NHL Defenseman Retires to Pursue Career in Low Paying Jobs

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Pat Quinn
March 14, 2024 (9:21)

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Slater Koekkoek last played hockey in 2021-22 for the Edmonton Oilers where he played 19 NHL games and was sent tot he AHL for two more. He retired soon after that season completed.

Why Koekkoek stepped away from the game of hockey

Koekkoek played in 186 NHL games with the Tampa Bay, Chicago and Edmonton organizations. He was recently interviewed by Ian Mendes for the Athletic where he discussed his career, issues, and his new career path.

Koekkoek described his time in the NHL and the hardships he had as he felt he was a professional failure.

«I've had to do a lot of therapy work toward being proud of that moment [being a first round pick] instead of being ashamed.

I'll start to have negative thoughts about myself and Claude [Tellier] will simply say, �Slater, don't go down that road. You made it. You're a success.'»

Koekkoek thanked his therapist Claude Tellier for helping him now that he is retired from the NHL. He was always reluctant to open up as an active NHL player because there was a risk that the conversations would find their way to the coaching staff.

Koekkoek said he paid too much attention to the negative articles in the mainstream media and on social media. He developed anxiety and an eating disorder.

«I lost that self-value that someone believed in me to take me in the first round, I wish I could have kept my swagger."

Would Koekkoek change anything about his career though?

«Would I have changed anything I have done or that I went through? The answer is no. I've come to a place where I'm grateful for the experiences I went through.»

Koekkoek's new career path is full of odd jobs

Koekkoek would work random jobs after retiring while attempting to think of a new career for himself after attempting to help work at a busy Tim Horton's one day. Initially he worked at a renovation company that his friend owned and it was in that professional setting that he felt better.

«I was hauling out toilets that were 40 years old, but I came home and [my wife] Santana noticed the difference in me. Just in interacting with people and putting in an honest day's work, I felt fulfilled.»

In working he learned about the labour shortages in other industries and started a new company called "FFYLwork", an acronym for Fulfill Your Life, that hosts a variety of shift workers that are ready to work.

«I'm trained from the school of YouTube. I'm A-plus as a hard worker. And what I don't know, I'll try and learn, but you probably wouldn't want me doing your crown moulding.

I was just not feeling valued in my position, so I took matters into my own hands to find happiness. It's a little step back from the life I was living before, but it's funny how a sense of purpose and being valued as a team member can really bring happiness � no matter what you're doing.»

As Read On The Athletic - Why a first-round pick walked away from the NHL � and found peace doing odd jobs

As Read On Oilers Daily - Oilers defenceman retires from hockey to work odd jobs odd jobs