22-year-old Cody Glass has become the latest NHLer to speak openly about his mental health

The subject of mental health in hockey has really taken off over the offseason thanks, in part, to players like Jonathan Drouin, Mark Borowiecki and, most recently, Carey Price.

What we are learning now - and what has been evident all along - is that nobody is above feeling physically or mentally unwell. But, more importantly, it's completely okay to feel down and to be vulnerable and it's also okay to ask for help.

As important as it was for NHL players to openly talk about their mental health, it was even more important to have active veteran players take that leap to help pave the way for the younger players, who may also be struggling. Such is the case for Cody Glass in Nashville.

Glass is just the latest player to address the subject of mental health, and he credits his teammate, Mark Borowiecki for giving him the courage to speak up about his own experiences and how an injury coupled with the weight of a global pandemic and being unable to visit his family and friends back home in Canada impacted his mental health negatively.

"You have your mental side where you kind of free up your mind during the summertime, but once you get the season started, it's hard to kind of go back to it and take your time off because you're always doing stuff at the rink, you're always working out, you're always skating; it's hard to kind of get alone time and talk to someone or do something like that," Glass said on Thursday.

"I feel like, as a young kid in the League, you're scared to talk to people and I feel like that's where I kind of went wrong. Maybe my rookie season I didn't really talk to anybody. I kind of kept everything to myself, but I feel like talking to other young kids, it's OK to talk to someone and get stuff off your chest, even if it's not a coach, if it's just someone away from the rink. I feel like that's a big part that's coming into our League right now. You see [Montreal forward] Jonathan Drouin, and he's kind of stepped out and said stuff about him and his mindset with everything. You need to take a step away [sometimes], but I feel like that's a big thing with hockey that people don't really realize."

Glass has noticed a big difference coming into a new situation in Nashville, where everyone seems more aware and receptive to talks relating to mental health, and he believes that things are improving around the entire league in this department as well.

"I think it's getting a lot better now, especially in the dressing room. I feel like we have a very good system here, especially Nashville, with people to talk to, and that's what I've noticed right from the start. And there's a ton of people always reaching out to you, which is nice, and with this locker room, everybody feels so comfortable and it's so easy to talk to everybody. That's something I loved about coming to this dressing room, and around the League, I feel like more people are speaking out.

"That's a good thing for the League, because I think people just don't see it, and it does eat at people. Being in the NHL, you expect a lot of yourself, and you want to be that guy that plays a ton of years in the NHL. When it's not going your way, you kind of get down on yourself, and everybody starts getting down on yourself. It's a wild League, and I feel like just taking those moments to kind of take a deep breath and talk to someone goes a long way."

By all accounts, Glass seems to be a very mature 22-year-old who has a very strong self-awareness. Just the same way as it was beneficial for Glass to see Drouin and Borowiecki come forward to openly talk about their mental health, it is equally as important for Glass to speak out to show other 22-year-olds and, potentially, even younger players that they too can seek the support they need during times of mental duress.

This is growth and it is very important for the league to continue to find ways to evolve and to put different supports in place for its players, who are people too.

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