Former Flyers D-man Chris Therien: ‘I Was An Alcoholic’

In “Road to Redemption,” Chris Therien and author Wayne Fish detail the former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman’s battle with alcoholism — and his new path to help others recover from alcohol or drug abuse. This excerpt is from Chapter 1.

Silent demon

Although it happened more than 10 years ago, I remember the moment like it was yesterday.

Life-changing events have a way of staying fresh in your memory and this one will never fade from mine. Much of my adult life had been spent secretly battling a silent demon: one shared by millions of people, but each struggle unique in its own way.

It took an act as simple as cleaning an upstairs closet for me to come to grips with a harsh reality.

I was an alcoholic.

While rummaging through clothes and the like, I came upon a shoe with a water bottle jammed inside it. Only the bottle wasn’t half-filled with water.

It was vodka.

I stared at the bottle for a moment, then gulped down its contents and threw the bottle in the trash.

There are two birthdates in my life: The first, December 14, 1971, when I officially entered this world and the second, February 7, 2011 — the day of the infamous shoe incident — when I became the person I truly believe I was meant to be.

Really truly humbled and honored that 'Road to Redemption' has hit the top of the charts for hockey books and biographies! Thank you to all of you amazing people for making this happen! @waynefish1 @TriumphBooks @NHLFlyers @billmeltzer pic.twitter.com/6NrEuYmTT0

— Chris Therien (@ctherien6) October 29, 2022

Long road

It took me decades to come to the reality I could be comfortable in my own skin without dulling my senses through various outside means.

We all make choices in life and I’m no exception. Some of my decisions were good; others — like acquiring and accepting an addiction to alcohol — were not. Whether you become a professional athlete like I did or just someone who lives a so-called less glamorous existence, it’s all pretty much the same when it comes to personal responsibility. We don’t reside on an island. We have people who depend on us, people who we want to set a good example for, both in our public and private lives.

There was a long period in my adult years when I failed at that. It hurt to know I was letting myself down by not functioning at full capacity and even more painful that I was doing the same with the people I love.

As I alluded to earlier, just about every alcoholic can tell you the date he decided to give it all up. Mine was that day in early 2011 with an act as mundane as sorting out an upstairs closet.

With help from friends and colleagues who had been in the same dark place, I put myself in the AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) community. I pledged to the Philadelphia Flyers, “You will never, ever hear about me drinking again because I never will.’’

Paul Holmgren, the Philadelphia Flyers general manager at the time, was really supportive. I’m truly grateful for that. That was the beginning of 11 years of continued sober broadcasting in good standing. It really got my feet under me. I became the great dad, the person I always wanted to be.

I realized for the first time I decided to stay sober was when I chose to remain with the Alcoholics Anonymous people.

My second chance in life was about to begin.

Road to Redemption, published by Triumph Books, is available at local book stores, or on Amazon.