Sports stats



ECHL South Carolina Stingrays

Tanski Brings Mental Health Awareness to Stingrays

April 5, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
South Carolina Stingrays News Release


NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. - Seven professional seasons, four teams, and a positive attitude veiled beneath a hockey helmet and fiery red hair. To ECHL veteran Scott Tanski, hockey is more than just a game. It's a platform for dialogue concerning a topic that is often overlooked in our society: mental illness.

The right winger started the "Tanski Talks" initiative in support of mental health awareness in today's youth. The motto: Open minds, eyes, and doors for youth through communication.

He has brought his passion to the South Carolina Stingrays this season, who will sell Tanski Talks shirts at their game vs. the Atlanta Gladiators this Friday, April 7.

Mental health is a matter that Tanski holds close to his heart. When Tanski lived in Ottawa, Canada, he met 20 year NHL player, Luke Richardson and developed a relationship with his family. Richardson lost his daughter, Daron, to mental illness. After Daron took her own life at the age of 14, the family came together to start the organization DIFD (Do It for Daron).

"They are a fantastic family that inspires me to make a difference in the various communities that I have played in, whether it was Orlando or Reading or here in South Carolina," Tanski said.

From simply wearing a bracelet that reads 'Do It For Daron' to creating his own initiative, Tanski has impacted the various communities that hockey has made his home. Tanski spent 4 years in Orlando, where he put together his first mental health awareness night.

"We came up with the name Tanski Talks, a night kind of like the night we are doing on April 7," Tanski said. "We raised over $17,000 in my first year for the Central Florida Mental Health Association, which was fantastic."

Check out the South Carolina Stingrays Statistics

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from April 5, 2017


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central