That message may resonate strongly with younger players coming up through competitive systems where self-worth can become tangled with performance, rankings and roster spots. Winn also stressed that people often suffer in isolation because they assume no one else understands.
“It’s important for athletes to be able to talk about mental health because a lot of times when you’re in the midst of it, you think you’re the only one going through it,” she said. “But nobody can help you if you’re not talking about it.”
The clothing itself is meant to become a conversation starter. Peace Collective founder and CEO Yanal Dhailieh said the company has long viewed apparel as a way to build community and spark meaningful dialogue.
“At Peace Collective, the way we want to approach mental health awareness is really about creating conversations,” Dhailieh said. “One of our taglines is, ‘How are you really?’”
He believes public attitudes toward mental health have improved in recent years, but stigma still exists on a personal level, especially when individuals are deciding whether to admit they are struggling. That is why athlete-led campaigns can be so powerful.
“I think the fact that the players were involved in designing something like this and telling a story that is true to them sends a message to the fans that they care,” Dhailieh said. “At the end of the day, they’re athletes. Their job is to go out there and perform and this is something that they’re deciding to do beyond that because they care about it.”
Ambrose sees this as an important step: “The fact that we are doing this as a league, the fact that Haley, Gabbie, myself all decided to be a part of this, I think is so important because we’re three hockey players in a league full of so many of us, but maybe we’re the ones that need to start these conversations and keep them going.”