Hockey defined Yetman as a person. He was a hockey player and proud of it.
When that was taken away from him he became lost in his mind, lost in the headaches, ringing ears, depression, and constant battle to maintain his remaining sense of self and the person he is working to become.
Even four years later, Yetman still isn’t fully symptom free, but he’s at peace with the game that gave him so much and to which he gave so much of himself.
“As long as I can remember, I’ve been playing hockey. I think it was one of those things where my dad asked me if I wanted to play and I said sure and I’ve loved it ever since.”
I miss playing the sport itself but I don't miss the game. There can be a really cruel dark side to hockey that people turn a blind eye to,” Yetman said.
“The politics and abuse of power, the stress of tryouts and playing well and not making a team; sometimes it doesn't matter what you can do as a player. It’s who you are, or who your dad is and that can really crush kids. It’s political and quite frankly its abusive. In the AJHL it can be a total meat market. You are just a body to them, and when they don't need you anymore they just throw you away.”
Yetman said he feels like (at times), the market and trade of becoming a professional hockey player can be an unrealistic and high-pressure environment, but that is the sacrifice that some parents, coaches, and players are willing to take to make it to the “big show.”
The six-foot-two-inch product of Cochrane is a cautionary tale of where the history of high-level sports has taken society and for what it’s worth, the Olds Grizzlys said its concussion protocol from 2011 to now has changed immensely.
“I have been back involved with the (Olds Grizzlys) since 2011 and I have seen an improvement from then until now as well,” said Olds Grizzlys vice-president and athletic therapist Rebecca Spiers.
“Back in 2011 (the team did not have) anything for concussion protocols and therefore the team therapist just looked after them how he deemed necessary and relevant. This season and last we implemented pre season baseline testing with the ImPACT neurocognitive computer testing. This has allowed us to ensure that all athletes are back to pre injury state prior to allowing them to resume playing.”
Yetman said he just wants to move on and continue to try and make a new place for himself in the game that took part of his brain.
“I just want to move forward. I can forgive, but I’ll never forget.”
I spent two years just drifting around lost. I drifted into a dark depression for a while because my head just wouldn't heal and that was really upsetting for me. My subconscious was trying to fill the void when hockey left, so I started partying too much. I was a mess, but I'm doing a lot better now. I still struggle with a lot of things due to my post concussion syndrome but it’s slowly healing,” Yetman said.
Yetman has moved on from playing the game now, but he can still be seen at the rink coaching the Bow Valley Timberwolves Midget AA hockey club, a team he played for as a kid. It is giving him a chance to give back to the hockey community and be part of the game he loves so much.
The Timberwolves are not the best team in the league, but they are trying hard, and most importantly, they are being coached to have fun while still respecting their minds and bodies, he said.
“We have a really good coaching staff and everyone is very aware of the severity of concussions,” Yetman said. “If there is a concussion I will diagnose the player. If there is just the smallest chance of a player having a head injury, we will not risk it.”
“You have your whole life ahead of you. You don’t need to mess it up because you wanted play hockey. I really wish everyone knew the seriousness of concussions and mental health,” he said frustratedly. “It is not something to play around with, it’s not worth it, take it from me.”
In response to the claims, the Olds Grizzlys have released a statement on the issue.
“I was involved with the Grizzlys during this time, as a billet and a board member. We were not always kept informed as to the state of the team, the coaching staff would communicate issues, whatever they may have been, at their discretion,” said Shane Dixon, who is now president of the Olds Grizzlys.
“It is difficult to comment on a specific incident or even the atmosphere that the team played in during that particular season. The coach that was employed by The Grizzlys during the time period in question left the team early in the season of 2011-2012 and a new coach was put in place on an interim basis to finish the season. I do not go into the dressing room, so I cannot answer the question about the atmosphere pertaining to whether or not our players were expected to play through injuries under that particular coach or coaches. I would hope that situation, real or perceived did not exist.
As the current president of the Olds Grizzlys, our commitment is to providing a safe environment for our players to play in, not just physically but mentally as well. It is no secret that in some situations in the world of hockey, players feel pressure to perform, even when they are possibly hurt.
“I also can not answer to if the players were fearful of being benched, as I stated earlier, I was a billet that season and do not recall my billet sons mentioning anything to that regard. The same for the board level, the coaching staff gave us information at their discretion. When it comes to how injuries are or were listed, the coach submits that information for it to be posted.”
Henderson said players in the organization are not pressured to play.
“(The Olds Grizzlys) didn’t have a specific concussion protocol or any type of injury protocol back in the time you are referring to. Concussion management has changed a lot in the past few years and we have adapted to the new research that has come out. We started doing baseline testing two seasons ago and implemented a concussion program to alleviate players returning too soon from these types of injuries.
