Patrik Siehlin was forced to retire after suffering a number of concussions.
Now the 32-year-old is opening up about how he first discovered it.
-I scored a goal and patted my head. “Then there were stars and I almost collapsed,” he says on Hockeymorning with Sportbladet.
Former national team forward Patrik Siehlen suffered his first concussion in ten years, while playing in the American Hockey League.
– I was beaten in the first period and felt a little dizzy, he says in the Hokimorgon studio.
Sihlin finished the match and fell asleep immediately after returning home, which was unusual. But he didn’t realize he had a concussion.
– It can be hard to know when you’ve never had it before. I played another game after traveling eight hours by bus. Then I scored a goal and got a pat on the head. Then there were stars and I almost collapsed. Then I thought something was wrong, so I stepped aside and said I wasn’t feeling well.
“You didn’t listen to the body”
It took three and a half months before Patrik Sihlen returned to action. He himself thinks it’s because he keeps playing even though he feels like something isn’t right.
– But it’s easy to be too late.
It is difficult to give a direct answer on how many concussions he has suffered since then, but the 32-year-old estimates he has suffered four or five concussions that have resulted in him being sidelined for an extended period.
– My problem is that I didn’t really listen to my body in the second and third turn. Then I became very sensitive. The final explosions weren’t that strong, but my body couldn’t handle that energy.
Suffering from mental illness
Patrik Siehlin played both JVM and WC for Sweden. He started his career in Djurgården and played his last hockey game with Luleå in 2018.
In July 2021, he officially ended his career due to the effects of concussions and mental illness.
-For me, it was mostly that you learn a lot about being a hockey player. Then when it’s taken from you, you end up out there on your own and don’t really know who you are or what you want, Siehlen says and continues:
– It can be very dangerous to see yourself only by what you do or what you do.
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