Vancouver Giants and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) are teaming up to raise awareness about the importance of mental health on Friday, Feb. 7, when the Giants host the Portland Winterhawks at 7 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre (LEC).

The awareness campaign is part of the ongoing commitment by the Giants and CMHA to implement Talk Today.

Talk Today provides mental health support to players, educates them about mental health and suicide prevention, and raises awareness about mental health and suicide prevention throughout communities across the region.

A key piece of the Talk Today program helps players identify mental health challenges, risk factors, and warning signs for suicide, and how to start the conversation with a teammate who may be struggling. The Giants have hosted similar mental health awareness games in past.

Every team has received mental health training specific to suicide prevention.

Each team is also now linked to a CMHA mental health coach, who provides support and mental health resources to individuals in need.

鈥淓veryone can experience mental health challenges at any time,鈥� said Ruby Ng, CEO of CMHA's Vancouver-Fraser branch.

鈥淔or high-performing athletes, mental health fitness is just as important as physical fitness, and Talk Today is here to help each player be at their best on the ice,鈥� Ng added.

The game-day experience next Friday will have several features to promote the importance of mental health. They will include a CMHA-run kiosk 鈥� so fans can learn more about mental health and how to access services. There will also be a ceremonial puck drop, where the topic will be discussed.

They will also be debuting videos featuring Giants players talking about the importance of mental health, as well as public address announcements about mental health and where to find support.

In the meantime, the Giants play tonight (Friday, Jan. 31), taking on the Thunderbirds, then they're back home at Langley Events Centre for back-to-back games this weekend. Saturday, they take on Kamloops Blazers with a 7 p.m. puck drop. Then Sunday, they have an afternoon game, starting at 4 p.m. where the G-Men faceoff again Spokane Chiefs.

Tickets are available online ahead of the home games at .