The Save of My Life by Corey Hirsch & Sean Patrick Conboy

By the time he was twenty-two years old, goaltender Corey Hirsch had realized his childhood dream of playing in the NHL, won an Olympic medal and drunk from the Stanley Cup. While he excelled on the ice, out of the net Hirsch was plagued by persistent dark thoughts and ceaseless anxiety. On days when he could barely get out of bed, he was able to push aside the endless loop of dark thoughts running inside his brain long enough to win a game. But as soon as he got back home, the agonizing cycle started all over again. And it continued, until finally he was able to confide in a team trainer who helped him get the professional treatment he needed. Diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, Hirsch was able to embark on the rocky road to recovery. As one of the first professional athletes to talk openly about mental health, Hirsch wrote about his OCD for thePlayers' Tribune.His piece remains one of their most-read articles ever. (From HarperCollins Canada)

• 12 Canadian books to give the sports fan this holiday season
• Former Canucks goalie Corey Hirsch opens up about struggle with OCD

In 1994,Corey Hirschwon the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers as well as a silver medal at the Olympics. Born in Medicine Hat and raised in Calgary, he was drafted by the New York Rangers and played for many seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. After retiring from play, Hirsch became an NHL coach for elite goaltenders and prospects, and later an analyst with Sportsnet. Healso became thenational youth ambassador for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and a co-host ofThe Players' Tribunepodcast,Blindsided.

SeanConboyis the editor-in-chief of thePlayers' Tribune.Prior to joining thePlayers' Tribune, Conboy was a contributing writer forWiredmagazine.

Interviews with Corey Hirsch