Le s than two years ago, Corey Hirsch stepped out of the darkne s. the former NHL netminder revealed a side of himself that he had kept hidden from the outside world his struggles with obse sive-compulsive disorder and depre sion and how in 1994 he got into his car and came very close to driving it off a cliff."I always wanted to get my story out there and it just seemed like the time was right," Hirsch exclusively told Sporting News in a wide-ranging telephone interview. "I always wanted to help people, too. I know what it was like when I was sick and to get out on the other side. When youre sick youre not doing well, you look for hope and you look for signs of hope and I was so discouraged . . . you feel like youre doomed to a life like that."So my thing was, I'm going to get it out there and if it helps one person realize that you can get better, that was my goal."The decision to come forward was not one that Hirsch took lightly."The big thing was youre always terrified to come out with a mental health i sue because you think youd never work again," Hirsch, who's now a radio analyst for the Vancouver Canucks, noted. "To me, Miami Marlins Jersey thats garbage because some of the most brilliant minds in the world have had mental health i sues and go on to do amazing things."The fear is not Hirsch's alone.This past offseason, New York Islanders goalieabout being diagnosed late last season as being bipolar and having both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with post-traumatic stre s disorder and trauma. He wrote Starlin Castro Jersey in his e say, "The one thing that was still making me nervous was that bipolar stigma. I didn't understand why I was so ashamed to say anything. Would I lose my job?""Thats why I didnt say anything,"Hirsch said when Lehner was brought up, quickly adding that Lehneris having an outstanding season on Long Island. "The myth that someone with a mental health i sue can't perform is garbage because."Youre not immune to it. Nobody is. Every Stanley Cup team that wins a Cup, gue s what,there'sfour or five guys on that team that have a mental health i sue and they seem to not have a problem winning a Stanley Cup. . . . You cant tell me that just because you have a mental health i sue . . . that you can't be a champion."When I was sick 23 years ago and could barely get out of bed to get to practice....I never imagined this day po sible. Thank you so much AlexEdler and so many more. I love you guys. Corey Hirsch (@CoreyHirsch) Hirsch played 108 games over seven seasons primarily as a backup with four NHL teams, recording a 34-45-14 record, a 3.13 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage. He finished his career in Europe and retired following the 2004-05 season. While other players have spoken out about the NHL's mental health practices, Hirsch said that he does not blame the league or the NHL Players' A sociation for his i sues or lack of treatment during his playing days, adding that histeams had sports psychologists. He does note, however, that they need to do more."Its inevitable, they have to. Mental health is a huge movement and if you don't get on board youll get left behind," he said. "We still need more. How we're going to get more is by more players coming forward saying, Hey, you know what? I'm struggling a little bit, I need some help.'When pre sed about what teams can do, he said they should have a psychologist, not just a sports psychologist, travel with them regularly. There is a line that would need to be carefully negotiated, however. Could teams begin conducting mental health a se sments at the start of a season? Not so fast, says Hirsch, as concerns about stigmatization and of teams using that knowledge against their players creeps back in."Thats a private i sue and Jose Fernandez Jersey most guys want to keep it private," Hirsch said. "They do have that, where guys try to get into their psyche, but what are you using it for? Are you using it as a negative, to get in so you can get rid of somebody? Thats where that stuff gets a slippery slope. Are you using it to help a player or are you using it to see and say, Hmm, he has obse sive-compulsive disorder, were Miami Marlins Custom Jersey not going to keep him."Im telling you, that stuff would happen. What are you using it for as a team?"24 years ago, I was playing in the NHL and driving around in a sports car. To the outside world, I had it all. But inside, I just wanted my dark thoughts to stop forever. has been there. He has a me sage for anyone who feels a similar way. The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) Hirsch, 46, can't help but wonder how his life would have played out had he gotten help earlier and if that help were more readily available then."My life would be completely different, completely different," he toldSporting News. "Probably would have had a longer playing career, probably wouldnthave had to suffer those days that I suffered. I spent three years hiding. . . . I wouldnt change my life. Im happy where Im atbut I didnt have to suffer like I did and thats what bothers me the most out of everything."Since coming forward, Hirsch has become an advocate for mental health. His Players' Tribune articleand have garnered widespread attention and helped bring mental health awarene s to the forefront.Last year, he created a website to. He alsoserves as a motivational speaker, works with , who is struggling with their mental health, and is pa sionate about bringing mental health awarene s and training to teenagers.GameChangers mental health information posters. These will go in every school I speak at acro s the country. No longer will our children not have the information they need to care for themselves through mental health. Thank you Corey Hirsch (@CoreyHirsch) His goal is to provide training for all students, not just student-athletes, and ensure that the next generation is comfortable seeking out help when needed. As he expre sed, how people deal with their anxiety and depre sion makes a difference."My thing is to get into the high schools now, because why didnt somebody teach me this stuff when I was in high school?" he said, adding that learning at a younger age the nece sary tools to handle an i sue can also help people in adulthood. "Was it that bad that you couldnt teach somebody? That we had to sweep it under the rug that you could get depre sed Andre Dawson Jersey or that you could have obse sive thoughts? Why was I not taught that in high school? For people that have taken their lives, children, high schoolers, maybe by teaching them, maybe they didnt have to."If we dont start helping them learn about these disorders so that when they do happen to them they can recognize them right away, they can go to the doctor. They dont have to be ashamed of it and that they can get help and start to lead a better life."Now looking back on the past two years, Hirsch doesn't have any regrets about opening up about his struggles; act