel the need.

This is reminiscent of the case of Jonathan Drouin, who also went through the player assistance program for reasons of anxiety in spring 2021. At least he had the help he needed.

Alcohol abuse is a fairly typical case ofself-medication to deal with anxiety disorders. Congratulations to Girard for recognizing the spiral he was in and acting accordingly before it got even worse.

We really hope that this break will be beneficial to him and that he will come back strong as quickly as possible.

Prolongation

Earlier in the day, Samuel’s father used his Facebook account to reassure himself about his son. He did not want to comment on the subject, but he reiterated that his son is a fighter and that he is in contact with him.

The kind messages towards the defender reach him and touch him.