Jump to content

Robin Lehner Opens Up About His Bipolar Disorder and Alcoholism


Brawndo

Recommended Posts

4 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Not only don't I recall any publication saying that Kane had alcohol issues, but also, I don't think he does.  I think he's a "normal" drinker and a bit of a health nut.

Really? I mean, I can't provide an exact quote or anything, but it was definitely brought up when he was going through his 'getting kicked out of bars' phase.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, sabills said:

Really? I mean, I can't provide an exact quote or anything, but it was definitely brought up when he was going through his 'getting kicked out of bars' phase.

I really don't remember that. Fighting and let's call it "issues with women," yes; not drinking.

Edited by Eleven
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, sabills said:

For the record, I also don't think that he's any more of a drinker than most of the guys in the league, but it was definitely a topic for a while. And I think the reasons for that go beyond how much he goes out.

Behavior or something else?  Or a combination?

Edited by Eleven
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

The idea that the media should have somehow “broken” this story is abhorrent to me.

If they knew and didn’t share, they absolutely made the correct call. 

It’s entertainment for us but these are real people with real issues, a fact we seem to constantly lose sight of. 

I suspect this wasn’t the only move Botterill made this summer for reasons not publicly shared.

All of this... honestly.  We ride guys and insult them and call them names on here and many of them are dealing with real demons.  They are real people with real problems and yet people come on here and degrade, belittle, insult them to such magnitudes all with the shrug of "They're professionals."  Yet, when we read a story about a player and his demons we hope for the best. 

Perhaps we start out with a bit more understanding.

1 hour ago, sabills said:

Sure brought it up with EKane though

Kane's problems happened in view of the public and he socialized them.  There's a pretty big difference.  If Lehner was out showing himself shotgunning a case of beer and acting out then I think he'd face the same criticism.

Facing thoughts of suicide over your inadequacy in life are hard enough when they are only in your head.  I can't imagine how much harder it makes life when you are in the public eye and have to hear people shouting at you on the ice, calling into radio shows, writing on comment sections and forums, all questioning whether you are worth it or not.

I'm glad he's getting help.  I hope that he stays strong and if means leaving hockey I hope he does that.  As he said, he has a family.  A wife who is clearly there for him and not his money and children who look up to him.  They are more important than a game.

 

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not surprised to see this coming out from Lehner now. He's at a tough spot in his career where he needs to try to rehab his image because he's definitely at the bottom value-wise. If he can have a decent year on the island and plead a sympathy case then maybe he can continue his career. 

It was well known in the locker room that he had these issues. The media also was aware, but as is the case with any player, it's all kept off record. A gentlemen's agreement of sorts. Cover the team, but the players personal lives and struggles are usually off limits. No Buffalo sports writer was ever going to publish Lehner's issues.

I said before that the Sabres were going to make moves to clear out some of the guys on the team with psychological issues because the team just has too many. They've moved two of those players.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, LTS said:

All of this... honestly.  We ride guys and insult them and call them names on here and many of them are dealing with real demons.  They are real people with real problems and yet people come on here and degrade, belittle, insult them to such magnitudes all with the shrug of "They're professionals."  Yet, when we read a story about a player and his demons we hope for the best. 

Perhaps we start out with a bit more understanding.

Why? Serious question. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, nfreeman said:

- While I'm sympathetic to Lehner, I'm not sure it was OK for him to withhold the information about his condition from the teams he was meeting with over the summer during his job search.

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

2.  Does he say that he withheld this information?  It almost implies the opposite when he says that the Isles "took a chance" on him.

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

I missed that quote.  And agree that there's "something there" if he withheld the drug and alcohol issues, but then again, they could have asked him to take a test if they wanted to.

1 hour ago, IKnowPhysics said:

Also, players may not be legally obligated to disclose mental illness to a team before signing a contract.  In the land of labor law, that's a good thing.

It's not my area of expertise, but my sense is that prospective employers bear legal exposure if they ask about an employment candidate's medical history (to include mental health). Now, in the realm of pro sports, there's obviously stuff like passing a physical. But I'm not sure the Islanders were entitled to know that Lehner had a mental health diagnosis.

 

 

7 minutes ago, darksabre said:

I'm not surprised to see this coming out from Lehner now. He's at a tough spot in his career where he needs to try to rehab his image because he's definitely at the bottom value-wise. If he can have a decent year on the island and plead a sympathy case then maybe he can continue his career. 

It was well known in the locker room that he had these issues. The media also was aware, but as is the case with any player, it's all kept off record. A gentlemen's agreement of sorts. Cover the team, but the players personal lives and struggles are usually off limits. No Buffalo sports writer was ever going to publish Lehner's issues.

I said before that the Sabres were going to make moves to clear out some of the guys on the team with psychological issues because the team just has too many. They've moved two of those players.

What issues were well known? That he was bipolar? Suffering from a mental illness? Or just a huge drinker?

Also: Who's the other player? O'Reilly?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Why? Serious question. 

Because it's a human thing to do?  Why we feel the need to tear others down for their faults is beyond me. As a society we've become addicted to trying to tear everyone else down. If you misspell a word someone is there to make you feel stupid.  If you make a typo in an otherwise incredibly insightful take someone is there to invalidate you as a person.

We mock, we criticize, and then we stand back and say "Just kidding bro".  What we don't take into account is that other people don't find it funny.  What we don't take into account is what the other person is going through. We act like it's no big deal. But we never ask whose standard are we supposed to use to determine that?

Keeping my statements strictly to hockey, we all know this is a game. We are all fans. We all agree that we are not going to live or die at the end of the day based on the results of our team, even if we are the most fanatical.  If we know this, why do we want to attack people to the point of moving beyond their performance on the ice and bringing personal insults into the mix?

If Robin Lehner had killed himself and left a note that said what he had said in this article and perhaps expanded more upon how his feelings of inadequacy were magnified because as his play on the ice went downhill he couldn't stand enduring the things he heard while playing, or on a talk show, or in comments sections.  How would you feel if you were one of those people who had been insulting him as a person?  Calling him worthless, etc.

We talk about how professionals should avoid these things.  They're professionals after all.  I'm a professional too.  I get paid to do a job.  We're all professionals and yet many of us spend each day browsing social media and reading websites.  We log in here and we see some discussions in here that attack others on here.  But we're professionals, so we should avoid those or learn how to ignore them right?  We know trolling is a thing, it works.  But people are professionals, they should ignore it right?  Well, the truth is, we are not professionals at ignoring people.  Robin Lehner's skill is his hockey ability.  He may be able to withstand 100mph slapshots but that does not mean he can withstand insults.

Let's say, in this case, Robin Lehner had committed suicide. If your response to that is "Well, my insult didn't kill him.", you'd probably be right. It would be incredibly hard to quantify which component of the overall bad situation was the "straw".  What can also be said is that your comment certainly didn't improve the situation.  It certainly didn't work against it.  Perhaps he never heard it and as such you say to yourself, well, if he never heard it then it could not have impacted him. I'd go along with that argument, unless you consider that your insulting statements might spark others to repeat them or add to them. Perhaps it helps build the overall negative atmosphere that contributes to the end result.  There's no way of knowing that it does, but there's 100% certainty that by NOT saying anything you will not contribute.

Even better, why not work against those who can't see how their insults can hurt those who are already hurting.  Why not try and improve the situation? Why not lobby for more understanding?  

Certainly it's much easier to simply look at a goaltender who can't stop a shootout attempt and label him as a worthless piece of crap.  He's a performing poorly as an NHL goaltender, there's no doubt.  He's not a worthless piece of crap.  As we've found out, he already thought he was worthless and inadequate. Despite wanting to be a great husband and father, he felt inadequate. In the moments when he needs all his energy to battle his own mind he now has to battle a sea of voices calling him a worthless piece of crap.

If someone were struggling to breathe you wouldn't sit on their chest to add to their pain.  But the problem with mental illness is that you can't see the struggle. It may not be there, but there's no need to add to the pain.  At best you are only adding an insult, at worst you are reinforcing the already immense struggles the person is going through to not end their life. For what?  Was it so you could make yourself feel better about a game where you've already acknowledged that you are not going to live or die by the outcome?  You might not live or die by the outcome, but Lehner might.

 

  • Like (+1) 3
  • Thanks (+1) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not surprised to hear this about Lehner.    There are many many more players in the league who suffer from these same issues, albeit to a lesser degree.     The lifestyle itself is not healthy... finishing a game late at night, getting home at midnight or later, trying to unwind and fall asleep, get up early to head back to the rink, workout/morning skate, try to take a nap in the afternoon, get amped up for game night... repeat 200 times.     It's not a natural cycle.      

When I played competitively, it often would take several hours after getting back to the dorm/hotel to try and fall asleep.    No doubt alcohol helps A LOT, you convince yourself one beer will help calm your nerves and allow you to sleep, then it's two beers, and so forth.    An easy trap to fall in to.    Personally I was able to avoid this, but knew many guys who used alcohol this way... especially pro players who's careers are at stake if they don't get proper rest.

The league really needs to help these guys earlier in their careers.... how manage sleep and rest while avoiding alcohol/depressants.       

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really hope Robin continues on a positive path.  I applaud JBOT for his compassion and concern.  One question i do have is JBOT is in contact with Robin when he is the "property" of another team.  Could this be construed as tampering?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glad the Islanders reacted well to it, and both JBOT and Lou are being supportive of his struggles.

What I do get from reading about the interviews with other teams, they really gave him a hard time and probably got to know a lot of what happened in the sabres locker room.

Edited by Huckleberry
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Tondas said:

I don't doubt you, Flagg, but could you expand on why this would not be considered tampering?

I guarantee you every single NHL GM and front office member has shared texts and phone calls with players on other teams who they know and have previously employed. 

If they were talking about getting Lehner to tank the games against the Sabres or something, or about signing him again next offseason, that's a problem. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did not read the article yet, but this just illustrates that NHL and all pro athletes are just people after all.

Many of my friends and family are ordinary folks who have serious mental health challenges, myself included.  Some with addictions, myself not included, very fortunately.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, LTS said:

Because it's a human thing to do?  Why we feel the need to tear others down for their faults is beyond me. As a society we've become addicted to trying to tear everyone else down. If you misspell a word someone is there to make you feel stupid.  If you make a typo in an otherwise incredibly insightful take someone is there to invalidate you as a person.

This.  I've had a few epiphanies lately that back this up.  It seems like, as a society, we've forgotten to be excellent to one another.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, LTS said:

Because it's a human thing to do?  Why we feel the need to tear others down for their faults is beyond me. As a society we've become addicted to trying to tear everyone else down. If you misspell a word someone is there to make you feel stupid.  If you make a typo in an otherwise incredibly insightful take someone is there to invalidate you as a person.

We mock, we criticize, and then we stand back and say "Just kidding bro".  What we don't take into account is that other people don't find it funny.  What we don't take into account is what the other person is going through. We act like it's no big deal. But we never ask whose standard are we supposed to use to determine that?

Keeping my statements strictly to hockey, we all know this is a game. We are all fans. We all agree that we are not going to live or die at the end of the day based on the results of our team, even if we are the most fanatical.  If we know this, why do we want to attack people to the point of moving beyond their performance on the ice and bringing personal insults into the mix?

If Robin Lehner had killed himself and left a note that said what he had said in this article and perhaps expanded more upon how his feelings of inadequacy were magnified because as his play on the ice went downhill he couldn't stand enduring the things he heard while playing, or on a talk show, or in comments sections.  How would you feel if you were one of those people who had been insulting him as a person?  Calling him worthless, etc.

We talk about how professionals should avoid these things.  They're professionals after all.  I'm a professional too.  I get paid to do a job.  We're all professionals and yet many of us spend each day browsing social media and reading websites.  We log in here and we see some discussions in here that attack others on here.  But we're professionals, so we should avoid those or learn how to ignore them right?  We know trolling is a thing, it works.  But people are professionals, they should ignore it right?  Well, the truth is, we are not professionals at ignoring people.  Robin Lehner's skill is his hockey ability.  He may be able to withstand 100mph slapshots but that does not mean he can withstand insults.

Let's say, in this case, Robin Lehner had committed suicide. If your response to that is "Well, my insult didn't kill him.", you'd probably be right. It would be incredibly hard to quantify which component of the overall bad situation was the "straw".  What can also be said is that your comment certainly didn't improve the situation.  It certainly didn't work against it.  Perhaps he never heard it and as such you say to yourself, well, if he never heard it then it could not have impacted him. I'd go along with that argument, unless you consider that your insulting statements might spark others to repeat them or add to them. Perhaps it helps build the overall negative atmosphere that contributes to the end result.  There's no way of knowing that it does, but there's 100% certainty that by NOT saying anything you will not contribute.

Even better, why not work against those who can't see how their insults can hurt those who are already hurting.  Why not try and improve the situation? Why not lobby for more understanding?  

Certainly it's much easier to simply look at a goaltender who can't stop a shootout attempt and label him as a worthless piece of crap.  He's a performing poorly as an NHL goaltender, there's no doubt.  He's not a worthless piece of crap.  As we've found out, he already thought he was worthless and inadequate. Despite wanting to be a great husband and father, he felt inadequate. In the moments when he needs all his energy to battle his own mind he now has to battle a sea of voices calling him a worthless piece of crap.

If someone were struggling to breathe you wouldn't sit on their chest to add to their pain.  But the problem with mental illness is that you can't see the struggle. It may not be there, but there's no need to add to the pain.  At best you are only adding an insult, at worst you are reinforcing the already immense struggles the person is going through to not end their life. For what?  Was it so you could make yourself feel better about a game where you've already acknowledged that you are not going to live or die by the outcome?  You might not live or die by the outcome, but Lehner might.

 

Some deep thoughts right there, good post LTS

 

I feel sad for him and it is as you are saying very hard to see this unless you live with the person 24 hours a day.
Robin had his issues and this probably explains alot about his gameplay.
I am sure Buffalo Sabres would have helped the dude out if they only knew but obviously noone did,
the signs was most likely there but yea.. sad story.

Ive said some rough stuff about his gameplay and i wont take it back because it just was really bad, knowing the facts this could be a reason id say damn bro sorry, guess we will know when next season ends. 

The world is a cruel place indeed and i hope Robin turns this around, there is a saying ..


- " Time consumes everything, it is just a matter of time " 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

It's not my area of expertise, but my sense is that prospective employers bear legal exposure if they ask about an employment candidate's medical history (to include mental health). Now, in the realm of pro sports, there's obviously stuff like passing a physical. But I'm not sure the Islanders were entitled to know that Lehner had a mental health diagnosis.

 

 

What issues were well known? That he was bipolar? Suffering from a mental illness? Or just a huge drinker?

Also: Who's the other player? O'Reilly?

Yes to each question.

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is OLD. A NEW topic should be started unless there is a VERY SPECIFIC REASON to revive this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...