They have, in a little more than two years, raised millions.

And you can tell from the way Nazem Kadri talks about their work, it has become his personal passion, one of the guiding forces in his young life.

There’s no doubt Kadri had a tough season in 2014-15. The Maple Leafs struggled in the standings, and he was suspended by team president Brendan Shanahan for disciplinary reasons after an undisclosed incident at practice. But out of that personal low, Kadri started the Nazem Kadri Foundation that year with his family, putting parents Sam and Sue in the vice-chair seats.

He lists himself as the founder and “visionary” on the foundation’s website. (They’re active on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.)

At the time, Kadri was only 24 years old, but he had discovered a renewed focus, on and off the ice. He knew he wanted to give back — in his hometown of London, Ont., and in his adopted one of Toronto — and a big part of that would be to benefit mental-health initiatives.

He now helps handpick some of the organizations that the funds benefit each year.

His work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Last year, Kadri was nominated for a MAX Platinum Award for Excellence, which recognizes “Muslims who have demonstrated significant achievement, leadership, and commitment to serving their community.”

With Bell Let’s Talk Day in the spotlight on Wednesday, Kadri spoke with The Athletic after practice about why he is so passionate about the cause and what role he believes he can play as an athlete.

“Trying to end that stigma is so important,” Kadri said. “Essentially, at the end of the day, it’s saving lives. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Q. Is the issue close to you for a particular reason — someone you know or in your family in particular?

NK: “No, I just hear a lot of stories. I see it on TV. I read a lot about the news. It seems like it’s happening on a regular basis. It’s tragic to see when young people are taking their own lives. You feel like you could prevent it somehow. For me, it’s trying to reach out and help as much as possible.”

Q. What stands out to you about the success of the charity so far?

NK: “I’m just proud of the amount of money we’ve raised every year. It really makes a difference, and it really impacts people’s lives in a positive way. For me, I’m trying to reach out to the community. Hockey’s given so much to me. I’m trying to do my share to give back.”

Q. It’s really a family endeavour isn’t it, with your parents heavily involved in helping run it?

NK: “Basically my whole family’s on the board. They help me organize the [golf] tournament. Without their help, it wouldn’t be possible. They’re the brains behind the operation. We collect their good ideas and try to make it work.”

Q. Were you inspired by another athlete to start doing this?

NK: “No but I’ve just seen this type of thing with athletes. I mean hockey’s given me everything I’d want in the world. I feel so privileged and so blessed to be able to do what I love to do. I feel like this platform that athletes are on it’s important to give back to the community and not just a specific community. You’ve got to spread it all over.”

Kadri wasn’t the only member of the Leafs to address Bell Let’s Talk after practice on Tuesday. Coach Mike Babcock has long been affiliated with mental health initiatives and offered these thoughts to the media to open his availability:

“A lot of people have a lot more to do with it than me,” Babcock said. “Put massive efforts into letting people know that one in five Canadians suffer from some sort of mental health issue. So that means right here when we’re talking around this (media) scrum that’s at least two of us, probably three of us, that suffer in our own way.

“I think what the message mainly is: Don’t suffer in silence. There’s lots of help out there. Whether that be some support from a psychologist, whether that be medication or doctors’ help, whether that be your family or your people at work — there are so many ways that you can get help.

“What I really appreciate are the people — whether it be Michael Landsberg, whether it be Clara Hughes, whether it be Paul Ranger — all these people that have been through it and now step out and show they’ve been very successful in their sport. They’re obviously very mentally tough and very driven yet they still suffer.

“I just know people, in the last couple years, CEOs of companies that seem to have everything great — have wives, have kids, seem to have their life — the next thing you know, they take their own life. It’s just a sad, sad thing. The more people in position to use their notoriety to draw attention to it, I think the better off you are. That’s to me why we’re involved.

“I think we’re really trying (in hockey). I know in major junior hockey across Canada, they’ve done a real good job of educating their players. Everyone takes a course now. You know, open up about it about. When it really hit home for me, a couple friends lost family members. A son and a husband, in a short period of time.

“The big thing that was happening in my life is my kids were getting ready to leave home… In your own little town, in your own little school, everything was a controlled environment and you’d had success. Suddenly you’re out there in the real world and maybe your marks aren’t quite as good, maybe you’re not getting to play, and maybe the stresses on you are unreasonable and you’ve got to have a way to manage that. Now I’m not saying when you’re under stress that means you have some kind of mental illness. What I am saying though is I think it’s very important to talk to your kids and listen to your kids and make sure you know what’s going on with them. You don’t want to find out too late. You want to be involved as much as you can as a prudent parent.”

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If you need help, reach out. Contact the Mental Health Helpline at 1-866-531-2600 and speak up.

Main photo: Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images