The Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL) have been selected by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to receive one of their highest honors for the team’s leadership in raising public awareness of mental illness.
The NAMI Rona and Ken Purdy Award is given annually to an individual or group that has helped reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and promote treatment for patients.
Hockey Talks was launched by the Vancouver Canucks and six other Canadian NHL teams along with the support of the NHL as a month-long initiative in February. Hockey Talks seeks to increase dialogue and awareness about mental health and effective treatments and the program generated a national converstation about mental health and wellness through online efforts and social media.
Teams wore Hockey Talks helmet decals, featured the Hockey Talks logo on rinkboards and dedicated a home game to the initiative.
“The Canucks have set an outstanding precedent in the sports world for team devotion to mental health education as a public service,” said NAMI Executive Director Michael J. Fitzpatrick.
“It is a great honour to be recognized for the organization’s initiative and dedication to raising awareness about mental health and wellness,” said TC Carling, Vice-President, Communications & Community Partnerships, Canucks Sports & Entertainment. “We have dedicated ourselves to carrying on the legacy of our friend and former player Rick Rypien and his desire to help others suffering from mental illness. We hope that this recognition will bring further attention to mental health education and help alleviate stigma often associated with the disease so that individuals can feel at ease in asking for help.”
Hockey Talks is a continuation and expansion of the Canucks efforts to support and build awareness through mindcheck.ca, a partnership that has raised awareness for mental health education.
The Purdy Award is named in honor of the founders of NAMI Campaign to End Discrimination, which, in the 1990s, helped launch the movement for mental health parity in health insurance plans. Presentation of the award will occur at NAMI’s national convention in San Antonio, TX, June 27-30.
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