Written by: Theresa Agostinelli, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
In the ever-changing world of mental health and wellness, there is still a stigma that continues to keep individuals from seeking help. This is even more prevalent in the world of professional sports.
We need a shift in public perception to break this stigma which will give others the confidence to reach out and get the help they need. One such person who is seeking to break the stigma is former Philadelphia Flyers player Chris Therien, AKA “Bundy, who rose to fame as a professional hockey superstar with the Philadelphia Flyers. Being a Philly girl myself, it was such an honor for me to sit down in person with Chris Therien and discuss his amazing career and incredible journey to recovery from addictions.
As Chris began to unfold his story with me, it was clear that the person we saw on the ice was facing personal and professional struggles behind the scenes. These struggles almost ruined his life. He is now a voice for mental health, emotional wellness, and addictions recovery. Chris has miraculously overcome significant battles with alcohol addiction that spanned over several years.
He has now dedicated his life to helping those struggling with addictions, by using his influence and leveraging his career as a professional hockey player.
This professional athlete was a warrior on the ice, but he had to learn to become a warrior for himself off the ice by getting the help he needed when he was at his lowest point. I learned several things about Chris Therien. He is a man on a mission. He is a humble man, and a changed man. His career with the Philadelphia Flyers taught him the skills he needed to fight for his position on the ice and taught him the power of the resilience that he would later need to overcome adversities, setbacks, and challenges in his personal and professional life. His story of addictions and recovery unfolds in this article.
Many of us watched him play for the Philadelphia Flyers. We also listened to him as a broadcaster. Now we can see him helping those caught up in the cycle of drugs and alcohol addiction. Chris Therien was a driven man on the ice as a professional hockey player and is now using the same drive by allowing his story of surviving and thriving to help others.
The set up
Born in Ottawa Canada in 1971 he recalls being on the ice at two years old. His father took him to the pond that froze over significantly, and it was there that he realized that he loved being on the ice. By the time he was five years old he was involved with organized sports. Chris is no stranger to professional hockey. Chris comes from a family of professional hockey players, and he told me stories of when his dad was playing for the Toronto Maple Leaves. Chris loved being on the ice and was hopeful that one day he would become a professional hockey player himself. At age 14 he got cut from two teams that he thought he would be a part of. He was devastated. Chris stated that he always had a deep-seated need inside of him to prove to himself and everyone else that he would one day be a professional hockey player. Being cut from those teams broke his spirit. He experienced significant discouragement from being cut and he took off the skates and quit skating for some time. “I didn't think I had what it takes”, he said. He went on to say that he didn’t think he had enough skill to “go pro”. He shared with me that his dad was the one who believed in him and encouraged him to put those skates back on and keep trying. His dad ultimately convinced him to go back. At age 18 Chris was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers but he recounted that he didn't immediately play. He knew it was pretty normal to get drafted but not play right away and he was ok with that. He said that he “ really wanted to be on that ice and knew eventually he would”. He wanted to prove to himself and everyone else that he was going to make it to the NHL.
Chris pursued three years of college and in the fall of 1994, he finally got the opportunity to be on the ice with the Philadelphia Flyers. That was the beginning of his professional hockey career. It was also where he learned that professional sports are performance based and you are being evaluated every minute, every day on the ice and off the ice. “It was as if I lived in a fishbowl and the pressure was mounting”, he said.
He began drinking to ease the pressure. His drinking became self-medicating and eventually took over his whole life. He learned to hide his pain, and his drinking. At one point in his career, Chris was battling dependence upon alcohol so bad that he had to drink to get through every day of his life. He was even drinking on the ice during games, as well as off the ice. By the time Chris was 31 years old he was a functioning alcoholic. In fact, Chris said that his body and his mind had become so dependent on alcohol, and it was out of control. The alcohol had such control over him that even if he wanted to stop drinking, he couldn't. His body had become so dependent on the alcohol that he knew he would die if he quit “cold turkey”. He knew he needed help, but he couldn't admit it. He was afraid to admit it. He was afraid of what people would think. He continued to be a functioning alcoholic on the ice and off the ice. “I developed a physical, mental and physiological need for alcohol”, he said.
Eventually, his marriage began to fall apart. He couldn’t be who he knew he should be. He knew there had to be more to life than what he was experiencing. In the season of 2005-2006 he made a call to the Hockey League Physician, Dr Bryan Shaw, who was the addictions doctor for the league. Chris recounts, “I was ready to go into treatment”. Unfortunately, right before he left for the treatment center his sister passed away. He was again devastated. His world was collapsing around him. He never went into treatment as he had planned. He spiraled further downward while grieving the loss of his sister. His drinking got worse.
The set back
The emotional toll was taking an effect on Chris, and he realized that at age 39 he needed help. He needed to restart his life all over again.
Chris still would not get the help he needed. He was doing radio and he loved hockey. He was afraid to give that all up. The emotional toll that all this was taking was having a mental, physical, and emotional effect on him.
He knew he needed help. But he didn’t know where to begin. He wanted to be healthy. He wanted to get well. He didn’t want to be sick anymore. “My mental and physical health was suffering, and I wanted more for my life and for my kids”, he said.
One morning while Chris was still asleep, he said he felt this weird sensation on his foot. It was like someone was touching his toe. It woke him up out of a sound sleep. Chris states that he refers to this pivotal moment in his life as “The Toe Tickle”. He said it was as if someone was in the room and was trying to wake him up. He said he opened his eyes and saw nobody. He truly believes that something or someone woke him up and told him that it was time to get help. That was the literal “wakeup call” that changed his life. Chris knew it was time to get help.
He admitted himself to treatment at the Caron Foundation. He finally was on the road to recovery, and he received the help he needed to get sober.
The come back
As Chris looks back, he realizes that the decision he made to get help changed his whole life. He believes that gratitude is so important in his journey of recovery. Being grateful allows him to take his recovery one day at a time. He said that getting sober was the best decision he ever made. He shared many stories about how his relationship with his children changed for the better and how proud of his children he is.
Chris even became an author and wrote a book called The Road To Recovery. Now Chris is out and about sharing his story of overcoming addictions and talking about his book.
His time spent on the ice with the Philadelphia Flyers taught him three very valuable lessons:
How to be a team player and continually push towards your goal for yourself and your team members.
How to play hard on that ice because any day could be your last day as a professional hockey player in the league.
How to fight for your position every day, challenge yourself every day to do better and to be better.
I asked Chris to share a few things that recovery has taught him and what his advice would be for those who need help for addiction to alcohol or drugs:
Here is what he wanted us all to know:
Fight For yourself: You must first get help and fight hard to stay sober. When Chris was on the ice, he knew he was being evaluated at every game. He knew he had to play his hardest at every game and fight for his spot to remain on the team. We all must learn to fight for what we want and what we believe in to make the world a better place.
Don’t give up on yourself: We all face challenges and setbacks in life. Whether you are a professional athlete, or a person just trying to make ends meet, do not quit on yourself. You cannot give up. You cannot listen to negative voices in your head. No matter what anyone says, you must keep going and never give up. Chris learned that his challenges were the very obstacles that taught him the meaning of resilience. So too, we must all make a conscious decision to never give up and be intentional about being our best self.
Use your story to help others: When you can use your struggles and your story to help others it gives you confidence to continually spread your message. When others hear your story, it gives them the motivation to reach out for help because they are seeing someone with the same struggles being able to survive and thrive. Use your story to be an inspiration to others.
As we ended our conversation, you could see the emotion in his eyes. He deeply cares about humanity. He truly is dedicated to his calling to help those suffering from addictions. His story shows the ability to be resilient and overcome significant challenges. His story speaks of his inner strength and his ability to grow and evolve as a professional, as an athlete, as a dad to his children and as a mentor to those who need his help.
Chris is now using his voice on what has become the # 3 podcast show in North America, called Snow the Goalie, which is for hockey lovers everywhere. You can find it here.
You can find Chris’s book here: The Road to Redemption
You can also find help at The Pennsylvania Recovery Center.
His transformation from a professional hockey player to a voice for mental health is proof that we all have the power to overcome adversities and use the power of resilience to not only help ourselves, but to help others as well. His story proves we all have the potential to grow and evolve by leveraging our challenges.
Chris encourages anyone struggling with mental health challenges or addictions to reach out and seek out the help you need.
Theresa Agostinelli, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Professor Theresa Agostinelli is a licensed psychotherapist as well as a certified personal and professional coach. A widow and single mom at age 26, she found herself with few resources, no job and not many skills. She dramatically changed her life and rose from widow to successful business owner, entrepreneur and author. She has dedicated her life to helping others by teaching them how to maximize their mental and emotional well-being. Theresa is the author of the prolific book, The GRID System which speaks to unlocking your potential and living your best life. Her mission is helping people create more of what is good in life.
