Despite a wintry blast of snow, more than 1,300 die-hard hockey fans and families filled the Barrie Molson Centre to watch a game that was about far more than winning on the ice.
Now in its second year, the Start Talking Cup, an event organized by the Canadian Mental Health Association of Simcoe County (CMHA), was developed to help youth suffering from mental health issues through improved communication.
“We have a lot of dedicated staff and volunteers who put this together every year and we are very proud of the response from the community,” said CMHA’s Catherine Johnson. “There seem to be a lot of kids out with their parents tonight. What we hope is that during the game’s intermission, communication will open up and there will be a serious conversation about why these games are happening.”
Jim Harris, local CMHA director of support services, doesn’t believe that Barrie has more of a problem than other communities, but emphasizes that they are doing all they can now to fix it.
“Suicide is the leading cause of non-accidental death of youth in Canada,” said Harris. “It’s an issue nationally, but to credit our area you are seeing lots of interest and events for awareness as we are taking notice. My connection to mental health is personal, like for many other people, as it has impacted my family. But even if it hasn’t affected a loved one, you may have a neighbour or co-worker that is suffering in silence. We can’t sit quiet anymore.”
Thanks to community members who attended, last year’s event raised $10,000 with money going to grow the STC night and help with peer to peer mentorship and other educational tools.
Although not in an official capacity, local MP Alex Nuttall was in attendance with his son.
“I was here last year for the puck-drop and this time I just wanted to come out and support the fund-raising efforts for Start Talking,” said Nuttall. “I brought my little one for his first hockey game, but also I feel it’s important to openly discuss the issues of mental health no matter the age. For so long, it was probably the most unspoken ailment in society. So I am very proud of what we in Barrie and the surrounding area are doing to stop that. I am so proud of our community for fighting to help our youth and anyone else who is suffering.”
As far as the hockey game itself, it couldn’t have been more exciting. This year saw the addition of a Pee Wee game between the Barrie Colts and the North Central Predators, where the Predators pulled out the 4-3 victory despite the Colts mounting a comeback near the end of the game.
In the STC minor midget game, it was the Barrie squad winning back-to-back cups over North Central in a shoot-out. This was a regular season game between the two teams, so in the standings it will show a tie and both will add one point to their season tally.
The shoot-out was for the Cup and bragging rights.
Before the game, Colts Mitchell Russell was called up to the squad despite being a year younger than the rest of the players on the ice.
Not only did the young forward score the Cup winner, but he was proud to be a part of something that was bigger than the game.
“That was a pretty awesome experience,” said Mitchell. “To play with older guys and be able to score a goal like that in a shoot-out was a highlight for me. But I know that we were all happy to be able to raise money for such a great cause. Hopefully everyone here knows how important tonight was.”
If the young players weren’t aware how special it is as a hockey player to be able to help, Michael Webster, Captain of the OHL Colts was on-hand to speak to his youthful counterparts after the game.
“Playing hockey is a dream come true for all of us, and being able to continue it as the years pass is even more special,” said Webster. “It also comes with responsibility to your community and making sure you lend a hand when needed. This town loves hockey and supports us as players, we need to return the favour through helping with fund raisers like the Start Talking campaign.”
The gross amount that the Start Talking Cup event raised was $17,000.
