After being traded to the Buffalo Sabres in the offseason, Patrik Berglund was off to a slow start this season and the 30 year old had a limited role with the team. Then, in December, he was suspended for failing to report to a game, leading the Sabres to terminate the remainder of his contract.
On Friday, Berglund shared his side of the story for the first time in an interview with Swedish website Hockeypuls.se, with translations by Uffe Bodin on Twitter. He suggested some level of unhappiness during his time with the Sabres, and expressed regret in letting the team down.
Warning: NSFW language follows.
From the sounds of things, it seems that time away from hockey will be good for Berglund to regroup mentally. He doesn’t explicitly describe the specific issues that he’s battling — and we’re cautious to diagnose off an interview — but it certainly seems to be bigger than the sport or his role with any one team. As he says, the money isn’t worth his happiness.
Robin Lehner, now of the New York Islanders, is another player who has benefitted from taking time away from the NHL recently. He exited midway through a game last season while with the Sabres, and then later revealed in a first-person essay that he had checked into rehab to address longstanding issues with addiction and a bipolar diagnosis.
Since returning to the ice this season, Lehner has played well, even winning ten of his last 11 games. It’s great to see things going well for him again, and hopefully, the time away from the sport — whether short or long-term — can have a similar effect for Berglund.
h/t Hockeypuls.se
