THUNDER BAY – The Volunteer Bearcats peewee squad has a little more than hockey this weekend.
While they are hoping to do well at the 29th annual Robin’s Minor Hockey Classic, the results on the ice don’t matter as much as the mental health message the youngsters are trying to spread to more than 135 teams taking part in the cross-city event.
The team’s players are donning special green jerseys this weekend in support of mental-health awareness, encouraging players on opposing teams and those watching in the stands to speak up if they feel depressed or are struggling with day-to-day life.
Goaltender Liam Crago, 11, said it’s something all the players got behind.
“We wanted to help kids with mental health issues to not be afraid to speak up, so some kids don’t have to be sad their whole life or being scared to speak up,” he said.
The idea came from one of the team’s coaches, who read an article on the Children’s Centre Foundation, whose logo adorns the back of the Bearcats jersey this weekend.
Teammate Cody Labreche, 12, a defenceman on the team agreed it’s a great idea, something small the Bearcats can do to spread a message of inclusion, while encouraging people not to suffer in silence.
“It’s good for kids to know they can speak up and if you have depression to tell someone, so they can make it better and not worse,” he said.
Though not yet a teenager, Labreche said he sees the signs at his school and knows it’s tough at his age to have the courage to ask for help.
“I know there are some people, even in my class, that have depression and they were really sad. And then when they told someone they got happier. It’s good to show that,” he said.
Meghan Gagliardi, Cody’s mother and a coach with the VP Bearcats, said it’s admirable to see the kids willingly take part in the gesture.
Getting pre-teens to feel comfortable talking about issues they may be facing isn’t easy.
“This particular team is such a great example of that. They’re very open with us, they’re really positive role models for their peers. The fact that they’re willing to step in and show the community what children’s mental health is about and advocate for services for their peers, I can’t even put into words how proud I am of them,” Gagliardi said.
It was an easy sell, she added.
“When Dave (Meunier), our head coach, shared this initiative with the team, the reaction from the kids was just pure smiles. They were ready, they were prepared to be the face of ending the stigma for Thunder Bay and representing the Bearcats organization.”
Dayna Pupeza, co-ordinator of the Children’s Centre Foundation, said about one-in-five youth suffer from mental illness in Ontario, estimating that could mean more than 400 of the kids taking part in the tournament alone.
“I think it’s amazing that they came up with this idea,” she said.
“To have these kids representing mental health and telling their peers to speak up if they’re having a problem, that means a lot.”
The Robin’s Minor Hockey Classic concludes on Sunday.
