Field Level Media
21 Sep 2021, 05:10 GMT+10
Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin said Monday that his leave of absence from the team last season was due to anxiety and insomnia.
The 26-year-old Drouin told Canada-based RDS that he has issues with anxiety for several years and hit a breaking point before the third contest of a five-game road trip in April.
Drouin said he had gone three nights without sleep before deciding after a pregame skate in Calgary on April 23 that he couldn't play that night. The team announced his leave of absence on April 28.
"That's where it hit a wall for me. It was time to step away from the game," Drouin told RDS while discussing the situation publicly for the first time. "Literally take a step back from everything and enjoy life.
"It was hard for me to do at that time -- obviously, the playoffs were coming around."
Drouin didn't return to the team during a season in which Montreal won three playoff series to reach the Stanley Cup before falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"I'm proud of what I've done and I'm happy I did it," Drouin said. "I'm 26 years old so I wanted to do that at that point in my career and feel good for the next years."
Drouin had two goals and 21 assists in 44 games last season.
A first-round pick (third overall) by Tampa Bay in 2013, Drouin has 232 points (69 goals, 163 assists) in 393 games with the Lightning (2014-17) and Canadiens.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Toronto Telegraph news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Toronto Telegraph.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: Alphabet's self-driving division Waymo is preparing to expand its driverless ride-hailing footprint to the heart...
BENGALURU, India: A major regulatory breakthrough in India could mark a turning point for Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite internet...
NEW YORK, New York - Renewed fears about inflation, and U.S. Donald Trump's trade policies say American markets take a deep dive Friday....
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Segway is recalling about 220,000 scooters in the U.S. because of a safety issue that can cause riders to...
BEIJING, China: As global tech firms navigate rising geopolitical tensions, China has extended a warm signal to Apple, one of its most...
NEW YORK, New York - Shares in automakers fell sharply Thursday after U.S.President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on all...
STANSTEAD, Quebec: U.S. authorities have decided to end a long-standing unwritten rule that allowed people from Stanstead, Quebec,...
TORONTO, Canada: As the threat of U.S. tariffs looms, Canada is looking inward to strengthen its economy by removing domestic trade...
CALGARY, Canada: Canada's carbon pricing policy, long a central pillar of its climate strategy, is facing mounting pressure as political...
TORONTO, Canada: An initial investigation into last month's dramatic Delta Air Lines crash-landing in Toronto has revealed that the...
(Photo credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images) Toronto's Max Scherzer was given the thumbs up to start Saturday afternoon against...
Kathmandu [Nepal], March 29 (ANI): Former Australian batter Stuart Law was appointed as the new head coach of the Nepal Senior Cricket...