Hockey

Patrik Laine wanted to give up hockey, but he hasn’t
Mathis Therrien
Patrik Laine wanted to give up hockey, but he hasn’t
Credit: Getty Images

It's no secret that Patrik Laine had some pretty serious mental health problems in the past, when he was playing with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Laine had great difficulty getting over the death of his father in 2021, which greatly affected his performances on the ice, as well as his daily life. The Finnish forward was so unwell at one point, that he seriously considered giving up hockey altogether.

In a long and excellent interview with Helsingin Sanomat, a Finnish newspaper, Laine explains that, on several occasions, he informed his GM and agents that it was all over.

The Montreal Canadiens' current forward just couldn't take it anymore, as he was suffering too much mentally, and simply no longer had the desire to play hockey and the desire to practice.

It's really sad to hear all this from a player as talented as Laine, who had had such a good start to his career with the Winnipeg Jets.

Fortunately, Laine said in the same interview that all thoughts of quitting hockey were gone, and that he was at a point where he was very happy again. Indeed, the Habs' #92 explained that he was enjoying life and hockey again, which had not been the case for a long time.

Laine feels he can push himself again, and he's very happy about that, as he feels he's made a lot of progress and done a lot of work with himself. The bottom line is that Laine is more than happy in Montreal, and feels very much at home in his new city, while it's clear he'd like to stay for the long term.

The coming season will clearly be decisive in this regard, as if the Finnish forward really wants to stay in Montreal, he'll have to perform up to his talent. And let's just say that it's looking good, as the forward claimed to be in much better shape than at this time last year, which puts him in much better conditions to start the season. Laine trained most of the summer in Brossard, so he'll be much more ready for the start of the season.

In short, we're all happy to know that Laine is getting back into hockey, and that it's happening in Montreal, a city he seems to love. Here's the full article from the Finnish media, which is well worth a full read. spacer title='Overtime'] – It's really great to see.

– Great news,

– Unbelievable,

– To be continued.

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