Goalie Connor Ingram explains why he wanted out of the NHL amidst mental struggles

Goaltender Connor Ingram is doing incredibly well this season, being one of the National Hockey League’s leaders in wins and save percentage. Sure, it’s all good on the ice, but finally, it is as good off the ice too. However, there was a time for the 26-year-old goalie was in a dark place.

After he was drafted in the third round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Ingram ended up in Nashville where he hit rock bottom. In an interview with ABC 15 in Arizona, the Coyotes’ netminder revealed how he wanted out of the NHL, and even out of life.

He considered retiring from hockey at 23 years old, but his goalie coach encouraged him to enter the NHL’s player assistance program instead.

“I got to the rink that day and said ‘I don’t want to do this anymore.’”

“I walked into his office and tried to retire and to his credit, he saved my career, probably my life. I hadn’t gotten help I don’t know where I’d be today,” Ingram said. “ I took a flight from Dallas to southern California that day and spent 42 days in a mental health trauma facility.”

Ingram got more than help from therapy, he was also given a diagnosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder.

“I don’t wash my hands, my apartment is a disaster like I don’t have OCD,” Ingram recalls protesting. “Once she started going through the list of things that are OCD, I was like I hit a lot of these, actually.”

The young goalie is proud to have earned his way back to the NHL, along with victories and points for the Coyotes. Sharing his story is as important, as he hopes to help others.

“It is hard to talk about,” Ingram said. “And in our business, it’s probably a mark on my resume that I missed six weeks one year. But if I can be open about it and save somebody going through what I did, that’s all that matters.”

Ingram is inspiring and I can only wish him the best moving forward, not only on NHL ice, but in his life away from the rink.

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