After watching Simone Biles fumble at the Tokyo Olympics, everyone now knows how mental struggles can bog down an elite athlete. And that’s exactly what DIFD aims to prevent. The youth-driven movement aims to create more dialogue for youths to talk about their mental health and help them navigate through adversities. The movement was spearheaded by Jakob Chychrun, the Washington Capitals defenceman, who took up the initiative from personal experience.

The Metropolitan Division table toppers are currently running low on a two-match losing streak and will look to get back to winning ways against the Panthers tomorrow. However, some of their athletes carry wounds that go beyond the wins and losses in the NHL. Instead, those childhood scars are yet to heal, but Chychrun is doing his best to ensure others don’t have to walk through the same fires.

Washington Capitals star’s venture sprouted from family tragedy

In a post by the official Washington Capitals X account from February 3, Jakob talks about why he wanted to set up DIFD at the Royal. During the conversation, he notes that, as hockey players talking about mental health can be something of an oddity: a perception that needs to change. “…everybody goes through their own struggles personally and when you play a sport like hockey and are known for being so tough, it might be hard to speak on something that is sensitive in nature. if we can break that stigma, especially in hockey, I think it will help people be more open about their struggles,” Chychrun said. He also opened up about how the life of one of his family members helped him come to such an opinion.

“DIFD at the Royal was started in remembrance of my cousin Daron Richardson who took her life at a young age. Daron was 14 when she took her life, she was two years older than I was,” the Washington athlete said. With a choked voice, the Capitals’ #6 went on, “There was a tragedy that our family went through…she was so special to our family. Such great memories together. Playing hockey. Daron loved hockey, she loved being at the rink, and just great memories over Christmas time.”

Without much difficulty, it’s easy to comprehend that, losing his cousin in his childhood has left Chychrun with a traumatic experience that he still finds hard to remember. Naturally, the whole ordeal prompted the Washington Capitals defensive pillar to come up with something that would safeguard other younglings from suffering the same fate as Daron Richardson. But Jakob isn’t the only one on the squad who is coping with loss.

Chychrun & his teammates join hands to remember a late icon

Instead, the entire Washington team is reeling from the passing of Shawn “Simmer” Simpson. The Capitals’ 1986 draft pick recently passed away at the age of 56, leaving his fans heartbroken. The U20 World Junior Championships gold medalist was also a radio broadcaster who was a beloved member of the community in his hometown of Ottawa and beyond. Shawn also had his own trysts with mental health and his colleague John Rodenburg fondly remembered why listening to Simpson talk was a fulfilling experience. “It was because he really spoke from his heart because he’s lived it. We would hear from a ton of people, and I think that his legacy, at least that part of it, will be the amount of people that he helped,” Rodenburg said after the NHL veteran’s untimely demise.

Mental is not something to be taken lightly, by any means, From Olympic gold medalist gymnast Aly Raisman to the GOAT Simone Biles, from swimming phenom Michael Phelps to UCLA Bruins celebrity Jordan Chiles: mental health has spread its dark shadows on the careers of numerous stars. But with DIFD, Jakob Chychrun hopes to minimize its impacts as much as possible. How would you want to be a part of the battle against mental health? Tell us in a comment.