Zac Rinaldo: Courageous OHLer tackles anxiety

[hockey123]

Courageous OHLer tackles anxiety

HOCKEY: "I used to wake up in the morning with my stomach all in knots"

Posted By IAN SHANTZ

Posted 1 hour ago




Zac Rinaldo has been painted by some as the bad guy throughout his junior hockey career -- the player who goes looking for trouble on the ice.
On Tuesday, the 19-year-old Barrie Colts forward revealed something people -- outside of his family and teammates -- don't know about him.
He has a mood disorder: anxiety.


The Hamilton native has been dealing with it for years. But only recently, upon arriving in Barrie at the trade deadline, did he seek medical help.

Rinaldo, who is serving a 12-game suspension for a blind-side hit on Sudbury Wolves forward Marcus Foligno in the opening round of the playoffs, was diagnosed with the condition -- a common one that elevates feelings of stress and panic -- a few weeks ago.
"I think I've been dealing with it for the majority of my teenaged years," Rinaldo toldThe Barrie Examiner."It's just my mood swings going up and down."
Rinaldo said doctors who treated him have described him as a "worrier." Because of that, he could go from upbeat to confrontational in a matter of minutes.
"I used to wake up in the morning with my stomach all in knots because my head's racing and I'm just anxious," he said.
However, the medication he's been taking for several weeks and the support from those close to him have allowed him to begin to cope.
"I used to go on a high, then I'd be really low," Rinaldo said. "Now, I'm level throughout the day. And I really like it."
On Tuesday, Rinaldo skated with the Colts for the first time since being suspended following the March 21 incident involving Foligno.


He'd been keeping his distance from the team in an effort to address his anxiety before anything else.

The Colts, on the brink of reaching the Ontario Hockey League final, were told about their teammate's situation a few weeks ago.
"I think we all kind of knew, but ... we just wanted to support him 100%, let him have his space at home, and when he came back, just welcome him back," Colts defenceman Stephen Gaskin said.
"He's one of our own. He's one of the guys. It's family here."
Rinaldo's situation is no different than what many players -- and everyday teenagers -- might go through, Gaskin said.
"Sure. Everybody goes through it," the 18-year-old London native said. "We're just here to support him.
"If anything, it makes the group stronger. It kind of brings team chemistry together."
Rinaldo said he felt nervous about returning to the Barrie Molson Centre.
"I didn't really know what the guys were going to be like, but they accepted me with open arms," he said. "I walked back into the room and it was like I never left. Especially the coaches -- they have my back 100%, which makes me a whole lot more comfortable, knowing that it's not just my team, but the organization that has my back."
His dad, Rick, has been his No. 1 supporter throughout what have been a trying few weeks -- and years, really.
"We kind of realized we have the same personality and we can really bond in different aspects of our lives," the forward said.
Barrie head coach Marty Williamson said the thought of abandoning Rinaldo never crossed his mind. In fact, his reaction was the exact opposite of that.
"It's not our job, it's our (desire) to support him," Williamson said, "and to help him in whatever it may be.
"These guys all want to be hockey players, but they've got to be successful in life," the coach added. "Sometimes, there are issues that can hamper them, but it's important to support him and get it taken care of."
Rinaldo, appearing relaxed and confident outside the dressing room on Tuesday, is aware some fans around the league choose to see him as a bad guy.
"Judging a book by its cover," he said of what some people do. "They kind of made me about how I am on the ice. I'm a bruiser and I'm a tough guy on the ice, but that's just part of my game.
"Off the ice, ask any of my teammates. I'm the most humble. I don't know if I'm the gentlest guy, but I'm not disrespectful in any way; a gentleman off the ice."
His coach agrees.
"We really don't care what people think of Zac on the outside," he said. "We know what a quality person he is."
Rinaldo hopes that speaking openly about his situation will spread awareness about anxiety.
And he's excited about overcoming a disorder that had dragged him down for so long.
"The suspension has been a good thing for me," said Rinaldo, who has served nine of 12 games. "It gave me a good chance to settle down at home and get my head straight and stick to (solving) the problem."
Williamson figures his player has done his part. Now, it's time for the Colts to live up to their end of the bargain.
"We're going to try to keep winning, to get him back in the lineup," the coach said, "because it makes us a better team."

[conchar]

I guess we all jump to conclusions without knowing all the facts...I for one always thought of him as being a hot head and a liability to his teams

[AlphaDog]

He's a Sean Avery in the making. Even after reading the article I still find it hard feeling sorry for the guy.

"Judging a book by its cover," he said of what some people do. "They kind of made me about how I am on the ice. I'm a bruiser and I'm a tough guy on the ice, but that's just part of my game. "

There's a difference between being a bruiser and an idiot. Not all tough guys are classless and dirty. I dont' know him off the ice of course, but from what I do see of him, there's not much to like. If he was on our team it would be an embarrassment, the way he plays.