Talking About Hockey Talks: The NHL and Mental Health

Every February since 2013, the seven Canadian NHL teams host Hockey Talks, a NHLPA led program aimed at “destigmatizing” mental illness. The effort was initiated by former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa after teammate Rick Rypien’s suicide in 2011. In addition to media spots, public service announcements, and the hashtag #hockeytalks, the team’s websites link…

Weekly Links: Insight on Swedish hockey; Amanda Kessel’s impact on women’s pro hockey; NHL’s problematic handling of concussions; and more

The Weekly Links post highlights important or interesting writing from the hockey blogosphere and media. Enjoy! Victor Hedman, of the Tampa Bay Lightning, has an interesting piece on growing up playing hockey in Sweden and the differences between this experience and that of North American youth. [Player’s Tribune] With superstar Amanda Kessel leaving college after…