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Earlier this year during the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Finals, we noted in this space how the league and its teams were somewhat ahead of the curve when it came to mental health awareness. Indeed, the two Finals participants – the Edmonton Oilers and eventual champion Florida Panthers – were among the teams that had employed mental health professionals the earliest.
If awareness of mental fitness is the first step toward addressing the mental health problem, then the second step is surely education, and the NHL has once again taken a leadership position.
Midway through the last season, the NHL Players Association Health and Wellness Team, in collaboration with the organization Opening Minds and the Mental Health Commission of Canada, announced the program appropriately titled “First Line,” an education and leadership program developed to strengthen NHLPA members’ mental health knowledge and skills.
Touted in its public materials as the first program of its kind in professional sports, First Line is designed specifically for NHL players to address the issues faced by players and their families, aiming to:
- Increase knowledge about common mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, substance use and self-harm
- Provide skills for offering peer-to-peer support
- Educate about the stigma of mental illness and how to combat it
All players who complete the First Line receive a certificate of completion from the Mental Health Commission of Canada in recognition of completion. Players who are graduates of the First Line will be empowered to act as advocates for mental health and to provide and seek support when necessary.
This is the aspect that we at alphabeats believe is the key to long-term success. While we take great pride when the athletes using alphabeats neurofeedback tool are successful on their field of play, e.g. Austin Krajicek winning doubles tennis Silver in Paris, we’re even more heartened when these players advocate for the benefits of both awareness and solutions for improved mental health and performance in sports.
First Line is a course that is designed to be completed in a group format. Delivered in-person or online, the course is offered to NHLPA members on a voluntary basis and is delivered by NHLPA consulting psychologist and former NHL defenseman Jay Harrison.
Roughly 20 players participated in the initial pilot of First Line back in January, with that number growing to almost 80 by season’s end and a full deployment underway as NHL training camps for the 2024-25 season have opened throughout North America. Darnell Nurse of the aforementioned Edmonton Oilers shared his thoughts online about the program’s benefits:
“The First Line program gives players tools to create a locker room and culture that combats the many stigmas around mental health. This allows for players to feel comfortable dealing with the ebbs and flows of the season without judgement. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to take part in the course and learn how our team can continue to emphasize the well-being of each other both on and off the ice.”
The best news is that First Line may live up to its name as a pioneer of its own. Over the summer, Harrison and Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson met for a roundtable discussion with representatives from other professional sports unions and the U.S. Congressional Mental Health Caucus. The discussion focused on the various programs and initiatives these organizations have undertaken to address the topic of mental health within their constituents.
As we near the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, we like to think that we’re a part of one of its most important conversations, one that gains more traction every day as sports leagues and organizations codify awareness and education.