When the Tampa Bay Lightning began preparations for this year’s Hockey Talks Night—the annual NHL theme night which recognizes and raises awareness surrounding the importance of mental health—one of the organization’s most impactful voices brought an idea forward.
Lightning captain Victor Hedman has long been a supporter of mental health in the Tampa Bay area, and on Tuesday the defenseman once again brought that conversation to the forefront at Benchmark International Arena on Hockey Talks Night.
And this year, he brought a friend.
John Toracinta is the founder of athletic clothing brand NOSOLO, short for ‘NOBODY GOES SOLO’. The brand donates a percentage of all sales to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to help those struggling with mental health.
Toracinta attended Tuesday’s game, partnering with Hedman to donate limited Hockey Talks gear that also gave back to NAMI.
“Especially for male athletes, mental health and the struggles you might go through isn’t something that you talk about a lot,” Hedman said of supporting the brand and mental health. “So it made sense to me, and I’m all for ending the stigma.”
Hedman reached out to Toracinta, asking if there was interest in doing something special for Hockey Talks this year. Tampa Bay’s captain wanted to initiate that conversation and be involved in fighting the stigma however he could.
“The thing that we preach is, you’ve got to talk. You go through struggles, but it’s always good to talk about it,” Hedman said. “We want people to see and know that you’re not alone.”
‘Mental health touches everybody'
With the help of NOSOLO, the Lightning put that into action at Tuesday’s game.
Fans filled out Hockey Talks Cards at the game, writing messages to promote breaking the stigma around mental health while supporting others who have gone through a struggle or are currently facing mental health challenges.
The Lightning also received a limited quantity of special edition Tampa Bay Lightning NOSOLO hats that the Foundation used in a variety of ways throughout the night.
Those in attendance could nominate a fan who needed a pick-me-up, and some of those nominees then received a cupcake, a note from the Lightning as well as custom gift bags from NOSOLO which included a NOSOLO hat signed by Hedman as well as a NOSOLO bracelet.
“Just to be there and to feel the energy of a lot of people who are all there supporting the Lightning but also supporting this cause that touches everyone is pretty impactful,” Toracinta said of being part of Hockey Talks this year. “And to see it on a stage like that in Tampa, it's going to be flat-out awesome.”
Hedman met with Toracinta as well as regional representatives from NAMI after the game through the organization’s player ticket program.
“As we were developing (NOSOLO), we wanted to connect it to something that was bigger than us, something that reached a broader audience. And mental health is something that has affected me personally as well as my wife, family and friends,” Toracinta said of NOSOLO. “There's a statistic out there that one in every five people are affected by mental health, but in our eyes, it's an everybody thing. At some point or another, whether it's now or later or in the past, mental health touches everybody.”
Everybody knows someone affected by mental health, and Hedman is no exception.
Tampa Bay’s captain is among a long list of NOSOLO ambassador athletes, including former Bolt Nate Thompson, NFL quarterback Jared Goff and others.
“Vic's been an unbelievable ambassador of ours since almost the conception of this thing,” Toracinta said, “and he really bought into it. He's just a warmhearted guy who’s all about giving back and putting others first.”
Hedman was excited to back once again on Tuesday for Hockey Talks Night, which was another busy night of reminding people that they are never alone.
“It's important because you can't always see the struggles that people are going through,” Hedman said.
"The more you talk about it, the better you’ll feel,” he continued. "The bottom line is, as an athlete, there's a physical part to the game and obviously a mental part of the game that is just as important. I think it's just as important to work on your mental strength as your physical strength. I think this cause proves that everyone is human and everyone can go through stuff. The more you talk about it, especially looking at myself, the better you feel.”
