Koekkoek details mental health battle that caused him to leave Oilers

Edmonton Oilers defenceman Slater Koekkoek has yet to play this season after stepping away from the team earlier this year.

The 29-year-old is still under contract for the Oilers this season, but has been on a leave from the team due to mental health reasons since the start of training camp.

On Wednesday, Koekkoek decided to set the record straight about the off-ice issues he’s been dealing with.

“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,” Koekkoek shared in a post on his LinkedIn. “I left the game because my life inside of it had gotten to a place that was unbearable and unhealthy towards my mental health.”

Koekkoek had four assists in 19 games with the Oilers in 2021-22. While he didn’t rule out a return to the NHL, it also doesn’t seem like he’s confirming a plan to come back to the league either.

“I 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? Let’s do this, I guess,” Koekkoek added. “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.”

In total, Koekkoek played eight seasons for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks, as well as the Oilers. He had eight goals and 26 assists in 186 games.

“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,” Koekkoek continued.

“My dad had a nervous tummy growing up, I thought that is 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.”

Koekkoek’s full post is available here.

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