Former NHL Netminder Mike Condon Shares Mental Health Journey
Mike Condon, a former NHL goaltender for Ottawa, Pittsburgh and Montreal, said he concealed mental health difficulties throughout his playing career. After coaching Northeastern's goalies, he completed a master's degree in counseling and sport psychology at Boston University in 2025 and now operates Condon Performance Consulting. He cited Spencer Knight, Linus Ullmark and Victor Hedman as players who have recently stepped away for mental health reasons.
Condon appeared in 129 NHL games for Montreal, Pittsburgh and Ottawa, posting a 45-58-17 record, 2.79 GAA and six shutouts before his final NHL action in 2019. After working with Northeastern goalies from 2021 to 2023, conversations with Devon Levi showed him he wanted deeper training in counseling.
He completed a Boston University master's in counseling and sport psychology in 2025 and now leads Condon Performance Consulting. He also noted Spencer Knight, Linus Ullmark and Victor Hedman as players who recently left the game temporarily for mental health reasons and later returned.
Stories like Condon's could help normalize mental health conversations in hockey, especially for goaltenders and players on unstable contracts who may fear losing roster spots. It may encourage athletes to seek counseling while still competing, and could influence teams, coaches and fans to treat mental performance as part of overall development. His later training and consulting work may also make such support feel more familiar and credible within the sport.