Yukoners will have a chance this week to hear from Corey Hirsch, a former NHL goalie and Olympic medallist.

Hirsch will be the keynote speaker Thursday evening at the Yukon Mental Health Association’s annual general meeting.

He is also scheduled to address high school students and young hockey players during his two-day stay in Whitehorse.

The focus, however, will not be on his pro hockey career. That saw him play for the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars, and earn medals for Team Canada – a silver at the 1994 Olympics and bronze at the 1995 World Championships.

Nor will the focus be on Hirsch’s coaching career that followed, nor his current work in sports broadcasting.

While Hirsch’s experience as a hockey player will no doubt work its way into his presentation, the main focus will be on mental health and his own experience dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

In an interview this morning, Hirsch said there’s a message he wants to get out about being diagnosed with a mental health issue.

“It’s not a life sentence,” he said, highlighting his professional career after he was diagnosed.

Like any physical injury, mental health issues require treatment.

For him, it was hockey, along with medication and therapy that helped bring him out of a depression that was there before he was diagnosed with OCD.

As he noted in a statement early this week, “Just saying it out loud took a huge weight off me. I have obsessive-compulsive disorder. I am not insane. I am not a bad person. I am not weak. I have an illness and there is treatment.”

Prior to being diagnosed, Hirsch said he knew he had an issue but wasn’t sure what it was, which only deepened his depression.

It was during that time that he’d look for any success story he could find from those who had dealt with mental illness.

As he continued to search for answers, he vowed he would share his story in the future if he could find the help he needed.

It was after meeting another former NHL player last November that Hirsch decided it was time to go public with his story.

The former player was in rehab for substance abuse issues and as Hirsch and he talked, Hirsch shared his own story.

The former player told him of the many similarities in their experiences. That former player is now in a much better place, getting the therapy he needs.

Realizing that sharing his story had helped the former player, Hirsch decided to publicly share his experience so others may see similarities and get the treatment they need, knowing that there are others who share the experience and are leading successful lives.

The reaction he’s had has been “overwhelmingly positive,” he said.

If anyone knew the love and support they’d receive in sharing their story, Hirsch said, they’d “never be afraid” about going public with it.

He noted that while much of the public perception around mental illness has changed for the better, there is still work to do.

Stigma around mental illness seems to continue to exist in the workplace, he said, noting employers are often hesitant about hiring someone with a mental illness.

Hirsch said he wants employers to know that those who have dealt with mental illness are stronger because of what they’ve gone through and are able to work well and have learned the skills to cope.

“They have the tools,” he said.

Hirsch noted his presentation on Thursday evening will focus largely on his experience with his presentation to high school students geared a little more to what they may be going through.

Meanwhile, his talk with local hockey players will be more about what they can do as athletes to keep their minds healthy.

Officials with the mental health association are excited to host Hirsch.

“As an organization, we are dedicated to eliminating the stigma attached to mental illness,” executive director Tiffany Tasane said in a statement.

“Having Corey Hirsch join us in this cause is very exciting, and we hope Yukoners will hear his message and embrace it.”