2019 Penguins first rounder opens up about entering the NHL Player Assistance Program
The Pittsburgh Penguins' 2019 first-round pick Samuel Poulin opened up about entering the NHL Player Assistance Program in a recent interview.
Two years have passed since the Pittsburgh Penguins' 21st overall pick in 2019 Samuel Poulin stepped away from hockey to take care of his mental health.
Now, he decided that the time had come to open up about his struggles to help those who are afraid to ask for help.
In an exhaustive interview, Poulin opened up about what he went through, starting with what happened to him in recent years.
"I figured it was a perfect time for me to talk about it and to share my story and what happened to me over the last couple of years."
As most young players do, Poulin's first NHL stint was a short one, playing only three games before being sent down to the AHL. That's when he started to struggle:
"I just started feeling so depressed, and I didn't want to go to the rink anymore. Just going to practice every day was just getting harder and harder... I just felt like I had so much pressure on my shoulders of performing and all that."
Then, in a game in Hershey, he had a massive panic attack, which led to further consequences. He couldn't think about hockey without triggering anxiety and was sent home a few days after the incident.
"All those issues, I would just put them in the back and not really deal with them. But at some point, they kind of caught up, and that's when the panic attack in Hershey happened. So, I kind of had to relearn how to love the game of hockey and relearn how to be in that environment every day and how to be able to perform, even though I had those issues."
Then, he talked about how the Penguins' approach was "human":
"Right away, I kind of felt that the approach was really human with the Pittsburgh Penguins. I didn't really think that they were pressuring me to get back. They wanted me to be healthy first, and then after that, to be back as a hockey player. In the first place, I really thought that they were really awesome with that stuff."
Later, he revealed that he felt ashamed due to the stigmas surrounding mental health in hockey:
"I just had so much shame. I didn't feel comfortable taking that break, to be honest. In the back of my mind, I thought I was weak. I thought I was letting my teammates down, letting my team down. All those thoughts were going through my mind."
"It was almost like a leg injury. For example, you break your leg, you won't do anything for probably 2-3 weeks. So basically, I just watched all the Marvel movies and was eating chocolate for two weeks. Then after that, that's when the rehab process started.»
"It was almost like a leg injury. For example, you break your leg, you won't do anything for probably 2-3 weeks. So basically, I just watched all the Marvel movies and was eating chocolate for two weeks. Then after that, that's when the rehab process started.»
Poulin continued by opening up on his rehabilitation process, saying he saw a psychologist to help him:
"Then after that, I just kept seeing her. I still talk to her right now, so it's been more than two years, and I'm still in touch with her. I feel like people kind of think it's a bad thing to talk to a psychologist in a way, and (some) people don't really believe in that stuff. But honestly, that probably changed my life, and I highly recommend that for other people."
"I feel like it's probably the first step that's the hardest, just to ask for help and just say that you're not feeling great. But honestly, once you do that step and you get the help you need, it's crazy how life can be so much better afterwards."
"I feel like it's probably the first step that's the hardest, just to ask for help and just say that you're not feeling great. But honestly, once you do that step and you get the help you need, it's crazy how life can be so much better afterwards."
Looking back at everything that happened, Poulin is simply happy that he can enjoy hockey again:
"I can just focus on playing hockey and enjoying my time here and enjoying life again. So, I'm just really happy to be back to full health. I'm just glad I made that decision two years ago to go home."
"At the time, I thought it was the worst thing that could happen to me. I was wondering why it was happening to me. But now, I can see that everything happens for a reason, and I'm just so glad that I took those steps to be healthier."
"At the time, I thought it was the worst thing that could happen to me. I was wondering why it was happening to me. But now, I can see that everything happens for a reason, and I'm just so glad that I took those steps to be healthier."
Hopefully, his story will inspire others to seek help.
TRENDING NOW
