NHL veteran opens up about his drug, alcohol and depression issues.

Veteran NHLer shares incredibly personal details about his struggles.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 7 years ago
NHL veteran opens up about his drug, alcohol and depression issues.
Keystone Press

It looks like this story may have a happy ending, with veteran forward Devin Setoguchi being offered a professional tryout with the Los Angeles Kings, but he recently opened up and shared his very sad story with David Pollak of The Hockey News.

Setoguchi didn't hold anything back either, sharing intimate details about his lowest lows, including a period of his life where he was drinking two 26-ounce bottles of Jameson every single day. It was his alcohol abuse as well as his problems with cocaine and ambien that eventually landed him in rehab.

It was Setoguchi's description of the moment where it all came crashing down on him that really put thinks into perspective, after literally coughing up blood as a result of stomach and liver issues caused by his alcohol abuse, Setoguchi swore off alcohol for good. That promise didn't even last the day and unfortunately he only made it to the airport bar where he broke down.

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“I ordered a double Jameson and boom, shot it back, had another one, shot it back,” Setoguchi said. “I sat there for an hour until the floodgates opened and I started bawling. I just sat there and I cried and I cried and I cried. The bartender said, ‘Are you OK?’ And I’m like, ‘No, but keep pouring me drinks.’ ”

Setoguchi would thankfully bounce back, and after playing this past season in Europe he now has a legitimate chance to make it back into the National Hockey League, and when you consider all he's had to overcome to get here, it's hard not to root for him.

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