Playing with Fire, an event put together by the Soul Sisters Memorial Foundation in partnership with the Westlock Warriors, is an opportunity to open the field for conversations about mental health, among those who may normally keep quiet.
Ex-professional hockey player Theo Fleury will be the keynote speaker at the Feb. 21 event that has organizers prepared to sell 400 tickets. He’ll be joined by Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor Tyler Smith.
Three years ago, the series got its start via a natural partnership between Warrior Rod Kaliel and Christine Vachon, president of the Soul Sisters.
“Sports is just a natural medium that allows conversations to happen,” said Kaliel, which is why the evening is not exactly marketed as a mental health awareness event.
Instead, it’s a “guy’s night out,” this year with pub food, where aspirational sports figures share with the mostly male crowd a story or a life path of significance to their own mental stability, that certainly tested their limits.
“The goal behind that is to help spread awareness and reduce stigma particularly among men. The event is open to all genders but … we originally began this work trying to get greater attendance in some of the (foundation’s) sessions with men.”
Playing with Fire is also the title of Fleury's autobiography, where he shares details about his drug and alcohol addiction that cost him his spot in the NHL and led to suicidal contemplations.
“Theo is one of those really outspoken people that’s talked about his struggles with mental health. He’s very open about his history and the trauma that he experienced as a child and how that’s impacted his health as an adult,” said Kaliel.
He’s also a recognizable name in Alberta for his time with the Calgary Flames where he won a Stanley Cup in 1989 and a gold medal at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002, Canada's first in 50 years.
For her part, Vachon also added that it’s not necessary that each member in the audience connects with the stories shared by the keynotes. What’s important is that they start recognizing signs in others around them and know they have to help.
“Sometimes, it’s almost like putting your ego aside and saying ‘I’m coming to this so I can learn what to watch for in other people,’” she said.
Kaliel will also moderate a conversation between a three-person panel in a hot stove format. This year, he’ll try to “elicit some fun hockey stories” from former Edmonton Oil King Josh Dechaine, and ex-professionals Mark Bomersback and Dave Wilejto.
Bomersback had his hockey start with Westlock Minor Hockey and Wilejto played for the Warriors in the 2013-14 season.
“It is important to the Warriors, to the mandate of the team, to make sure that we’re giving back to the community in a number of different ways,” said Kaliel.
Fleury will also speak to St. Mary School and R.F. Staples high school students that day at 2 p.m. at the R.F. Staples gymnasium.
