Crozier making mental health a priority | TheAHL.com

Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer

Jacques Plante once quipped that goaltending is the only job in the world where a flashing red light and 18,000 fans cheering – or booing – accompanies the mistake that you just made.

Well, fair point. Every job brings its own kind of stress and anxiety. Some of it is mild and in passing. But some of it is more intense, more persistent. Hockey is no different. And that is just the workplace, to say nothing of life’s many other stress producers.

AHL players are measured each night, each period, each shift. Some of that evaluation is formal: statistics, analytics, and wins and losses. Some of it is much more informal, like that flashing red goal light. At stake are contracts, jobs and promotions. The NHL is so close, yet that final jump will be the most difficult one yet in a player’s career. A player does not need boos in order to recognize a personal mistake.

“Players are very knowledgeable,” Syracuse Crunch defenseman Max Crozier points out, “and we assess our own games, right? We’re probably the hardest ones on ourselves.”

Life off the ice brings its own challenges as well. Landing a job after a contract expires can be a particular source of stress. The waiver wire can have a player packing a bag and heading off a new home with a new organization. Even an NHL recall can bring its own brand of anxiety: Rushing to the airport. Walking into a new dressing room with new faces. Perhaps a limited audition to make a positive impression. What if I make a mistake that loses a game?

Crozier has made mental wellness a priority for himself, something that matters just as tip-top conditioning and a healthy diet do – and he is not alone, either. Players, coaches and teams stress mental health now much more than in the past. Crozier made it a point to let the Crunch front office know that he wanted to get more involved in the team’s mental wellness initiatives, including tonight’s Mental Wellness Night event.

The second-year pro may already well be on his way to a full-time NHL job. A fourth-round draft pick by Tampa Bay in 2019, the Calgary native played four seasons at Providence College before turning pro late in the 2022-23 season. He has already broken into the Lightning lineup for 18 games, including five this season.

By any measure, Crozier’s pro career is progressing well. But he has enough life perspective to know that its highs and lows can take a toll on people.

“Regardless of if you want to tell yourself or not, I think everyone has dealt with mental health issues at least once in their lifetime,” Crozier said. “Being able to create a community and a conversation and make people feel like they’re not alone, it’s really, really important to me. I’ve had friends and family that have been affected by mental health issues. This is something that I’m very passionate about.”

Win one night. Lose the next night. First star today. Turn the puck over to lose in overtime tomorrow. Success can be fickle for any athlete, and maintaining some type of mental equilibrium is a challenge. It’s one of the key pillars for successful player development.

“Change is never easy,” Crozier said, “whether it’s good or bad. The people who are more mindful, more conscious about themselves, self-aware in regard to their own mental health, the better off they are. That goes for anyone, not just hockey players. Having a good understanding of what exactly you are feeling and then finding out why you’re feeling it are two very important steps to just live everyday life.”

We all impact each other’s mental health as well. Crozier pointed to former Lightning teammate Calvin de Haan going out of his way to welcome him to the team and make him feel comfortable after his first NHL recall last season. Small gestures matter.

“It wasn’t anything big,” Crozier recalled, “but to me it felt really big. That helped me a lot, and it immediately made me feel comfortable. That’s a perfect example of the impacts that guys can have in the locker room. It’s really as simple as just saying, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ and looking at the other guy like he’s not just a hockey player but he’s a human being as well.”

And there is also the work of turning to others for help. Crozier cited the resources made available by the NHL and the NHLPA, as well as the AHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association.

“At the end of the day it’s all that really matters when it comes to mental health – being someone that someone else can lean on.”

Crozier is aware that there will always be potential pitfalls and challenges to test anyone mentally. By stepping forward to volunteer his efforts to the cause, he represents a growing awareness of the issue of mental wellness among players. It’s a new generation, one with a different mindset: a willingness to discuss these issues more openly.

“With my generation,” Crozier said, “it definitely is a lot easier because that’s been a conversation that’s been going on since I was 10 years old. But it all depends on the culture. In Syracuse everyone is very enthusiastic and feels free to really be who they are. And when you’re in a space that allows you to do that, these kinds of conversations arise very easily, and it’s something that’s very beneficial. When things aren’t going right on the ice, or off the ice, too, it’s really important to be a good teammate, to be able to be relied on.

“But you also never know if that’s going to be you one day, if you’re going to need to rely on someone else.”

Tonight’s game is a chance for Crozier and the Crunch to share that message with their fans.

“There’s no conversation that’s too hard to have,” Crozier outlined. “The game is all about bringing awareness to mental health, and the conversations that need to happen for those that are in need. Everyone’s going to have those days… Being able to create a community and environment where people feel open to express how they are feeling, that really helps. I want them to see the game and know this night is to create awareness and to expand the community even further.”

On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.