Former NHLer and addict Brandon Reid's new goal is to help others beat addiction

Making the NHL wasn't Brandon Reid's biggest challenge.

The Montreal West Island native was a breakout star in the 2000 World Juniors Championships, leading Team Canada in scoring, before playing for three seasons with the Vancouver Canucks.

Away from the spotlight, however, he was fighting for an even bigger goal to overcome addiction.

"I struggled and didn't really know how to ask for help," he told CTV. "There was a lot of fear based around that, what would I lose? What would people think?"

That battle came to a tipping point three years ago when Reid tried to take his own life.

"I had nothing. All the money I had made, all the relationships that I had, they were gone," he said.

Through a contact in the West Island, he got help and went to rehab. Now, he's helping others with their journey to sobriety through fitness. He started a program called Fit Not Lit to give clients routine, purpose and direction.

Vancouver Canucks Brandon Reid (14) takes a shot on Washington Capitals goalie Olie Kolzig during the first period of NHL action in Vancouver Sunday, March 23, 2003. Kolzig made the stop. (Chuck Stoody, The Canadian Press)

Sixty-three-year-old Mark Cahill is one of those clients.

Dressed in black shorts and a t-shirt, he looks like any other gym goer. He told CTV he started using when he was 12 years old.

"It took me 57 years to get one day of sobriety," he said, "I met Brandon and I could see the direction he was in and he was going in was something I wanted."

Cahill is partnered with 28-year-old Jonathan Bucci, who is three months sober from cocaine and alcohol.

"I actually overdosed in 2020 and my life was just a mess, an absolute mess," he said.

When Bucci first met Reid, he thought he had his addiction under control. One weekend, however, he went on a bender and showed up to a workout under the influence.

"I was high out of my mind," he said. "That's when I realized I have a problem and I think it's time I get sober."

Reid's guidance doesn't just end at the gym.

Bucci says Reid checks in via text to remind him to get into good routines, even reminding him of habits like making his bed every morning.

"It's just so nice to have someone in your corner that you can call whenever you don't feel well," Reid said, adding that the sense of stability and accountability is often missing in the lives of addicts. "Keep doing it, keep showing up, maybe not perfectly, but over time, exercise becomes the habit that you latch on to instead of latching on to your drug of choice."

Both Cahill and Bucci credit Reid with turning their lives around before it was too late.

"I would have never been able to understand the direction of disaster my life was heading in," said Cahill, saying his sobriety improved his relationship with his family.

"I thought I'd be dead right now, to be truly honest with you. I'd be dead if I didn't find Brandon," added Bucci.

He credits his mother with helping him find Fit Not Lit and says the benefits of the workout routine are far more than physical.  

"She's super proud of me. It feels really good make them proud. Finally, at 28 years old, making my parents proud. It feels fantastic," said Bucci.