Former Oilers Defenceman Slater Koekkoek is opening up about his journey with mental health and walking away from pro hockey, which was heavily influenced by one meeting with Ken Holland.
Koekkoek has been open about his struggles with anxiety that led to him retiring from hockey at the age of 28.
In an interview yesterday with Jason Gregor, Koekkoek said Ken Holland called him essentially a useless player in a meeting, which led the defenceman to realize he didn't want to play in the NHL.
"I wanted more ice time, I was a healthy scratch a lot. Ken Holland looked at me and he said you're a clock killer. You don't do anything positive on the ice, but you don't do anything negative either.
It's absolutely gutting to hear these words from Koekkoek and to see how much it hurt him mentally. A low-event depth player like that can be a real positive on a roster, and they should celebrate that role instead of diminish it.
Slater Koekkoek Opens Up About Words From Ken Holland That Ended His Career
Ken Holland has often been praised as a great person in his long NHL career, and that is still likely the case, but this comment to a player is the type of old school mentality that needs to be eliminated from hockey.
Koekkoek had also revealed that his anxiety got so bad before games, that he struggled to eat at all on game days - all while hiding this from his teammates.
The General Manager should have a goal to make every player on the team feel a part of its success, not like a complete non-factor. It's a gutting thing to say to a player, and a person trying their best. For Koekkoek, that meeting was the tipping point to leave.
"After that meeting, I really evaluated my life You're gonna tell me that I don't do anything positive or negative with the struggles that I'm going through every day, on a day to day basis? Okay, I'll reevaluate what I'm doing with my time."
Koekkoek was drafted 10th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2012, and was signed by the Oilers in December of 2020. He played in two seasons with the Oilers, only a total of 37 games, before calling it a career.
It's absolutely commendable that Koekkoek is opening up about his mental health struggles and seeking to make a difference in the community far beyond an impact on the ice. Oilers fans and all hockey fans will wish him the absolute best in his next chapter of life.
