Former NHL goalie Mike Condon uses his mental health journey to help athletes

Mike Condon, the former NHL goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens, has founded Condon Performance Consulting and works as a mental performance consultant for athletes, drawing on his personal experience with mental health challenges.

As NHL.com reports, Condon played 129 games between 2015 and 2019, with a 45-58-17 record, averaging 2.79 goals allowed per game, recording a .905 save percentage and six shutouts. After his playing career he served as goaltending coach at Northeastern (2021–23), earned a master’s in counseling psychology and sport psychology at Wheelock College of Boston University in May 2025 and is an invited speaker at events such as the National Goaltending Symposium 2026 in Boston.

While coaching at Northeastern, Condon noticed that conversations with goaltenders, including Devon Levi, often moved from technical advice to long discussions about pressure and mental well-being. These conversations showed him that the desire to engage more deeply with the psychological aspects of the game was greater than technical training alone, and pushed him toward the deep study of mental performance.

Condon says his personal experience with anxiety and lack of joy during games was a strong incentive to understand and help others. He cites the influence of mentors in his career, particularly coach Scott Rehm, and stresses the importance of authentic connection in therapeutic work: an honest conversation can change the way people experience themselves and improve their functioning.

He also notes a rise in demand for mental health services in sport, partly due to increased pressures and the earlier age of specialization; several high-profile players, such as Spencer Knight, Linus Ullmark and Victor Hedmark, have taken time for mental care. For Condon, the professional goal is to offer athletes the tools to manage stress and recover the energy needed to perform. According to NHL.com, this personal experience makes his work more valuable to athletes seeking help.