Corey Hirsch's struggles with mental health have been well documented. The former NHL goaltender, who spent most of his time with the Vancouver Canucks organization, described his struggles with severe anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in a Player's Tribune article in February of 2017, which can be read here. Now, Hirsch is calling out anyone who would shame others for taking medication for their mental health.
"I take meds for my mental health," Hirsch wrote on Twitter Wednesday. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't. So for all of you shaming people about meds...would it be better for you if I was medication free, but took my own life? Would you come to my funeral and call me a hero? Stop shaming people into not taking them."
Hirsch, who now works as an analyst for Sportsnet 650 radio in Vancouver and is a fierce mental health advocate, was offered plenty of support for his words, including a note from fellow former NHL goaltender Clint Malarchuk, who told Hirsch he was proud to call him a friend.
After leaving the NHL, Hirsch also worked as a goaltending coach for the St. Louis Blues and the Toronto Maple Leafs. In his 2017 article in the Player's Tribune, he talked about being on top of the world as a 22-year-old and having none of it matter because of the extremely dark thoughts that followed him everywhere. He also outlined an incident where he was driving a sportscar at 140 miles per hour, fully intending to drive it off a cliff when a vision that popped in his head was the only thing that stopped him.
"What if I don't die?What if I survive this crash, and I'm severely injured, and I'm stuck in bed with all these dark thoughts, on repeat, for the rest of my life?
That image was so terrifying that, somehow, it seemed worse than death. It made me slam on the brakes."
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