Former Oilers defenseman reveals the real reason as to why he left the NHL
Slater Koekkoek, an NHL defenceman who played recently for the Edmonton Oilers opened up today regarding reasons why he stepped away from the game.
The former Winchester ON native explained that he suffered from severe anxiety causing him to have weight issues and an inability to eat.
He went on further to say that this issue has been going on for a long time and well before his NHL career began. Numerous coaches and general managers would always tell him that he needed to put on more weight to be able to fight in the corners and get the puck out.
It takes a lot of courage for someone to come forward with this anxiety and share it with the world while recognizing something needed to be done to protect his mental and physical health.
Standing at 6'2" and 193 pounds when he was last registered with the NHL, Koekkoek played 186 games, scored eight goals with 26 assists for 34 points and had 104 penalty minutes.
He was selected in the NHL draft in 2012 from the Tampa Bay Lightning, in the first round 10th overall.
We wish him nothing but the best and hope he continues his journey In the best of health.
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