Why Ex-NHL Player Patrik Berglund Walked Away From Millions 

Patrik did so much in the St.Louis community in his time here. Class act on and off the ice. I wish him the best in anything he chooses to do in the future.

Career earnings: 35mil. He says it himself, how much money does one need? That is enough for multiple lifetimes.

This interview is incredible. Hearing from a professional athlete who left millions on the table for his own mental health paves another stone towards ending the stigma around mental health.

I had no idea he got traded because of a botched no-trade list by his agent.

I met Berglund a handful of times over the years he played here in STL. Every single time I saw him, he stopped and talked with me. I’ve met a lot of Blues players in my life, and Bergie was easily one of the nicest of all. I didn’t think anything could ever make me feel guilty for my Blues winning the Cup... But here I am, wishing Bergie could’ve been part of it. Without O’Reilly though, that Cup doesn’t come to STL. So... I guess, in a way, he played a part... lol

Patrik Berglund you are loved here in St Louis still. Thank you for all the wonderful memories.

I know exactly how he felt because I've been in a similar situation , the company i worked offered me a position in a different city that paid twice as much , i took the position and moved , six months away from friends and family started taking it's toll on me mentally , it got to a point where money and life meant nothing if i'm this unhappy , i quit and came book home , took a job that paid a lot less but i couldn't be happier .

Sounds like he needed a different agent for not sending in the NTC in time.

Wealth can't buy health

It was so obvious he wanted to play for the same team.

Perfect example of burn out. I’ve gone through this before and it debilitates you and your judgment. It takes a while to recover, I wish him and all others like him the best.

This is so important. These guys are amazing athletes but they’re still humans. They don’t need to sell their souls and happiness for this. They give up so much to play this game at that level. They deserve so much more support of their mental health.

Man U can see how unhappy he is in the video, it’s like talking about it is killing him on the inside and it seems like he really believed that st.louis was his home for probably the rest of his life

Believe me, Patrick, we wish that you were here too. You deserved to have been able to lift the Cup and celebrate with the boys.

sportsnet produces something that isn’t about the leafs

Damn, this made me tear up. Much love from St. Louis Berglund.

Anybody who has grown up playing hockey since they could walk, Can definitely understand his point of view.

The agent is lying for sure.

Really enjoyed watching this. Sad how this all went down. Enjoyed watching him while at St Louis. always wondered what really happened. Thanks to everyone involved in the interviews

This felt weird. It felt like Johnston had an angle and he couldn’t fathom why Berglund couldn’t be happy with that much money attached coming his way. Didn’t care for the guys reporting before, but this seems worse.

This is a guy that knows what he wants.

I like how honest and blunt he is about everything..doesn't sugar coat a thing.

As a Buffalo fan, I understood he wasn’t in the right mindset after his contract was terminated and I’m happy he is back in a good mindset

Seems like Blues fans still love the guy which says a lot. Swedes are often the nicest guys on the team lol. Look at Pat Hornqvist there, he is an absolute menace/pest/nuisance out there but is the most chill nice guy off the ice. Berglund also seems like a great dude that deserved to be around for that Cup run after all his years in STL and I feel bad he wasn’t able to be a part of that

Wish Berglund the best

Respect from Finland! Hope you're safe and feel better!

Completely understand his situation and I'm happy that he's better now. I'm in a similar situation except it's with schools and I can't really "call it quits".

can’t stand the media lmao. Seems like Chris is always hounding Patrik asking him questions. The guy didn’t want to be apart of it anymore and went back home.

Hope to see you back in the NHL Berglund. Take care of yourself first.

Glad that you put Peter Wallen's statement at the end so we can have both sides of the story. very classy move.

Berglund was one of the last of that core group of kids from the rebuild in the mid-late 2000's that really made hockey in St. Louis fun to watch again after suffering through some pretty horrible years around the 2004 lockout. Fans who stuck with the team through those years will always have a soft spot for the big Swede (Hell he wasn't even really one of my favorite players but I felt bad for him at how he had to watch the Blues get that cup the year he left after all that time he put in here). Especially as in the tougher years the players were much more accessible to fans and interacted with them in ways you just wouldn't see today, not now that the entire city decided to become Blues fans in the last 6-9 months. And I welcome them to the bandwagon, btw. Whatever gets people to wake up and realize what a great sport hockey is is a good thing. Especially when it comes in the form of a Cup win. Call him whatever you want, and maybe the way he left the NHL could have been handled more professionally, but I applaud any man who realizes he's miserable and needs a major change and follows his heart to do what makes him happy. Had it been the reverse situation where he was brought to STL only to leave after a couple months I wouldn't have cared, he doesn't owe me anything. Nor does he pay my bills, no sense getting worked up in things where I have no stake in the outcome. More importantly I would see it from the human angle and just be glad a fellow human was doing something to get out of a depressive funk rather than put on a front and stick around doing something that made him absolutely miserable.

Traded to Buffalo in the blockbuster deal that brought Ryan O’Reilly to St. Louis, Berglund never found his footing with the Sabres. He couldn’t find the back of the net, and was relegated to third and fourth line minutes. In 23 games, Berglund amassed just 4 points, 2 goals, for Buffalo. On Dec. 8, he played his last game before disappearing. He didn’t report for practice, inform the team, or tell a fellow player why he was leaving. He was just gone. Buffalo released him and the remaining $13 million on his contract. Berglund didn’t release a word for nearly six weeks before speaking with a Swedish newspaper in a report that was published this morning. Interviewed at his home in Vasteras, Berglund talked about losing some of his passion for the game after the trade from St. Louis, where he played since the 2008-09 season. Ten seasons in a place can build a foundation for a player, and once that is taken away, there can be some discord. Berglund was a part of the original fleet of talent assembled by Doug Armstrong. The group included Backes, Berglund, Erik Johnson, T.J. Oshie, and David Perron. While Perron has come and go twice, Berglund was all that remained before this past July sent him up north. Here was a guy who became the first European hockey player to play in 500 games for the Blues. A guy who put up 21 goals in his first season in the NHL. A big-bodied forward with soft hands and a unique skill set that never fully materialized in the NHL. Berglund couldn’t meet the expectations set out in front of him by his first round draft spot and fan expectations. He fell short, even though he put up 17 goals or more in six of his ten seasons, playing 70 or more games in seven of them. - Known as the quirky Swede who liked to party and laugh between games, Berglund was a man out of place on the ice far too often. - Streaky in the worst way, he never used his size on the ice or in the corners. He didn’t attack the net enough or make his presence known. - After the latest contract extension that didn’t need to happen, Berglund became a polarizing topic in St. Louis sports. I took my fair share of shots. Let’s face it: if you make the money Berglund did, there are expectations. There were seasons where he barely climbed over the 30 point mark. -------- It wasn’t enough.

It isn't openly said, but how can anyone ignore the 'Buffalo' factor in this unfortunate story. Its become further open knowledge that Buffalo is a toxic environment, cite O'Rielly, saying he lost the love for the game playing there. Coincidentally the person who replaced him there, 'literally' replaced him and lost their own love for the game, so badly their health suffered and they had to leave it all behind.

I respect you so much, Bergy. I wish you happiness and good health. God bless you.

Incredible interview. It is eating me up seeing the blues win without Pat, the guy deserved it. Hockey can potentially be 1/5 of your life, so why go ruin a couple of those good years with not being happy. Mental health is always first!

So inspirational! Truly a role model.

Buffalo, where Hockey players lose their love of the game...

What a great ambassador for mental health

I think it was TJ Oshie who was interviewed. He was asked, who is the funniest guy in the locker room at that time? Answered Berglund without much hesitation.

We miss you Bergie! Always a Blue in STL hearts.

Mental Health, yes. Stress, burnout and anxiety have their roles, even in the working classes day to day. But for us; "when your going through hell, you keep on going". This story is really about the communication breakdown between a player and his agent and how the lack there of brought a swifter end to a career that was ending anyway. No story book ending for Patrick but one for Ryan O who played himself out of a unfortunate situation after announcing "losing his love of hockey".(But not as easy as ROR getting off easy for driving drunk into a Tim Hortons). The other party in the story book ending is the St. Louis Blues who wanted to move on, knowing changes were needed and Berglund was just a 10 goal a season guy who couldn't lead them to the Cup and no other top ten team wanted him. Buffalo was on a rebuild and had no spot for a 30 something 10 goal a year guy either. Though the team, management and coach in Buffalo at the time offered Patrick no real hope. Nobody is really hurt here and everyone has moved on. Must be nice to be able to do that in a sports world alot of us do not really understand.

A lot of pieces missing and one major discrepancy. Berglund says there was a list that his agent failed to submit. His agent denies that a list was ever compiled by Berglund for submission. Both cannot be telling the truth. Sad state of affairs that he missed playing in the cup victory. I hope the best for his wind-down term in Sweden.

Berglund is a new hero of mine.

Man I feel so bad he wasnt able to be on our team when we won

One of my favorite moments is I was in line to see dmb or someone at riverport, and erik johnson and patrik were right behind me and my friends in line for tix, and erik acted like a jerk saying he didn't want an autograph or picture cause I recognized them, but funny thing was I didn't ask them, simply just said hey guys I love the blues me and my friends are hockey players too and can't wait to see you guys kick ass, well patrik looked at us and said well do you guys want a picture lol with an awesome laugh, we said sure took the pic and it is now a forever memory

As a Sabres fan, I had no idea he was suffering through a form of depression. I'm glad he's doing better now but the fact remains, his agent is to blame for not submitting the no trade clause list in time. While Berglund was not very good with the Sabres, he had to do what's best for his health mentally and I can respect that. If this was an act only to say I want out and had no desire to go anywhere else other than St. Louis...then I would've said he was being a whiny premadonna. The picture is much more clear now.

Nothing but a pure respect for this guy.

Blues fan here. I cant lie and say I was his biggest fan, but i had no idea about the no trade list not being sent in. We will never know if it was his fault or the agent. I'd be pretty frustrated. Good to see he is doing better mentally. I see he had 31 points in 49 games in Sweden so that's a good thing.

I always liked Bergy. Blues fans were on the fence about him, especially the season before he was traded but the dude will always be a Blue in my book. That being said the O'Reilly trade couldn't of worked out better. I'm sorry it was so tough on Berglund, the way he talks about even in this interview doesn't seem like he's really over or it or ever will ever be. I can imagine how attached you would get to a city and people after being there for that long. Really glad hes better. When the news came out he went AWOL i really worried about him.

People can say what they want about St. Louis but in both the Blues and Cardinals organizations many top tier athletes have developed a love for the city. Brett Hull, Keith Tkachuk, Ozzie Smith, Yadi Molina to name a few. Hell even Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, and Tory Holt are still involved to some degree. The fan bases treat their teams very well and it’s not big enough to be overwhelming but big enough to not be a dud. For Berglund to go from that to a team he specifically asked not to go to could be a real downer.

I can relate without the money I really hope he comes back and wins a cup

Now I am thinking of bobby ryan. I hope he is ok.

Did the sabres a favor

Hey

So the agent claims the player is responsible for sending the list of no-trade teams to the agent and that Berglund never did that. Somebody check Berglund's email please.

I like the honesty

There should've been a grievance filed with the NHLPA based on player-agent incompetence. I certainly hope Berglund isn't blackballed by the league as a result. I wish him all the best.

Why was this so vague? Does Patrick have depression? I didn't hear that word used once. The stigma is real.

I like this kind of athlete, refusing to mince words and stuff.

I'd say Patrik Berglund's personal problems were much more deep-seeded than being devastated by being traded away from a team he adored playing for, & going to another organization that was in a state of 'disrepair' & he became discouraged by the situation & thus decided to 'walk away'...a situation made even more discomforting by the fact that the team he always loved playing for had great success obviously after he was traded....in any event, sometimes you just never know what somebody might be going through privately.

Someone needs to give him a ring!

Re-upload?

The O'Reilly trade was an absolute game changer for STL however you can't help but feel for Patrik as well. It's one thing when a player is ready to move on and another when they have their heart invested into the city/organization

Would be like if an American played in sweden a foreign country a foreign city that u eventually got to know n became home n then all a sudden traded to Ydvjtgrxny, Sweden. Like wtf. Absolutely no passion to play for a really foreign city and team like nope I'll go back to my home country America n maybe play again. At least when he was playing he mustve had passion, ( I honestly thought he lost it n just going through the motions n focusing on not getting brain injuries once they get a good contract so they can sit back and play it safe as their families recommend, not everyone is Rocky IV) cause he was straight up honest when he didnt anymore like nope im done if theres no passion. Much respect Bergy.

I think that agent is going to get a bad review on yelp

Buffalo is one of, if not the most passionate Hockey cities in the US. I wish Patrik Berglund the human all the best, but man imagine being a Sabres fan and seeing this after going through almost a decade of frustrating "Hockey". I do think it's a bit inappropriate to jump on someone opening up and being honest about his situation, but there's still a lot of unanswered questions. Was it the city? Was it the Hockey? Was it the players? Was it management? Was it the media? Was it the fans, weather, food etc.? Patrik, like I said I wish you the best and I'm sorry you couldn't see the good in Buffalo. Let's go Buffalo.

People only care about your Mental Health if your Famous, an Athlete, Millionaire, etc. Don't Kid yourselves

When you find a home and it's all taken away. Try it and see how easy it is to just re-boot like you're some home pc

I’m glad he quit the team so we weren’t stuck with the cap hit for years left.

You must remember that coming from Europe over to NHL is - leaving Your Family behind etc etc... You must adapt to a whole new way of thinking & travel & language etc etc ! You need to have someone to share You daily life & talk to ! There is this Famous Movie INTO THE WILD - Where He wrote - HAPPINESS ONLY - WHEN YOU SHARE WITH SOMEONE - before He passed away at the age of 24 - Up in ALASKA !

❤️

Sorry buffalo didn't fit you Pat, As a fan of yours I was happy to get ya, but had no idea this is why. Glad your happy back home, Sorry you missed out on the Cup.

We would be more than happy to have Bergy back in the Lou in anyway that works for him.

The agent knows you call the player at the last second if there’s no list, if it had of been a superstar he would have made sure, right mr agent.

why the stupid noise in the background?

He definitely fired he’s agent

0:29 legit thought that was Dougie Hamilton

Good for him ... he must have really had the blues in Buffalo ( sorry for that one). Seriously though, I wish the reporter had better explained his family situation ( was he single?) and what exactly materialized in Buffalo to put him in such a bad frame of mind. The only Sabre interviewed was Eichel and he said he never saw this coming.

Man, I hope there aren’t any concussion issues at work here. Like Joe Murphy or Steve Montador kinds of stuff. He seems rational I suppose. Wishing the Big Swede all the best!

KENtucky Proud, Raised a #Bluenote Miss ya Bergy!

He didn’t do good in buffalo because he didn’t try, he never gave Buffalo a chance

What happened to the agent?

who disliked this????

Thats what buffalo does to you

Every player

Buffalo, man....

Crazy how many people are taking Patrik's side as it's told from this video. Given the fact that Patrik didn't sue the pants off of his agent we can easily deduce it really was his fault for not submitting the list. He was then traded from the comfort and safety of his team to an organization to a team he didn't like and put up a passive aggressive temper tantrum before ditching the team completely and now likes to play the mental health card. Stfu, the game is a business and you get traded - get over it and stop trying to pivot yourself as some sort of mental health martyr. Leafs fan btw, no skin in the game here but it's obvious

Because he thought Buffalo sucked, next question

He could've said something when he got traded

Buffalo is where careers go to die and players become depressed. It's pretty much the Jack Eichel show.

Annnnnnd, whose voice was that at 4:40? Typical shoddy Sportsnet.

I didn't realize Buffalo sucks that bad.

Did he request a trade from Buffalo? Or did he only want to play for St.Louis?

Everyone is unhappy in buffalo

sundqvist in the centene locker room

Humans also commit consequences of murder, due of depression, and suffering mental anguish. There is help available, and should seek it rather than continue carrying out atrocious behaviours. That is essentially a further trait of weakness, if not realizing to seek it for urself....

Hockey is important. But in the end, it’s just a game. He didn’t like it anymore, so he quit the nhl. Happiness doesn’t have a price.

Fun fact: Patrik Berglund is ac my cousin

Yeah, if you're unwilling to play for some team and while doing so your performance is crumbling apart, mood failing, things aggravating, u want to destroy all round. Ur done

Man, Buffalo can't be this bad....