Ales Hemsky says his family stopped him from doing something drastic after he was forced to retire

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TJ Tucker
April 1, 2023 (8:44)

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Walking away from something you've been doing your whole life is never an easy thing, especially when you love it. For former first-round NHL pick Ales Hemsky, being forced to retire from hockey due to lingering concussion symptoms was awful. In a new interview done in his home country of the Czech Republic, Hemsky admits he was in a very dark place.

"I saw nothing but emptiness everywhere. I may have made good money during my career, but so what if I lost something I love? What made me who I am? I felt like I had lost the meaning of life and I had a great wife and son at home. I was meeting perhaps every state of depression, I really thought I wasn't normal. At that time I thought I would 'throw it away'."

Hemsky said his state of mind started to impact his home life and the raising of his child.

"At 35, an age when I still wanted to keep playing, I was just aimlessly changing diapers and refusing to admit to myself that hockey was over. When my son cried, I reacted with irritation, and I'm not normally like that."

Hemsky credits his wife for noticing the difference in him and getting him to seek help. While he is out of the worst of it, he continues to see a psychologist and insists the sessions are some of the best hours of his life.

"No one should be put in that situation. If he does, he should definitely tell someone about it. Find at least one person to tell that you have a problem. You don't even have to tell him everything in detail. I know how hard it is myself. I've always kept everything to myself."

Hemsky spent the bulk of his career with the Edmonton Oilers after being drafted 13th overall by the team in 2001. He also played for Ottawa, Dallas, and Montreal. A severe concussion suffered during a game against Anaheim just seven games into his time with the Canadiens would end up ending his careere. He played a total of 845 NHL regular season games, notching 174 goals and 572 points.

Hemsky's story isn't a new one, but a reminder of what walking away from the sport you absolutely love can do to a person.

Source: Source: Aktuality.sk

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