Mental health is often overlooked in not just hockey and sports but society as a whole.
One in five Canadians will experience a mental illness in a given year, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. In the United States, it’s one in five adults and one in six youth aged 6 to 17, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
One hockey-centered initiative promotes support and important dialogue in the fight to raise mental health awareness.
Shoulder Check, an initiative introduced by the #HT40 foundation in August 2023, is a non-profit that encourages individuals to support, check in and be there for one another.
After his son’s passing, Thorsen received stories and letters from people who knew Hayden, with the common thread being how supportive and caring of an individual he was. With that, Thorsen began a mission to continue what his son started.
The #HT40 Foundation and Shoulder Check were created by Rob Thorsen, who lost his son Hayden Thorsen to suicide in 2022 when Hayden was just 16. Hayden was an avid hockey player, and those who came across him always expressed how he was always there for support and to talk when needed.
“He was empathetic, which I think isn't the most common descriptor for guys like that, right?” Thorsen said. “And so when we thought about that, like, ‘Who's going to do what (Hayden) did now that he's gone?’ This idea answers that question.”
The main message Shoulder Check promotes is to “make kindness a contact sport.” Their team has spread this message through initiatives with various schools, hockey clubs and leagues. Even some NHL clubs are involved, including the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Anaheim Ducks and New York Islanders.
Through their messaging, there are three main pillars that Shoulder Check focuses on: reach out, check in and make contact.
This message has been very well received and has, in part, allowed Thorsen and Shoulder Check to bring the program to huge heights. That includes the Shoulder Check Showcase, an annual charity hockey game that started in 2023.
The game, which has featured NHL and PWHL players, takes place at Terry Conners Rink in Stamford, Conn., a rink where Thorsen’s son used to train during his time as a hockey goalie.
Thorsen said the participating players, including Trevor Zegras and Chris Kreider, hugely support Shoulder Check’s message and have spoken very openly about it during the showcase.
“It's amazing to hear them speak so honestly about it, so much so that I've had people write and reach out to me afterwards, and be like, ‘Man, you know, I saw one of the guys speaking about this last night,’ and it really just struck me, you know, like the power of a role model sharing something so honest and true.’ ”
The Shoulder Check Showcase returns on July 24, and the list of NHL players is the biggest yet: Zegras, Kreider, Jake Oettinger, Jonathan Quick, Matty Beniers, Shane Pinto, Jacob Trouba, Matt Rempe, Mason McTavish, Shayne Gostisbehere and more.
“There's an autograph line that these guys will spend like an hour in just interacting with all the kids who come out. It's a really special thing,” Thorsen said.
Beyond the 2025 showcase, Thorsen and the Shoulder Check program have big plans in the works.
Shoulder Check looks to continue its work with schools of all age groups and even expand its reach to other sports and avenues beyond just hockey. It’s also expected to reveal a new campaign in the fall, Thorsen said.
“We hope to have a campaign that launches at the start of next year's hockey season that brings this message forward in a totally different way that we're really excited about,” Thorsen said.
Apart from future plans, and with June being Pride month, Thorsen expressed the importance of being there for people in specific communities during these months but also the greater importance of “maintaining that awareness throughout the whole year.”
“We've got to be aware of folks who we know are more vulnerable or might be struggling more all year round, all the time,” he said. “Whether that be Pride month, or we talk about inclusion and ‘hockey is for everybody’ and all those great things that are trying to build the biggest tent possible, like, that's a truth. We're all capable of looking after one another.”
The work that Thorsen, the #HT40 Foundation and the Shoulder Check program are doing is truly special, and the message of making “kindness a contact sport” reaches and helps those far beyond the scope of hockey. As Thorsen says, it is continuing the legacy of his son Hayden, who was always there for his peers.
“We didn't set out to turn a horrible thing into a positive thing,” he said. “We set out to make sure something someone was doing in the world continues to be done, but now can be done at scale, because we know it mattered.”
For more information and to donate to the #HT40 Foundation and the Shoulder Check program, check out their website. There, you can also purchase merchandise, as well as tickets for the upcoming 2025 Shoulder Check Showcase charity game.
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