– This is a massive problem. And it’s not just about hockey.
Canadian forward Nathan “Nate” Schnarr is worried. He has seen many young people get sick and too many are left alone.
– If you yourself have not suffered from mental health problems, you surely know someone who has. It’s scary, the 24-year-old hockey player tells Urheilu.
Schnarr, who grew up in Ontario, has spoken publicly about the issue for years. At the age of 18, he joined his good friend by Garrett McFadden to set up a charity called the McFadden Movement.
The foundation of the organization was a great tragedy. McFadden’s friend and teammate committed suicide at age 16 after struggling with his mental health. The death of the player, who was known as a cheerful person, came as a complete surprise to his circle of friends and made them realize how difficult it is to talk about problems.
McFadden, Schnarr and a number of other North American ice hockey players have raised funds for mental health work and emphasized to young athletes that there is no need to be ashamed of asking for help, on the contrary.
If you talk about it, you are considered weak or wrong.
Mental health problems have been talked about more than before in recent years, but the topic is still taboo in many ways. Ice hockey circuits are a good example of this. Published last year in Canadian university research several professional players said they were afraid to talk about their mental difficulties.
Schnarr admits that there is a culture of silence in the sport. The player who arrived in Lahti in October wants to break that culture.
Nathan Schnarr became familiar to Finnish hockey followers when he joined the SC league club Pelicans in the middle of the season.
Last season’s silver team acquired a center who played in the AHL to save the season that started painfully. Playing in Europe for the first time, the Canadian charmed the Lahti audience. After ten matches, there were 12 power points.
Schnarr says that he is living his dream of being a hockey player in Finland. That dream began in the city of Waterloo, Canada more than 20 years ago.
– I was born to play hockey. My parents loved hockey and I grew up watching my older brothers Ben’s and Zack’s games. I wanted to be like them.
Schnarr was the only one of the trio of brothers to turn professional. In 2016, the forward joined the Guelph Storm team, which played in the junior league OHL.
The OHL has a legendary reputation in the eyes of Canadian juniors. Numerous talents and legends have made it to the top of the league, such as Wayne Gretzky, Eric Lindroos and Connor McDavid.
However, everyday life was harsher than glossy pictures. Succeeding in the series required hard work. The pace of training and the weekly trips to the games made the young people who wanted to reach the top very hard. The NHL reservation year created pressure.
Schnarr also wanted to do well in high school in order to get into a good university. The pursuit of perfection backfired.
– It was a difficult time in many ways. My parents were getting divorced, I was living away from home for the first time. I set the bar high in hockey, studies and social life – in all areas of life. In the end, I couldn’t concentrate on anything. Everything fell apart.
The ice hockey player remembers one weekend-long game trip in particular. The team returned home late Sunday night, and an important test awaited the next morning. Schnarr sat in the classroom and stared ahead. He realized his mind was completely blank.
– I couldn’t hold myself together anymore. I realized I had to ask for help.
“A huge burden came off my shoulders”
Schnarr went to his study guide and said he couldn’t take it anymore. He is still grateful for the reception he received. Contrary to what the player had feared, the study guide did not belittle or judge. He thanked Schnarr for having the courage to come and talk.
– In that moment, a huge burden came off my shoulders.
The understanding of family members and friends was also of great importance. Schnarr got the support he needed, but applying for it was a difficult place for the 17-year-old player.
– This topic has a stigma, especially in hockey. If you talk about it, you are considered weak or wrong.
– Ice hockey players often want to be tough players who cannot be shaken by anything. However, we all have our feelings.
The difficult period taught Schnarr many things. He started to plan his time, learned to rest and focus on one thing at a time. One of the most useful realizations was that you can’t or shouldn’t be perfect at everything.
The most important thing was to find the courage to speak. Schnarr hopes that as many people as possible will find it too. He doesn’t wonder why many young people have a hard time.
– We live in a very result-oriented world. Nowadays, it’s easy to open Instagram and see how people live a perfect life on, say, the beaches of Hawaii. But everyone has their difficulties, and that’s exactly why they need to be talked about.
– You can’t help but admire them. Carey Price was the best goalkeeper of his time and has a huge fan following. He has influenced countless people with his openness, says Schnarr.
Schnarr was drafted to the NHL in the third round in the summer of 2017. After the OHL years, his career has been a life of traveling. Senteri has played in the NHL farm league AHL all over North America: in Arizona, New York, Quebec and California.
The everyday life of the AHL, known as the bus league, can be exhausting, and Schnarr’s experience was no exception.
– In Arizona, I lived on the other side of the continent and for the first time by myself. Just as I was settling in, I was traded 3,700 kilometers away to upstate New York.
– It’s a hard life. In difficult moments, however, I wonder what 10-year-old Nate would have said if he had been told that one day he would play professionally in the AHL. He would have chosen that option any time.
Schnarr feels privileged. That’s why he often has a big smile on his face.
The Canadian forward’s joie de vivre has also been noted in his new club, the Pelicans. Playing in Europe for the first time, Schnarr says he is having a great time in Finland.
– The team has received me wonderfully, and Lahti feels like home. Finland is much the same as Canada. Only the number of saunas has surprised me. They are everywhere.
The Pelicans’ early season has been difficult, but according to Schnarr, the team is far from a crisis. Lahtelai club’s players and head coach known for his humane management style Tommi Niemelä get high praise from Schnarr.
– I really appreciate Tommi. Before I came to Finland, I talked to him on the phone about hockey and life in general. He said the goal here is to get better every day. That’s exactly what I want, both as a hockey player and as a person.