Former Oiler Reveals What Ken Holland Told Him That Made Him Retire From the NHL

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Julien Trekker
December 12, 2024 (12:09)

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In a recent interview, Slater Koekkoek a former member of the Edmonton Oilers shared what his ex-general manager Ken Holland told him that made him retire from the NHL.

It's not easy being a professional hockey player in the NHL. Unless you're Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, or any other superstar, there's not a lot of job security.

Most hockey players don't make it to the NHL, and among those who do get there, a majority won't be able to have a long career in the league.

That was the case of Slater Koekkoek, who retired from the NHL at 28 years old back in 2022, after many years of suffering from anxiety:

"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."

Currently 30 years old, Koekkoek opened up on the moment he decided he would retire in a recent interview.

He stated that a conversation with former Oilers GM Ken Holland helped him make the decision.

Holland told him that he didn't do anything positive on the ice, but didn't do anything negative either, making him a "clock killer".

In his own words:

"I wanted more ice time, I was a healthy scratch a lot. 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.'"

"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."

Listen to the full interview here:

Drafted 10th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012, Koekkoek took part in 186 NHL games in his career. He scored eight goals and 26 assists between 2014 and 2022 for the Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers.

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DECEMBRE 12 \| 179 ANSWERS Former Oiler Reveals What Ken Holland Told Him That Made Him Retire From the NHL Do you think Ken Holland was too harsh with Slater Koekkoek?
Yes	70	39.1 %
No	109	60.9 %
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