Former, NHL Goalie, Calgary Flames goaltending coach and mental health advocate Clint Malarchuk spoke to the student body at Chestermere High School March 9.
He was joined in his presentation by his wife Joanie.
Malarchuk spoke openly about how he survived having his jugular vein slashed while playing goal for the Buffalo Sabers and his subsequent substance abuse and survival of both an overdose and a suicide attempt.
“I should be dead and I’m not,” said Malarchuk.
He is grateful to be able to speak about his struggles and to be able to help people with their own mental health struggles.
Malarchuk spoke about how after his throat was slashed he returned to play in less than a month.
At the time he believed taking more time off would mean that he was weak.
By returning to play he was being the tough guy but didn’t allow himself to process the trauma he had been through.
According to Malarchuk, people don’t process trauma well.
For him it wasn’t until after his suicide attempt, when he was in counseling and he accepted that he had PTSD that he could work through his past the traumas.
He said he cried for three days but as a result of his acceptance “things got good.”
He now encourages people to seek help for mental illness.
“You can get well, it’s not a weakness,” he said.
He ended his talk by saying it’s not what it is said that people remember it’s how one makes them feel.
Malarchuk hoped that his talk motivated, inspired and made people feel good.
