Ex-Oilers Defensemen Reveals The Horror Story Surrounding His NHL Departure

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Skyler Walker
June 12, 2023 (10:54 PM)

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NHL defender Slater Koekkoek, who most recently played for the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks, has spoken out about his decision to retire from the game.

I left the game just over a year ago and thought I would share a little bit of my story throughout the next while In case someone else is feeling shame towards their anxiety. You are not alone.
I left the game because my life inside of it had gotten to a place that was unbearable and unhealthy towards my mental health.
[would say I played a majority of my professional games without the ability to eat much, if anything, the night before and the day of the games. Hockey Night in Canada on a completely empty stomach? Lets do this, I guess.
Anxiety shows up in all shapes and forms, one of the ways mine did was the inability to eat.
I would get comments from teammates saying "hey
Kooks you know the meals are free" due to my weight dwindling, without them knowing the pain I was going through. I would hear from GMs and Coaches that I needed to put on weight if I was to battle in the corners with the elite of the league not to mention the energy needed to complete these tasks as well. That just put on increased pressure.
I would be asked to go for dinner with teammates on the road. Knowing I wouldn't be able to eat, I would isolate myself and usually walk the streets settling to discreetly bring takeout to my hotel room so nobody would know if I ate or not. I kept this in as much as I could my entire career. My dad had a nervous tummy growing up, I thought thais all I had. But when being continuously scrutinized for my on ice performance it caused a downward spiral. A vicious cycle of needing to eat but physically being unable.
Be kind to one another because you never know what someone might be going through. And stop commenting on people's weight... it's friggen weird.

He continued by stating that this problem has existed for a long time prior to the start of his NHL career. He would frequently hear from several coaches and general managers that he needed to gain weight in order to be able to fight in the corners and get the puck out. It takes a lot of guts for someone to share their concern with the public while also realizing that they needed to take action to protect their physical and mental wellbeing.

When he last signed with the NHL, Koekkoek was 6'2" and weighed 193 pounds. He played 186 games, notched eight goals and 26 assists for 34 points, and accrued 104 penalty minutes. He was chosen by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, number 10, at the 2012 NHL Draft.