Oliver Kylington opens up on what caused him to miss almost two full seasons

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TJ Tucker
January 26, 2024 (2:06 PM)

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Oliver Kylington of the Calgary Flames opened up on his mental health issues in a new interview, including what caused them and how he was able to overcome them.

After 609 days on the sidelines, the Calgary Flames Oliver Kylington stepped back on the ice during an NHL game last night for the first time since May of 2022. Kylington has been open about the fact that he was taking time off to work on his mental health. However, in an interview with a Swedish news outlet before last night's game, Kylington went into more detail.

Kylington left the Flames following his best season ever in the NHL in 2021-22. He told SVT that it was a "deep betrayal by a close family member" - whom he does not want to name - that gave rise to his mental illness.

"When I felt the worst, I felt very bad. I had severe sleep problems, gastritis, a lot of anxiety, and was very distracted."

"I felt a lot of shame."

While his issues started earlier in the season, Kylington said he could forget them all while he was playing.

"I broke down after the games when I got home. Then everything caught up with me, but when I was in the stadium I forgot about all the external problems. I think we athletes have the ability to switch off in these situations."

Kylington also spoke about how society views mental health issues and people openly dealing with them.

"Showing vulnerability has been displayed by the macho society as a sign of weakness, but actually it's the opposite - it's a sign that you are brave and dare to deal with things that are difficult. It is very easy to postpone your problems and run away from them, but in the end they will chase you until you die."

Source: AftonBladet