Patrik Laine was awarded at the Sports Gala for his courage and openness in mental health matters. This is the first time the Courage award has been given.
16.1. 21:24•Updated 16.1. 21:27
Urheilu follows the Sports Gala moment by moment in this article.
Patrick Laine has recently been doing what he was known for years before and what has been expected of him – he is scoring goals in the NHL.
During the last year, however, Laine has been in the public eye in another, very significant way. The Finnish star has spoken openly about his mental health.
In an interview with , Laine has, among other things, told how she drifted into deep waters in her career. Alamäki started at the end of 2021, when his father died.
In the end, Laine applied for the NHL’s treatment program due to his mental health problems at the end of January 2024. Laine put himself and his health before the success of his team.
– The fact that I had to put things aside was difficult, but the best decision I’ve ever made, Laine told in the fall.
Laine and her partner Jordan Leigh started a social media project called From Us to You in August, which aims to spread awareness about mental health issues and encourage people to speak up.
For these merits, Laine received a special award at the Sports Gala. This is the first time the Courage award has been given.
The prize was awarded by a member of parliament, the future minister of sports Mika Poutala. In the justification of the awarded award, Poutala said that the value of Laine’s openness is increased by the fact that he represents a male hockey culture, where such openness is still perceived as challenging.
An important speech
– Mental health, and especially in my case, the mental health of athletes, is a topic that is not terribly talked about, Laine said in the insert of the Sports Gala broadcast.
– I myself have tried to bring it out more and more through my experiences, thereby helping others to talk about their issues more. Whether it’s for a spouse, friends, it doesn’t matter who – for a professional, of course, it’s always better.
Laine appealed to her own experiences after the dark times she went through.
– Talking to a professional has at least completely changed my own life.
Laine reminds us that asking for help is not easy.
– It’s a difficult decision, but the best decision I’ve ever made. Sometimes there are hard times, and sometimes you feel like you are alone, no one is interested and no one cares, but there is always a group that is ready to listen.
– Let’s hope that this is a topic that people start talking about more and take more seriously.
In her acceptance speech delivered from North America, Laine also thanked for the wonderful award and for considering something important to her.
– It is an honor to receive this award and recognition. So remember everyone who watches and sees this, don’t be alone with your own thoughts.
– Get help and talk about things, it’s so important.