Kelly Hrudey opens up about his mental health struggles.

Is it often easy to see professional athletes or television personalities that are having a great deal of success and think to yourself that they must all be living wonderful lives. People often tend to forget that those athletes and personalities are, underneath the cushy job, just normal human beings and with that come normal human emotions and unfortunately normal human problems.

This week, a former professional athlete turned television personality made that abundantly clear when former National Hockey League goaltender turned NHL analyst Kelly Hrudey opened up about the struggles he has been dealing with in his own life.

In a heartfelt message to his fans and supporters, Hrudey took the time to thank the members of his support system without whom he says he wouldn't be able to function properly. Some minor alterations have been made for the sake of clarity, but here is Hrudey's message in full:

Most people know I’m dealing with mental health issues. Yesterday was a bad day. My worst in 11 months. If not for [my wife Donna] answering a million desperate calls, my broadcast partner Rick Ball and our producer Larry Isaac I don’t know if I could have called game with Rick. Today is my birthday. I didn’t really feel like much of a dinner. ⁦ [Donna] convinced me last night was a big win for me. I need to treat myself because I fought hard. If you’re going through something similar talk to your family, friends. It helps.

It is awful to learn that Hrudey is struggling in such a manner but it is wonderful that he continues to use the large platform his career has afforded him to spread awareness about mental health issues. Just one year ago Hrudey joined the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation as a National Champion and this most recent message is just yet another example of the hard work he continues to benefit others suffering in similar situations.

Here's to hoping he continues to have more good days.