Cindy Klassen as the most decorated Canadian Olympians

TORONTO -- When the darkness threatened to envelop Clara Hughes, the six-time Olympian sought solace on her bike. JMon Moore Packers Jersey . Hughes climbed on her bike again Friday for what she called the most important ride of her life. The retired athlete, who is known almost as much as a tireless advocate for mental health awareness as she is an Olympic champion, set off on Claras Big Ride -- a 110-day journey around Canada to promote conversation about mental health. "This is bigger than anything Ive ever done or ever will do," Hughes said. "And the best part about it is its not about me. Im using the bike as a vehicle to bring the mental health conversation and then using every community event that we visit, every school, to really elevate the people in the community, the students to give them a voice, give them the platform. "Its so different from sport because this is not about me. It is actually what motivates me to do this." The 41-year-old Hughes, who has been vocal about her battle with depression, won Olympic medals in both cycling and long-track speedskating, and when she retired from competitive sports after the 2012 London Olympics and suddenly found herself with more time on her hands, a cross-country bike ride seemed the perfect vehicle for her cause. "Over the years, Ive done a lot of bike touring as well as my racing, and theres a curiosity when you roll into town and roll out of town. Where have you come from? Where are you going?" Hughes said. "And I wanted it to be epic. I felt like we need something epic for people to really connect to, and riding across and around Canada is epic. "This is a massive country and I just feel like maybe we can show also the importance of movement, of being active, whatever it is. Going for a walk, riding your bike. Thats a big part of my mental health practice, so I also wanted to show that." The Winnipeg native, accompanied by her husband Peter Guzman, will cover 12,000 kilometres and visit 95 communities, eventually reaching Ottawa on July 1, Canada Day. Hughes, the spokesperson for Bell Lets Talk, set off from a lunchtime ceremony at Maple Leaf Square, wearing blue cycling suit, black tuque, and her trademark megawatt smile. "Today, I woke up and thought Its game time. Lets go. And Im ready. And this is the best day of my life, that I get to start this journey. I cant wait for this to unfold," Hughes said. Hughes slipped into severe depression after winning two bronze cycling medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and for nearly a year she hid her sombre secret behind her wide smile. She initially thought it was simply post-Olympic letdown, and believed shed get over it. But she found herself sleeping away the days, and crying uncontrollably when she was awake. She gained between 15 and 20 pounds. More than a decade later, Hughes has become one of the most vocal advocates for erasing the stigma around mental illness as the spokesperson for Bell Lets Talk Day. "I do feel theres a shift (in the discussion around mental illness)," she said. "Has it changed? No. The shift has started to happen in the last number of years and I think the (Lets Talk) campaign is a big part of it. And thats why I had the idea of when I finally did quit, I had all this time on my hands. . . what more can I do? And thats where this ride kind of stemmed from." Hughes and her husband plan to cover about 150 kilometres a day. Theyll be accompanied by a Greyhound bus carrying support staff and supplies. A rotating group of cyclists will ride with them. There were about 100 that set off from Toronto to Hamilton for Day 1 on Friday. "I think its going to be really different," Hughes said, comparing her Big Ride to her days of competing. "Its funny, the other day I woke up and had a big cinnamon roll and coffee for breakfast, and I was just like: I would never do this if I was getting ready for a race. "Get to relax a little more. And theres no finish line, Im not sprinting, theres no race. The race is just getting the message to as many people, connecting to as many people, and I really like that. Because I dont have to go hard either. So its different in terms of intensity as well, obviously. "And Im loving life after sport. Im a proud recreational athlete, and this is part of my recreation is riding my bike." Asked about her own health, Hughes said shes "doing very well" but admitted it was a big transition into life after sport. "One of the things even doing this ride whenever I have something big in my life, I worry about after, because thats when things start getting dark and difficult," she said. Hughes speaks regularly with a psychologist shes worked with since her last year training in Calgary, and will have that outlet during the ride if she needs it. Shes although thankful for the support of her husband. "Hes trained for many Olympics kind of in the shadows but with me, hes been a force behind me," she said. "But this is the first time weve done everything together and spent so much time together, and its going really well. Hes so excited. Hes the kind of person who never ever quits what he starts. So even if disaster strikes and whatever, and this ride doesnt finish, Peter will be out there on his own, finishing in Ottawa on Canada Day, so Ive got great partners." Mental health issues in sport made headlines again this week when Terry Trafford, a 20-year-old from Toronto and a forward for the Ontario Hockey Leagues Saginaw Spirit, committed suicide. Hughes spoke about meeting Olympic speedskating champion Stefan Groothuis last month at the Sochi Olympics. The Dutch gold medallist was on the brink of suicide a year ago. "Hes been talking about what that was like to go through that dark period and depression and to come back, and to say This gold medal represents that there is light to go to. Dont give up. "So there are so many athletes that are starting to come out and talk about their experience with mental illness, and the stress, anxiety. . .Athletes are not immune to it, but also athletes are not superhuman and need support. I always tell that to athletes, make sure youre getting the help you need." Along with her two Olympic bronze medals in cycling, Hughes won four winter Olympic medals in speedskating -- one gold, one silver, and two bronze. Her six medals ties her with speedskater Cindy Klassen as the most decorated Canadian Olympians. Custom Green Bay Packers Jerseys . It took five games, but the Celtics finally helped Stevens earn his first NBA victory. "Im going to celebrate for a whole 12 minutes, and then Im going to start watching Orlando and trying to figure them out," the first-year Celtics coach said after Boston beat the Utah Jazz, one of the leagues other winless teams, 97-87 on Wednesday night. Jimmy Graham Jersey . Bryant underwent an operation in December to correct an irregular heartbeat. His season ended with four games left because of a rapid heartbeat, a condition he has known about for several years and had been treated for in the past. http://www.packersfansproshop.com/Packers+Marquez+Valdes+Scantling+Rush+Jersey.html?cat=1349 .J. -- Pete Carroll said it was the suspension of linebacker Bruce Irvin last spring that finally got the attention of the rest of the Seattle Seahawks that they needed to be taking their commitment to the team more seriously.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hi Kerry, I was watching the Montreal-Buffalo game last night and there was a nasty hit by Canadiens winger Jiri Sekac on Sabres defenceman Nikita Zadorov. The broadcasters say Zadorov got caught right between the numbers and were expecting about five and a game. But the officials called two minutes for boarding. Was this the right call? Alex Jones, Toronto Alex: The right call was made based on the actions of Nikita Zadorov, who was the recipient of a boarding infraction committed by Jiri Sekac of Montreal. The call made by young referee T.J. Luxmore is clearly spelled out in rule 41.1 - Boarding: There is an enormous amount of judgment involved in the application of this rule by the Referees. The onus is on the player applying the check to ensure his opponent is not in a defenceless position and if so, he must avoid or minimize contact. However, in determining whether such contact could have been avoided, the circumstances of the check, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the check or whether the check was unavoidable can be considered. This balance must be considered by the Referees when applying this rule. It boggles my mind and defies traditional hockey logic when players turn and face the boards squarely; especially knowing that they are going to be hit. Nikita Zadorov was in the process of doing everything correct when he was first man on the puck. Zadorov attacked the puck from an angle (versus straight on) and took a good look over his shoulder some twenty feet from the end boards to observe Jiri Sekac fighting through minimal detainment offered by Zemgus Girgensons. As such, he had to expect an impending hit to be delivered by Sekac. At the goal line Zadorov rotated his body square to the boards and initiated a side-slide stopping motion as he focused on the puck that was rolling around from the corner toward the end boards. This setup placed Zadorov in perfect position to play the puck and then safely take body contact from Sekac; also with the knowledge that he had 2nd man puck support from Sabres teammate Girgensons. This relatively safe play immediately turned bad for Zadorov when he took a second peek at Sekac as the Montreal attacker approached the goal line with speed. Zadorovs momentary shift in focus resulted in an inability to play the puck in front of his body that was still positioned squarely to the end boards. Once the puck slid past his center line Zadorov placed himself in a vulnerable position by reaching back for the puck; thereby turning his body and face square to the boards just prior to receiving body contact by Sekac. Referee T.J. Luxmore was in absolutely perfect position in the corner to observe Zadorovs turn toward the boards immediately prior to the check. Luxmore then correctly applied a shared onus of responsibility between Zadorov and Sekac to only assess a minor penalty on the play. A Lesson Shared From Old Schooll Wisdom On Tuesday, the Edmonton Oilers were in town to play the Philadelphia Flyers. Oren Burks Packers Jersey. The night before the game my wife and I took our good friend, Oilers assistant coach Craig Ramsay out for dinner. Andrew Ference had been suspended for three games just that morning; preceded by suspensions imposed by the Player Safety Committee to Anton Vochenkov (four games) and Alex Burrows (three games). I asked Rammer his take on players that not only deliver dangerous hits but those that put themselves in vulnerable positions to be hit? Based on Nikita Zadorovs turn toward the boards, I want to focus our attention on Craigs response to the later part of my query as to why players put themselves in vulnerable positions and dont protect themselves the way players of his era did. He contends that many of todays players just dont expect to be hit and as such are quite often oblivious to their surroundings. This lack of apparent environmental awareness that Ramsay contends, was definitely present when Alex Emelin was caught off guard with a very late, angled head pick by Burrows well after the Montreal defenceman had delivered a pass up ice. It could be easily argued that both Zack Kassian and Michael Ferland demonstrated a lack of awareness and need for self-protection when they were recipients of an illegal check to the head; an awareness that players from other eras understood the need for at an early age and stage in their hockey careers. At a recent Oilers practice, Rammer attempted to impart some old school wisdom on a young Oiler player; wisdom the coach had acquired in the area of self preservation during a lengthy and distinguished NHL playing career. With the baby Oiler standing squarely in front of him, Rammer raised his stick and thumped the player on his helmet. The player instinctively recoiled and backed away, prompting the coach to reinforce his intended lesson that the player really didnt like being struck with a stick! Next, Ramsay called over assistant coach Rocky Thompson who Rammer says in a very intelligent and thoughtful assistant that is a real pleasure to work with. Rocky played most of his career in the AHL. In 25 NHL games he registered no points but 117 penalty minutes! As Rocky got within striking distance, Rammer raised his stick and feigned a swat at Thompsons head. Rocky immediately pulled away and assumed a defensive posture covering his head. Rammer then turned back toward the young Oiler and said, See that, Rockys a tough guy and he pulled back at the thought of confronting my stick! The lesson ended with Rammer not promoting his player thump opponents over the head but instead to be ever aware of the potential to be checked; to be dialed in to his environment at all times; and when necessary to protect himself through reasonable defensive posture and tactics. Hopefully the dramatic lesson attempt from Rammer just might prevent the young Oiler player from being caught off-guard and suffering an injury. The dinner and company was great but we missed seeing Rammers better half, wife Susan who remained in Edmonton. I willingly picked up the tab. 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