Former NHLer Slater Koekkoek reveals that Ken Holland made him quit hockey

Former NHL defenseman Slater Koekkoek is opening up on his mental health struggles in his post-playing days, in an effort to remove the stigma that pro athletes have about showing vulnerability and openness. 

Now 30 years old, Koekkoek walked away from professional hockey at 28 years old in 2022 after suffering from anxiety for years and years. In particular, Koekkoek credits one conversation that he had with then Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland for helping him make the decision to quit the NHL.

"I wanted more ice time, I was a healthy scratch a lot," Koekkoek told Oilers insider Jason Gregor in an interview. "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.'"

While that may come across as a negative, Koekkoek says that Holland was right and it really helped him "reevaluate how I spent my time."

"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 seems to be in a much better place now in 2024 and is helping spread the message that it's okay to not be okay. In particular, he's sharing how his extreme anxiety would manifest itself and sabotage him from his preparing to do his job on the ice.

"My anxiety would show up in my inability to eat before games. I would avoid going to dinner at times, because I was worried I wouldn't be able to eat and I didn't want to talk about it with my teammates at the time," Koekkoek.

In effect, Koekkoek's anxiety was getting in his own way. Now, free from the pressures of playing in the NHL, Koekkoek is starting anew with a fresh lease on life.

Listen to the interview with Gregor below: