A highly insensitive comment about Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine , uttered recently on a fan oriented podcast, is now being used to generate charitable donations on the player's behalf for mental health awareness.
Laine, who's undergoing treatment in the NHL/NHL Players' Association Player Assistance Program , posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Monday to call attention to the comment about him on the podcast, a slang reference to suicide.
"This is just not okay," Laine posted, while sharing a repost of a clip that contained the comment.
Blue Jackets fans saw the post, which quickly sparked a movement on social media to condemn the comment and make charitable donations to Laine's "Laine Gives Back" program, which was announced Oct. 19 as an effort to promote men's mental health awareness in Columbus and raise funds for OhioHealth Foundation's mental health resources and local support system.
Social media influencer Andrew Telfer, better known as "Nasher," played a significant role in rallying fans of the Blue Jackets and others online around the cause. Laine's only public comment, as of Tuesday night, was his repost of the video clip. Back in October, the statement he issued during the announcement of his charitable program detailed why he took up the cause.
"Good mental health is an important issue and one that is very personal to me as I have struggled with it myself at times," Laine said. "I'm proud to partner with the OhioHealth Foundation this season to raise money and awareness to support men in our community that may be struggling emotionally or psychologically and need help."
As part of his effort, Laine pledged to donate $1,000 for every point he scored this season. According to the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation, which is overseeing the donations, Laine raised $10,000 prior to entering the player assistance program.
He's now getting assists from fans and Johnny Gaudreau.
As of Tuesday afternoon, fans had made 200-plus donations that exceeded $10,000 combined, according to Blue Jackets spokesman Todd Sharrock.
The Blue Jackets' foundation, meanwhile, states on its "Laine Gives Back" donation page that Johnny Gaudreau will pick up where his teammate left off. Gaudreau, it says, will donate $1,000 per point that he scores (goals and assists) for the remainder of the season, spanning Tuesday night's game in Ottawa through the season finale April 16 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Gaudreau's total will be combined with Laine's and given to the OhioHealth Foundation to support men's mental health awareness, resources and support.
Laine also received public backing Tuesday from Octagon Hockey, which represents him through agent Andrew Scott. The agency released a statement Tuesday on X/Twitter that condemns the offensive comment made about Laine and urges supporters to donate to the "Laine Gives Back" mental health awareness effort.
"We are deeply disappointed by the reprehensible remark on the (podcast) referencing a 'Remington Retirement' in relation to Patrik Laine, who is in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program," the statement said. "While we appreciate the podcast's apologies for their remarks, words have consequences. Suicide is not a punchline. We remain steadfast in our condemnation of such language and continue to advocate for mental health awareness."
Those who'd like to donate to the "Laine Gives Back" charitable effort can do so at bluejackets.com/LaineGivesBack .
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gaudreau, fans rally around flippant podcast comment to support Laine
