MONTREAL -- NHL forward Jonathan Drouin opened up for the first time about why he took a surprise break from professional hockey last spring, speaking in separate interviews with RDS and TVA Sports.
Drouin, 26, revealed that he suffered from anxiety and insomnia during the Habs' 2020-21 season.
The health issues have plagued him for years, he said, but reached a peak during warm-up in the April 23 game against the Calgary Flames.
TV cameras caught him while skating, livid, when he suddenly put an end to his warm-up and headed for the locker room.
He hasn't played in an NHL game since, despite the fact that the Habs went on to the Stanley Cup final -- where they lost in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Since then, the Quebecer says he has recovered and skated last week with his teammates at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard, during the rookie camp.
The Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts native is expected to participate in the Habs training camp, which officially begins on Wednesday.
In the meantime, the Tricolore's traditional golf tournament, which usually kicks off the club's camp, will be held Tuesday, but no players, coaches or members of management will be present because of health protocols established by the NHL.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 20, 2021.
