USA Hockey Magazine

48 // JUNE/JULY 2019 Goalie Issue // USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM in the car," Longo recalled. "I asked them what strategies we could do to help with it. Another kid said to dance." That sparked an idea. Longo told his goalies to take turns dancing away their jitters. "I gave them 30-45 seconds to do whatever crazy dance they wanted to do, and I filmed it," Longo said. He sent Goldman the video and it took off on social media and served as the perfect example of an ambassador finding a creative way to help goalies overcome any mental health issues they may be dealing with on a given day. Goalie coaches conduct Lift the Mask activ- ities all of the time, but having an actual ini- tiative in place formalizes everything. "This is something in the goalie commu- nity that was untapped," Longo said. "Now that the initiative is around, it's opened the dialogue, which is awesome. It creates a support system." Kelsey Neumann is part of that support system. A f o r m e r p r o f e s s i o n a l g o a l i e f o r t h e Buffalo Beauts in the National Women's Hockey League, she also understands the mental health challeng es players in her position face in the game. "I think the biggest benefits are giving goalies a chance to share their stories and connect with others who have been in their shoes," Neumann said. "And it also helps ease some of the financial burden associated with getting the proper services to help with their mental health." Neumann said it's important for parents and coaches to understand that every player is different. She also reminds players she works with that her door is always open. "I really try to emphasize to kids that they can come to me with any problems they are having and make sure that there is open dialogue between me and the kids," said Neumann, who has embraced her role as an ambassador. "I also make sure they know it's OK to have a bad game, and that they will have ups and downs during the season, but that it's important to stay focused and learn from the ups and downs." Goldman can't count how many goalten- ders have reached out to him, not to mention the coaches who have asked how they can help their players who are fighting a mental health battle. "Ninety-five percent of goalie coaches don't have mental health experience, but they want to help," Goldman said. "Now they have somewhere to go, and parents do, too. We can help connect them with someone in the mental health world. The last thing we want to do is push the wrong button or say the wrong thing. That just makes things worse and adds to a goalie's troubles." Goldman said he never had an opportunity to open up about his mental struggles, but he's determined to make sure others don't run into that same wall. "Every drop counts. If one person opens up, it makes it easier for the next to do it," Goldman said. "These stigmas associated with mental health for years are bogus. The script is flipped. Everything is changing and it's saving lives and bringing the world together one drop at a time." Longo said not being able to talk about mental health makes an already tough posi- tion even tougher. "We're an athlete like everyone else, and we are humans above all else," Longo said. "Lift the Mask has created a community. And even if the kid doesn't want to talk hockey, I tell them we can just talk. The goalies I work with know they can talk to me, and it's helped parents know there is an avenue for them. It puts them at ease knowing there is that added layer of support." Neumann said it was never easy to talk with teammates or a coach about a bad game that took a toll on her mentally, but she was fortunate to have a mother and father and a brother she could turn to when she needed to talk. "I think as athletes, we are taught early on not to show any weakness. As a society, it is only now that mental health is becoming a topic of conversation," Neumann said. "So as an athlete we hide the side of us that is struggling so that we don't appear weak to others. Unfortunately, it wasn't until I became a professional athlete that I realized how not talking openly about these struggles was affecting younger generations." Her views have certainly changed on men- tal health. The views of others have as well. Longo hopes that through the initiative no goalie ever has to feel alone. He wants to see goalies never get to the point where they feel they have nowhere to turn for help. "My buddy says some kids are broken toys and hopes we can fix some of them. I want to see us avoid letting them get broken in the first place," Longo said. "There is a bigger life issue here. We want to see better goaltenders, but also want good humans, too." P Brian Lester is a freelance writer based in Pensacola, Fla. How Does Lift the mask work? VIDEO "Ninety-five percent of goalie coaches don't have mental health experience, but they want to help." — J UST I N G O L D M A N Lif ting The Mask On Mental Illness

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