Washington Capitals of the 1980s: Clint Malarchuk, inspiring story

Clint Malarchuk playing goal for the Washington Capitals.
Source: Photo: Great Goalies Magazine
http://www.goaliesarchive.com/capitals/malarchuk.html
(May be subject to copyright)

He could have so easily been defined by one incident in his career, and I almost made the same mistake right here.

Then I read his book, and realized how much of a disservice that would be.

Instead, the life of former Capital goaltender Clint Malarchuk is as much about battling mental illness as battling pucks and opposing players.

And it is an inspiring story.

In the beginning
Clint Malarchuk played his junior for the Portland Winterhawks before being drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in 1981. He got in two games in the 1981-1982 season, recording a tie then a loss. The majority of his time was spent in the minors with the Fredericton Express of the American Hockey League.

The next year, 1982-1983, he played 15 games for Quebec, winning eight, losing five and tying two. In 1983-1984 he appeared in 23 games, winning 10, losing nine, and tying two. He then spent the entire 1984-1985 season in Fredericton. That would be last time he would spend in the minors.

He started the 1985-1986 season in net for the Nordiques and went on to play in 46 games, winning 26, losing 12 and tying four. He also had four shutouts and a 3.21 goals against average.

The next season, 1986-1987, he was even busier, getting into 54 games, winning 18, losing 26 and tying nine. He also had one shutout and a 3.40 goals against average.

Everything changed for Clint Malarchuk after the 1986-1987 season. He and teammate Dale Hunter were traded to the Washington Capitals for Gaetan Duchesne, Alan Haworth and a first round draft choice in 1987 that became future hall of famer Joe Sakic.

Capital time
Clint Malarchuk played less than two full seasons in Washington.

In 1987-1988, he was in 54 games, winning 24, losing 20, and tying four. He also tied his career high with four shutouts and had a 3.16 goals against average, his best to date.

The following year, 1988-1989, was a turning point for him in many ways. He played in 42 games for the Capitals, winning 16, losing 18, and tying seven. He had one shutout and a 3.48 goals against average. Yet his year was not over.

In March of 1989, Malarchuk along with Grant Ledyard and a draft pick, that became Brian Holzinger, were traded to the Buffalo Sabres for Calle Johannson and a draft pick, that became Byron Dafoe.

Just over two weeks later, he had an injury that sent shockwaves around the world.

Tragedy
It was March 22, 1989 and Malarchuk’s Sabres were hosting the St. Louis Blues. During the game Buffalo defenceman Uwe Krupp and Blue Steve Tuttle crashed into the goal crease. Tuttle’s skate came up and hit Malarchuk on the front right side of his neck, which was unprotected. The blade, razor sharp, severed his carotid artery and partially cut his jugular vein.

That night everyone saw the replay. It was shocking. I remember sitting in the lounge on Fifth Kelsey watching Sportscentre on TSN at midnight. There was a warning given to viewers too. Initially, it just looked like any other collision in the crease. Then Malarchuk stayed on the ice – and blood spurted out. Then more blood. You could see it spurting out each time his heart beat. Players started frantically waving for medical attention. It came as trainers applied pressure with towels and Malarchuk was able to leave the ice on his own.

In the end, he lost 1.5 litres of blood and it took 300 stitches to close the six-inch wound. Spectators fainted and announcers were visibly shaken.

Yet Malarchuk was back on the ice in 10 days

He would play with the Sabres into 1991-1992 season before ending his career playing in the AHL then the International Hockey League until 1996-1997. That is when he retired.

But his story does not end here.

Triumph
Malarchuk wrote an amazing book describing his life after that injury. In “Crazy Game”, he recounts the struggles he would have with mental illness – the obsessive-compulsive disorder he suffered since childhood; depression; alcohol addiction; suicide; trauma; and post traumatic stress disorder.

There was a suicide attempt with a rifle in Nevada, that led to hospitalization and the treatment Malarchuk needed.

He writes openly about his issues and the way he has been able to address them through counseling, medication, and much more. He also talks about his suspicions he was over-medicated at one point.

His road to recovery, filled with setbacks and pitfalls, is courageous and to me goes a long way to reducing the stigma around mental illness.

Quite frankly, his story is heroic.

Parting thoughts
One point I take away from Clint Malarchuk’s story is not letting his injury define him. The truth is, he played after that, pretty soon after that in fact.

However, that may not have been the best thing to do. He sustained a pretty serious injury and all the trauma that went with it. One of the byproducts was post traumatic stress disorder with all the flashbacks, nightmares, and panic attacks that come along with it.

He was already coping with mental illness, and the injury just piled on more and more.

Yet in the end he did two things that to me are very heroic.

He sought help and has been able to get his life back through a combination of therapy, counselling and medication.

Then, he told his story, and continues to tell his story, in his book and as a speaker.

That takes an unbelievable amount of courage for him, but what it does for others is incredible. He is removing the stigma around mental illness. He is showing people they are not alone – someone else is going through what they are, can get the help they need, and  get better.

That is the incredible part of his story. I would highly recommend buying his book, "Crazy Game" and going to hear his story.

Clint Malarchuk is helping others, and that is truly inspiring.