Canucks legend helps raise awareness about domestic violence

YWCA Metro Vancouver has launched a campaign to bring more attention to domestic abuse and it’s brought in former Vancouver Canucks captain Trevor Linden to help.

A chilling video posted to the YWCA’s social media channels shows Linden taking a shaky, deep breath before he talks about what appears to be the side effects of a concussion following an on-ice hit, but it’s not what you think.

(Courtesy YWCA)

“I don’t remember the hit. I remember everything leading up to it, but nothing after. He came from behind me. I didn’t see it coming. I was hit in the side of the head. I remember being confused. My ears were ringing. It’s hard to talk about. I still experience pain, mood swings, the headaches are debilitating. But this isn’t my story.”

Linden’s monologue ends with a woman, saying, “It’s mine,” in reference to the abuse he describes.

The goal of the campaign is to push for increased research and better treatment for women who endure concussions at the hands of intimate partners.

“For every NHL concussion, it is estimated that more than 7,000 women in Canada suffer the same injury because of violence by an intimate partner, according to recent calculations by YWCA. Concussions are the leading cause of brain injury in Canada – and concussions sustained by intimate partner violence is a historically taboo topic that often goes unreported, underreported, and untreated,” says the organization in a statement.

“Having played a sport so closely connected to conversations regarding concussion, it was extremely eye-opening to learn the number of women that suffer the same injury from intimate partner violence,” said Linden. “NHL players have access to some of the best medical resources, but thousands of women may not have that same access.”

(Courtesy YWCA)

The YWCA feels there should be a collective effort to eliminate domestic violence.

“Brain injury, in particular, can have devastating long-term effects on a person’s life, from chronic pain and fatigue to finding and maintaining employment,” said Shaoli Choudhury, transition housing manager at YWCA Metro Vancouver.

“Sports concussions still dominate the news headlines, but most physical abuse involves blows to the head, face, neck and strangulation,” said Dr. Paul van Donkelaar, co-founder and principal investigator with the SOAR BC project, a multi-disciplinary, research program that explores the incidence and effects of brain injury in women survivors of intimate partner violence.

“It’s surprising how little attention is still paid to survivors.”

This isn’t the first time this issue has been raised recently.

Last November, the BC Centre for Disease Control and the province’s top doctor issued a report on gender-based violence during the pandemic. It found being stuck inside during the height of COVID-19, “increased the risk, and likely also the prevalence and severity, of gender-based violence in B.C., while reducing access to related support services.”