Corey Hirsch, the former National Hockey League goaltender, was pacing inside the cheerfully bright room at The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, following the microphone as it passed from one audience member to another. One asked about medication, another about recovery, and one asked him to name his greatest on-ice accomplishment.



“Well,” Hirsch said quickly, “the biggest accomplishment is being here today.”



The room broke into applause.



In February, Hirsch wrote a long and stark personal essay in The Players’ Tribune, detailing his struggle with a screeching train of thought that was eventually diagnosed as obsessive-compulsive disorder. The essay opened with a vivid description of the time he nearly drove his sports car off a cliff.



“I’m proof,” he told the room, “that recovery is possible.”



Hirsch is the new radio analyst for the Vancouver Canucks, having signed on to...