Patrik Laine has made several media appearances in recent weeks to discuss his struggles with mental health. On Saturday, the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat published an exclusive interview whose title translates to “This is how Patrik Laine's life collapsed.”
The article is behind a paywall but several excerpts have appeared in various Finnish media outlets, including Jatkoaika, Ilta-Sanomat and Iltalehti.
A couple of weeks ago, Laine appeared on the Spitting Chiclets podcast, which The Hockey News’ Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens sites both picked up on:
Patrik Laine Almost Quit Hockey
Patrik Laine Appears On The Spittin' Chiclets Podcast And Opens Up About His Time With Columbus
On the podcast, he talked about his former obsession with gaming and the depression that made him question whether he wanted to continue playing.
Laine's segment on Spitting Chiclets runs from 2:18 to 3:15.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BsFu5LjGzw[/embed]
“I didn't know if all this was worth sacrificing my own mental health,” Laine was quoted in the Finnish interview. “I felt like I would go completely crazy if I played.”
On Spitting Chiclets, Laine spoke about his father got him into hockey.
In the Finnish interview, Laine revealed that he was devastated by the death of his father in November 2021. Laine was sitting on the couch at his girlfriend’s place when his sister called and was put on speakerphone.
“We can't tell Patrik yet, but his father is dead,” his sister said in tears, not knowing Laine was present.
After that, Laine dealt with his grief by delving more into his gaming habit to the point where he wasn’t getting enough sleep. Then the panic attacks started, which caused him to miss the 2023 IIHF World Championship in his hometown of Tampere.
Laine was diagnosed with depression in the summer of 2023 and entered the NHL’s treatment program in January 2024. He spent six months in the program, where he continued to collect his NHL salary, which is worth $8.7 million US. However, Laine claims, “I would have taken that break even if I hadn’t received a salary for that time.”
Since leaving the program, Laine continues to see a therapist and has changed several aspects of his lifestyle – he’s stopped playing video games, manages his money better and has turned to religion, attending church regularly with his now wife.
“I'm not quite going door to door preaching about Jesus yet, but little by little it has progressed,” he said.
Laine also used to own several luxury cars, including a yellow Lamborghini.
“We didn’t have anything extra when I was a child,” said Laine. “I don’t come from a rich family and it was my dream to own a fast car. I got it, but those days are over.”
He added, “In the summer I still had a McLaren, but I called my financial manager and said I don’t need such an expensive car. That’s just stupid.”
Laine now drives a Genesis SUV.
–