Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark took a leave of absence from the team in late December, but baseless rumors dragged his name through the mud. Ullmark told TSN what it meant to see the team defend him as he addressed his mental health.
When Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark took a leave of absence for personal reasons in late December, most hockey fans gave him the privacy he deserved.
Unfortunately, in the world we live in today, there's a small segment of society that aches to think the worst of people. And in Ullmark's case, those types of people chose to try to ruin his reputation with outrageous rumors.
In an interview published Tuesday with TSN's Claire Hanna, Ullmark said the reason for his leave of absence is mental health. He pushed back against the awful remarks – and he provided a window into the mental health issues a public figure has to deal with.
"People wonder why hockey players, professional athletes, are not talking, why we're not showing any sort of emotions, why mental health in men and in women are a stigma," Ullmark said. "It took (people online) less than 24 hours from my absence of leave to try to find reasons to why I'm gone, saying that I'm a homewrecker, a person that no one likes on the team. And I can't defend myself."
That's why the Senators organization, including GM Steve Staios, reacted strongly to these rumors.
"We asked that people respect his privacy, but clearly that request was not heard by the lowest forms of trolls and sick people who scour the internet," Staios' statement said on Jan. 8. "We are disgusted that outside forces are attempting to disrupt our hockey club."
Players Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle and coach Travis Green told reporters two weeks ago they appreciated Staios standing up for someone on the team, and they joined their GM in protecting their teammate.
"It's OK for people to critique our on-ice performance, but when it gets into family, it's pretty f---ing bulls---," Tkachuk told reporters.
Added Stutzle: "What Linus is going through... what's been said on Twitter and everyone's social media is absolutely not true. We love him in this room, and there's nothing that happened and, yeah, we have the full support for him."
Although some in the media claimed the Sens were just bringing more attention to the false rumors, what Ullmark told TSN shows how much it truly meant for the team to stand up for him, regardless of what others think.
"Getting sent the message that Steve and the organization put out was incredible," Ullmark said. "And then to hear all the nice things that the guys said in the locker room after coming home from that trip. Because all I'm thinking during this time is, 'What are they thinking about me?' Like, everybody knows it's untrue, but is this going to put doubts in their mind that I'm not who I am and I'm someone else that I'm trying to be, or something like that?"
Ullmark added that watching the interviews with his wife was heartwarming.
"And it was really nice to see the camaraderie and the love that they had," Ullmark said. "And everybody said the same thing. And that really helped me to, not put it completely aside, but little by little, helping me in the way of dealing with it."
Ullmark can only control so much, and having to cope with someone's sick falsehoods shouldn't be something to deal with while he's already trying to take care of his mental health.
"(I)t sucks because I have a family," Ullmark said. "I have a wife, I have kids. I get sent text messages asking like, 'Hey, are you guys good?' I’m like, 'Yeah, why?' And then they tell you about the rumors, and you're like, 'What the f--- is wrong with people?' "
The anonymous nature of the online world has emboldened shameful souls. There's no amount of money that pro athletes earn that makes them a justifiable target for repugnant rumors.
Ullmark has been a notable advocate for mental health awareness over the years, as The Hockey News' Graeme Nichols discussed in late December. But speaking out about the issue doesn't make you immune to it.
Ullmark told TSN his mental health problems date back many years, including when his father passed away in 2021. But after his game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 27, when he was having anxiety problems heading into the first period and during the intermission, he reached out for help from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and set up a plan.
"I felt like I lost myself. I didn't know who I was at the time and I didn't know why I am having... I don't know why I'm even playing hockey," Ullmark said regarding his decision to take a leave of absence. "You lose everything, or I lost everything. So when you're dealing with that, for me, you're second-guessing everything that you've ever done in your career."
Ullmark said he's received lots of support during this time, including from fellow Swede and Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman, who asked Ullmark to call him. And that's reassuring to the majority of us who want the best for him.
"One thing I have realized, though, during all these three weeks, there's a lot of people that are hurting," Ullmark said. "I've had some really interesting, hard, tough, emotional conversations with dear friends and people that I've seen throughout my career that have reached out to me and told me about their sufferings and what they have gone through and what they've done and what has helped them.
"Do I wish that me being open will help people? Yeah, at the end of the day, it would be a nice thing. But it wasn't my plan. My plan was to fix me."
If we're going to fully support pro athletes who entertain us for a living and the staff that help them do their job, we need to do our utmost to snuff out anonymous goblins who live for the opportunity to demean and degrade people.
The better we get at allowing athletes to be human beings first and foremost, the more we'll see people like Ullmark being more open about mental health and being an example we can all try to emulate.
Mental health has to be paramount for everyone, and that includes NHL players. The sooner we understand how to support those who need it, the better we'll all be at supporting each other and ourselves.