First Line

It is a priority for the NHLPA to enhance the quality of life for NHL Players both on and off the ice and to provide valuable resources to our members to accomplish their goals. In alignment with that mission, the NHLPA is proud to offer FIRST LINE, an education and leadership program, to its members.

The first of its kind in professional sports, FIRST LINE was designed to strengthen NHLPA members' mental health knowledge and skills. Developed through a partnership between the NHLPA and the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the initiative addresses common mental health and wellness topics through a professional hockey lens.

FIRST LINE is a mental health and leadership initiative that enhances Players’ awareness, understanding, and confidence around common mental health topics. FIRST LINE helps Players recognize signs and symptoms of optimal and declining mental health, gives them basic tools to provide meaningful peer-to-peer support, and encourages and directs Players to resources early and proactively. FIRST LINE is offered to NHLPA members voluntarily and delivered by NHLPA consulting psychologist and former NHL Player Dr. Jay Harrison. Participants receive a Certificate of Completion from the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Conducted in a small-group format, NHLPA FIRST LINE has trained more than 150 Players and 50 NHLPA-certified agents to date.

FIRST LINE empowers Players to act as advocates for mental health, and to provide and seek support when necessary, by increasing:

Players are given an understanding of common mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, substance use, and self-harm, along with basic strategies to recognize and combat stigma.

Players explore and practice peer-to-peer support skills to effectively help fellow Players and themselves.

Players are given a greater appreciation for mental health in professional hockey and an enhanced awareness of their capacity to be effective mental health advocates, both for themselves and for others.

What Players Are Saying About FIRST LINE

"The FIRST LINE program gives players tools to create a locker room and culture that combats the many stigmas around mental health. This allows for players to feel comfortable dealing with the ebbs and flows of the season without judgement. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to take part in the course and learn how our team can continue to emphasize the well being of each other both on and off the ice."

"The goal of FIRST LINE is no player feels intimidated or self-stigmatized, afraid to talk to another player about what they might be going through because of the fear of how they’ll be judged by a teammate."

"Guys know that we have each other’s backs. We’re looking out for each other. The minute you share those experiences, the minute you are open to getting help if you need it, is the minute you understand it is a shared experience."