"It was hard to go through": Ex-Canucks player Baertschi opens up on mental health
Former Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames forward Sven Baertschi opened up on the challenges of his NHL career for the first time since retiring from professional hockey in August.
The Swiss-born player played 292 NHL games, scoring 66 goals and 138 points during his career. He was drafted by the Flames with the 13th pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. He played 66 games with Calgary before being traded to the Canucks in 2015.
Unfortunately, Baertschi’s career was constantly plagued by injuries. The turning point was an incident that happened on October 24, 2018, in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Baertschi took a blindside hit to the head in the second period and only played a few more shifts before he left the game. This would be the beginning of the end of his NHL career.
It’s well-documented how the forward then dealt with concussions, shoulder injuries, and neck pain. Something that was not as well-known which the forward shared was the mental health struggles that accompanied those issues. He shared some insights into those struggles during his appearance on CHEK Media’s Donnie & Dhali show today.
“It was hard to go through, not going to lie. There were some mental health issues that came along with it. Not easy to deal with but that’s part of it,” Baertschi said, choosing his words carefully. “After the hit in [Las] Vegas, I felt like I was depressed and that was like a new thing to me. I was dealing with a lot of anxiety issues and all that I had never had before. Like it shows up and it’s there and I don’t really know what to do with it.”
“I think it’s hard because you try to explain to people how it really feels, but you really can’t and I don’t think a lot of people understand what it really feels like.”
After the concussion suffered in Vegas, Baertschi would return to the lineup in late December and managed to play another 14 games that season. However, he would only play seven games over the next two seasons combined as his NHL career fizzled out.
After his NHL career was over, Baertschi continued to play professional hockey in Switzerland with SC Bern during the 2022-23 season. He even scored a goal for the Swiss side in the NHL Global Challenge. However, health issues would persist and force him to call it quits on professional hockey.
A nice story: earlier today Sven Baertschi opened the scoring for SC Bern in the NHL Global Challenge against the Predators. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/daJ3LRp4D0
— Lachlan Irvine (@LachInTheCrease) October 3, 2022
“I went back to Switzerland and played for a year,” the forward said today on Donnie & Dhali. “Didn’t really feel that great and there were other issues with [my] neck and stuff so [I] just kinda had to let go a bit.”
“Injuries and things like that were bugging me and it was too much of an effort to play each game. Neck, head things, and I just kinda had to let go of it,” Baertschi explained. “I want to be around my kids, I want to be a good parent. That’s the biggest thing.”
Even though he suffered that devastating concussion while he was a member of the Canucks, the forward spoke very fondly of the time he spent in Vancouver.
“Loved it, I enjoyed every single day there. It was awesome for my family, it was awesome to play there. I wish we had a bit more success. I think looking back, that’s one of the things I kinda regret,” he commented. “I think [we] could’ve had more success. We could’ve made the playoffs at least three of the years when I was there… Not much you can say that is bad about Vancouver.”
The Canucks organization also played a role in helping Baertschi recover from not only his physical injuries but also the depression and anxiety he was struggling with.
“[The Canucks] set me up with some great, great people to learn how to manage it,” he said. “After that, I think I learned how to manage it.”
Baertschi and his family now reside in Portland, Oregon. It’s the same city in which he played after first moving to North America to play hockey in the WHL.
Instead of playing for the team, he’s now helping as a coach for the Portland Winterhawks, a team widely regarded as one of the best in the Canadian Hockey League.
When asked about the state of his current health, Baertschi gave a very honest answer.
“It’s okay,” replied Baertschi tepidly. “I get great treatment here in Portland. I’ve got people looking after me so that’s the biggest thing. Each week kind of goes by and I want to stay involved in the game which helps. I’ve got great people around me here who look after me and treat some of the symptoms I have and that’s key for me.”
“I’m kinda behind the scenes and I’m looking at more the young kids that are coming right now. Just help them and guide them,” he added. “For me, it’s more of learning what it’s like to be a coach… I’m learning as I’m going. I’m helping. I’ve had quite a few players come up to me after practice and ask me for advice and that’s awesome.”