t’s time to get serious. As a column, Blittner’s Blue Line tries to bring you informative and fun stories, information and analysis from all corners of the hockey world. But this week we’re going to step outside that box and talk about a very serious issue. 

Men’s mental health and suicide prevention. 

Millions upon millions of men in the United States and worldwide suffer from any form of mental illness or disorder each and every year. Unfortunately, when an individual suffers from a mental illness or disorder, they are more prone to committing suicide. In fact, based on a simple web search, men in the United States alone are 3.7 times more likely to commit suicide than women. 

That’s where the Movember movement comes in. Movember was founded in 2003 by two friends in Australia who decided to grow mustaches to bring awareness to what they felt was a very important cause. Travis Garone and Luke Slattery started out slowly by first challenging 30 men to grow mustaches. 21 years later, hundreds of thousands of men worldwide grow mustaches each year during the month of November to raise awareness for men’s health. 

While this cause is primarily known for supporting men’s mental health, Movember is also associated with prostate and testicular cancer. But why is a hockey column talking about this?

Well, the New Jersey Devils have a trio of players who are growing their best mustaches for the cause in what has become an annual challenge for the Garden State squad. Captain Nico Hischier, along with forward Timo Meier and defenseman Brenden Dillon are letting their ‘staches grow in an effort to raise money and awareness for this cause. And they’re not the only hockey players or professional athletes to do so. Heck, there are even plenty of non-athletes and women who are doing their best to support the Movember cause and you don’t necessarily need to grow facial hair either.

Jen Oddo is not a professional athlete, nor is she a man, but the cause of men’s mental health hits close to home for her so she’s found a way to support the cause by running in The New York City Marathon in both 2023 and 2024. 

“I got involved with Movember after I lost a close friend of mine in 2016 to suicide,” Oddo explained. “It was a pretty excruciating loss for everyone around me and I think that a way that I can channel my grief is by kind of giving back and raising awareness. So, at the same time, I made the decision to go back to get my Master’s (degree) in social work, to be a psychotherapist, help prevent suicide and also manage clients who have any sort of mental health challenges. 

“In the same vein, I was able to also give back by fundraising for Movember and then ultimately have had the amazing privilege and opportunity to run the New York City Marathon for Movember the past two years.”

Oddo is very dedicated to the cause, as are our trio of Devils players. Hischier recently stated, “I’m happy to bring back the mustache this year for Movember and raise awareness for the importance of men’s health with the help of my team.”

While Hischier and his team do a terrific job of using their platform as professional athletes to raise money and awareness for the cause, there are plenty of former hockey players who never had the opportunity to publicly support the cause.

Kevin Maxwell had a very brief, 66-game NHL career that spanned from 1980-84. He played for the Minnesota North Stars, the Colorado Rockies and then the New Jersey Devils. But back in his playing days, the Movember cause didn’t yet exist. According to Maxwell, who currently scouts for the St. Louis Blues, “It was so long ago that I played, we never did that (grow mustaches for men’s mental health). However, I certainly would have been front and center in growing the ‘stash. What a great cause!!!”

It’s a shame Maxwell didn’t play during a time when this cause was so publicly discussed. Back in his playing days, most people, especially men, didn’t talk about any mental health issues they may have had. And that stigma is still very prevalent today. So, it’s a good thing that today’s athletes are using their collective presence to bring awareness to the cause and help try to destigmatize it. 

“Something as simple as growing out a mustache can indicate to somebody who looks up to that athlete or that role model that they take mental health seriously and suicide prevention seriously,” Oddo said. “They’re doing this to spread that awareness. I think that somebody in need or somebody really struggling, who sees that, can be empowered and inspired to talk to somebody or to reach out for help. 

“I also think that athletes, especially professional athletes, are pretty strong role models and people look up to them a lot; especially young people. Them showing their vulnerability, especially when there’s been a stigma around mental health and suicide for so long, I think it really opens the door for people to get the help and support that they need and deserve.”

Luckily, over the years – since 2003 – more and more athletes have jumped on board with the cause; regardless of whether they had a personal connection to it or not. 

Former NHL goaltender and one-time New Jersey Devil, Eddie Lack told Blittner’s Blue Line, “(It’s an) amazing cause. I think most guys did it when I played…For me, it was just a great cause. No personal relation to it.” You know something is important when it doesn’t require a personal connection to get involved.

“I think that, unfortunately, at this rate, just given the high rates and statistics, I think that unfortunately it will kind of touch everybody’s life in some capacity,” Oddo added on. “Whether it be one, two or three degrees of separation over somebody’s lifetime. Given these rates, it will touch them. It’s so important to learn more and raise that awareness so that we can mitigate that and mitigate the risk of people losing their lives. And also, just to bring awareness to mental health in general, since that affects so many people worldwide, even more than suicide does. They kind of go hand in hand.”

Given how important this cause is, it’s uplifting to see people stand together to do their part. And the New Jersey Devils are certainly part of that. As Timo Meier said, “It’s great to participate in a cause that supports men’s physical and mental health and helps reach the fundraising goal with Nico and Brenden.”

Dillon chimed in by saying, “I’m excited to join Nico and Timo with the team’s fundraising efforts this month and make a difference for men’s health together.”

This year, the trio of Hischier, Meier and Dillon are spearheading their team’s efforts to raise at least $20,000 for the Movember cause. For those interested in joining them, you can visit their team page at: https://us.movember.com/team/2326715. 

Just in case you’re wondering if this cause applies to more than just men, well, it does. Jen Oddo has some interesting comments on how and why women should get involved with Movember and causes like it. 

“It does affect everyone,” Oddo explained. “I think that, by starting somewhere, whether we start with Movember and focusing on men’s mental health, there’s a chain reaction and there’s a domino effect in that. So I think that the more that we destigmatize men’s mental health, where the stigma has arguably been the largest over the past, from the beginning of time. Women are more inclined to get that help and support. They know the value in it and I think that they can bridge together, join these charities and fundraising environments in order to help men dismantle that stigma together.”