Ducky Brand

Story: Corey Engelsdorfer
Former Dukes, NHL stars join forces to help combat stigma surrounding mental health

Aidan Girduckis was on a well-earned path to a successful hockey career. As Wellington Dukes faithful will remember, the Belleville native filled out the Dukes blueline during the 2015-2016 season, and was selected to play in the World Junior A Challenge for the Team Canada East U19 squad. From there, Girduckis played a stint in the CCHL with the Carleton Place Canadians— winning a league championship in his first season—before fulfilling his dream and playing in the NCAA for Robert Morris University.

The now 21-year-old knew he should be happy and enjoying his success, but neither was true. “I had achieved the biggest goal I had set for myself, and I still wasn’t happy,” says Girduckis. “I couldn’t understand why, because I had all of these things that were supposedly defined as success and happiness, but I still wasn’t enjoying life.”

Former Wellington Duke and Ducky Brand Apparel founder Aidan Girduckis visits the Lehigh Arena last weekend.

Girduckis had always just written his feelings off as a bad day here and there. The feelings would eventually subside, and he could focus on hockey again. But before leaving to play at the collegiate level, and with what he calls ‘dark thoughts’ in the back of his mind, Girduckis knew something wasn’t right and began to seek out help. “I was on a wide variety of different antidepressants, saw numerous psychologists, but we could never come to a solution.” Girduckis was starting to lose hope. He was set to leave for college in the fall, and his parents worried about him being alone. The thoughts of being away from home only added to his anxiety and stress, but Girduckis didn’t want to abandon what he had worked so hard for.

As his junior hockey career was wrapping up, Girduckis decided to sit down with a sports psychologist. “She treated me with an approach known as cognitive behavioural therapy.” As the weeks went on and Girduckis’s psychologist learned more about him, she determined the underlying processes that were causing his depression. “Knowing the sources of my mental health issues and how to manage them, along with the combination of the right medications greatly increased my overall happiness and well-being.” Girduckis smiles as he makes his next point. “I beat depression, and live a lifestyle that I can truly enjoy every day.”

Fast forward to last year. Girduckis was researching mental illness and trying to figure out a way to help others who are fighting the same battle. From his research, he learned that suicide is the second leading cause of death for people age 10 to 34 in North America. Every 12 minutes, someone takes their own life. “I couldn’t just stand by after going through what I had been through,” says Girduckis. “That is when I developed the concept of Ducky Brand and using it as a symbol in the overall fight against mental illness.” He and his brother Abbott along with former Dukes teammates Jacob Panetta and Austin Labelle joined forces with Blackhawks star forward Andrew Shaw and friend Shakil Jiwa. Ducky Brand was born.

Stanley Cup Champion Daniel Carcillo has become an ambassador for Ducky Brand Apparel.

Ducky Brand Apparel helps with the expenses incurred by individuals who suffer from mental illness. It also helps provide access to the resources needed to become mentally healthy. Girduckis explains that it can cost upwards of $100 every time someone sees a psychologist. “That is before the expense of buying or testing different antidepressant medications in order to find out what works best for each individual,” he says. Ducky Brand’s online store is filled with hoodies, shirts, hats and toques all donning the Ducky Brand logo, which is meant to be a symbol of support for anyone who has suffered or currently does suffer from mental health issues. Girduckis says it is a symbol of connectivity and compassion among human beings, letting others know that they are not alone in the fight and that it is okay to not be okay. “The symbol will spread awareness that mental illness is not a sign of weakness, or something that anyone should feel embarrassed or ashamed of,” he says. And the name? Girduckis laughs. “It’s was my nickname in Ottawa.”

Since its inception, Ducky Brand has garnered the attention of Stanley Cup champions Daniel Carcillo and Bryan Bickell, as well as former Dukes teammates Jake Marchment, Shaw Boomhower and Anthony Popovich. They can all be seen on their Instagram stories wearing the Ducky Brand logo and explaining that “It’s okay not to be okay.”

Two time Stanley Cup champion Daniel Carcillo— better known as ‘Car Bomb’ during his NHL career due to his gritty, and sometimes reckless playing style—has been advocating strongly against toxic hockey culture since retiring from the NHL. Carcillo says that as a hockey player, you’re taught to push through the pain, no matter what. For him, joining Ducky Brand was an easy decision. “Andrew Shaw introduced me to Aidan, and after one conversation with him, and myself being a mental health advocate and being extremely public about it for the last four years, I could sense that he was in it for the right reasons,” says Carcillo. “I was really impressed by his emotional intelligence. Especially at 21 and being able to leave the game that he loved and walk away from so many things. Most kids his age aren’t able to make a decision like that.”

Chicago Blackhawks forward and Stanley Cup Champion Andrew Shaw proudly wears Ducky Brand Apparel.

In early 2020, Carcillo will be launching Uncharted – A Speaking Tour in partnership with Ducky Brand. He will be visiting Bay of Quinte area schools and organizations sharing his story. Carcillo seems determined to make sure his problems play out publicly in a way that inspires others. “It will be an open discussion about mental health and how it affects all of us. You’re going to hear from Aidan and people will hear about my story and my journey, which has to do with a lot of trauma,” says Carcillo. “We all deal with the human issues. It all comes back to trauma. I try to talk to people, not at people, and gauge what they need to hear. Most of us deal with these issues. Some people talk about it and some don’t, but I encourage people to speak about it because asking for help saved my life two times.” Carcillo is reminded daily that it’s not an easy road, but he believes he can give back and help others with their struggles. “It’s not only signs and symptoms. It’s solutions. I believe I have a solution, because I am continuing to heal my brain on a daily basis. A lot of this stuff doesn’t cost any money. If you really want it and you have the discipline, you can get it.”

Ultimately, for Girduckis, the brand signifies the need to be compassionate with everyone. “It serves as a reminder to be kind to everyone you come across, because you have no idea what they could be going through, and you being a nice person to them might make an impact in their life,” he says.

Ducky Brand will set aside 30 per cent of all proceeds to be donated to the Canadian Mental Health Association. “We hope that, through the sales of our apparel and donations to this institution, we can make public mental health care more accessible for those who suffer from mental illness, but do not have the means to help themselves,” says Girduckis. To learn more about Ducky Brand Apparel, visit them online at duckybrandapparel.com. To learn more about Dan Carcillo’s Uncharted Tour, follow him on Twitter @CarBombBoom13