Canucks to Host Hockey Talks on Jan. 27th

Vancouver, BC -Canucks will continue to support positive change around mental health issues when they host their 9th annual Hockey Talks game on January 27th and face off against the Ottawa Senators. Fans are encouraged to take to social media to share personal messages and messages of support to create an open dialogue and awareness about mental health, using hashtag #HockeyTalks.

Hockey Talks was inspired by Rick Rypien, former Canucks forward, who tragically lost his battle with mental health issues in 2011. Today, 17 NHL clubs participate, sharing resources, stories and breaking the stigma about mental health issues.
Since 2011 the Canucks and the Canucks for Kids Fund has donated more than $650,000 to support mental health programming in BC, including significant funding towards Foundrybc.ca (formerly mindcheck.ca). By donating to the Canucks for Kids Fund, fans have also helped support several Balancing Our Minds Youth Summits since 2016, reaching more than 3,800 students in communities around the province. Balancing Our Minds summits are youth-led events that help support student wellness, build mental health literacy, break down stigma, encourage early help-seeking and connect students to appropriate mental health resources and services.

For those who would like to learn more about mental health, they are encouraged to reach out to a medical professional and visit a variety of online resources, including:
The Vancouver Canucks' efforts in raising awareness about mental health through the Hockey Talks Program were recognized by the 2017 Mental Health Voices Award from the Canadian Mental Health Association as well as by the 2013 Rona & Ken Purdy Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).