Former NHL Player Tells it Straight

Cartoon of a blue-colored hockey player

Former NHL Player Tells it Straight

By Kerry J. Bickford, Voices Editor

Conversations are opening up about addiction in ways we could never have imagined. It took a national health crisis and a catastrophic rise in overdose deaths to open the closet door and let the stigma out. When people we admire (athletes, musicians, scholars, etc.) do finally “come out,” it seems there are several messages:

  1. Yes, even they became victims of this non-discriminating and demonic epidemic.
  2. We don’t hear about it until it has destroyed their lives, health, or career because of the deep shame that accompanies SUD. 
  3. It is kept “secret” because of that six-letter word (stigma) that separates it and makes SUD less acceptable than most other diseases. 
  4. Many people realize the importance of sharing their stories and offering hope to others living with addiction. It is a cleansing of sorts that acknowledges the elephant in the room and migrates toward honesty and awareness.

Colin Wilson, who played for the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, recognized the need to tell his story following the death of his friend Jimmy Hayes, a Boston Bruins player who died of a fentanyl and cocaine overdose in 2018 -- and whose family was determined to prevent this from happening to anyone else they possibly could by going public.

Wilson’s story, which appeared in The Players Tribune, offers a frank look at his healing and encourages the same for others. It exemplifies his attempt to find meaning in Hayes’s death by rising up to reveal his own truth and stand united with others who are battling the stigma of addiction.