Canucks: Tyler Motte opens up about his battle with depression

Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte shared his experience living with depression through a touching video released by the team’s YouTube channel.

It is not easy for a person to admit they’re struggling, especially when those struggles stem from something as personal and deeply-rooted as one’s mental stability.

It takes courage, integrity and an unwavering sense of self-acceptance to be willing to speak about your internal battles publicly.

Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte showed all of these virtues in spades on Wednesday by opening up to fans, teammates and social media about living with anxiety and depression.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Canucks posted a video to their YouTube channel about Motte and his powerful story. In the three and a half minute video, Motte discusses how he’s learned to cope with anxiety and depression in his life while simultaneously juggling the strenuous career of a professional hockey player.

The Canucks shared this video to the world as part of their important “Hockey Talks” initiative that began in 2013 with the purpose of spreading awareness for mental health. You can watch the video here.

The 24-year-old St. Clair, Michigan native sheds light on the stigma behind mental health for athletes, and how vital mental issues such as depression are often glossed over and deemphasized.

"“In sports, in hockey, there’s this mindset that we’ve come to adapt to where it’s all about being mentally strong and not showing weakness. My only input on that is it’s not a weakness.”"

Motte says that the battles with depression began in his second year of pro hockey, and that the first step to improving his mental state was admitting that he needed to seek help. After deliberating heavily on the matter, he decided to visit a psychologist and was officially diagnosed with anxiety and depression.

"“Starts off as ‘shake yourself out of it, it’s a bad day’. It seemed to slowly build up and get lower and lower, and it would get to the point where I can’t find the energy to get out of bed, get to the rink.”"

He also details what helped him overcome his personal challenges, like reading books and maintaining a healthy social life with peers and teammates. The loving support from his girlfriend, parents and brother also played a monumental role in his progression.

Both the organization and Motte posted the video to Twitter as well, with the hashtag ‘#HockeyTalks’ to promote an amazing initiative that was started after the tragic passing of former  Canuck Rick Rypien.

Motte chose to show a vulnerable and relatable side of him not for his own personal benefit, but in the hopes of helping anyone out there who are struggling with similar feelings and disheartening thoughts , but may be hesitant to talk about their pain with others.

By opening up about such a serious topic, he was able to use his elevated platform as a professional athlete to reach a broader audience, which is tremendously admirable. He follows in the footsteps of many other NHLers who have helped raise awareness for mental health, such as Chicago Blackhawks  netminder Robin Lehner and Canucks alumni Kevin Bieksa.

"“It’s not necessarily about telling my story, it’s to help that one person or handful of people that need to know they’re not alone in it.”"

Motte is consistently one of the hardest workers on the Vancouver Canucks. He made a name for himself in the preseason before the 2018-2019 campaign, and found a spot in the opening day lineup thanks to sheer will and determination. The two-way forward never takes a shift off, and he never shies away from tough battles on the ice. So it’s no surprise that he’s overcome his battles off the ice, too.

We’re all with you Motte, and we whole-heartedly support your message. If you’d like to learn more about the “Hockey Talks” initiative, you can click here.

The Canucks will celebrate Hockey Talks night at their home game tonight against the Arizona Coyotes.