The name of former NHL guard Clint Malarchuk, 62, made headlines again when Adam Johnson died after a skate cut the man’s neck open.
After his career, Clint Malarchuk (right) worked as a goalie coach for Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets, among others. PDO
Clint Malarchuk’s the phone started flooding with messages as soon as by Adam Johnson the death news came out on Saturday.
The reporters wanted to know what the former NHL goaltender thought about the tragedy. After all, he himself almost died in a similar situation in 1989.
– Complete anxiety. I really felt it. It overwhelmed me, Malarchuk describes For The Athletic about his feelings after the Johnson news.
Steve Tuttle a skate once tore open Malarchuk’s artery. The ice quickly turned red. Malarchuk lost one and a half liters of blood, but survived.
Ten days later, the man was on the ice again.
It was a big mistake, which he now explains in more detail.
The tools were missing
Malarchuk hadn’t processed what had happened properly in his mind when he returned to the box.
Ignoring the issue led to the man starting to suffer from OCD, (compulsive disorder) depression and alcohol addiction. He was anxious and had panic attacks.
Malarchuk was alone with his problems.
– I never told anyone about my fears or my feelings.
He didn’t dare seek help, because hockey players were considered “tough guys”.
The mental suffering increased even more in 2008 when Olli Jokinen the skate cut Richard Zednik too neck wide open and reporters started calling Malarchuk.
– I went through my accident again and again. And I didn’t have the tools to deal with it then.
The panic attacks, doubts and paranoia became so unbearable that Malarchuk attempted suicide in October 2008.
Facilitating diagnosis
It was only after the suicide attempt that Malarchuk was diagnosed with PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. He had imagined that only soldiers and, for example, paramedics could suffer from the problem in question.
After the diagnosis, Malarchuk got tools to deal with his past. That’s why he dares to talk about Johnson’s case even now.
– I have to be really aware of what’s going on. PTSD is there, but I have the tools to manage it.
As Malarchuk said earlier, Johnson’s death caused him great anxiety, but he still did not panic.
– I think it’s a result of the work I’ve done for it.
He wants to share his experience so that others don’t make the same mistakes.
– I hope people get advice. PTSD is real. Don’t go 20 years without a diagnosis like I did.
Malarchuk played a total of 338 regular season games in the NHL between 1981 and 1992. The gruesome injury occurred in the ranks of Buffalo, but he also represented Washington and Quebec.