A month ago, the star Mario Kempe and Luleå broke up with each other. The SHL club believed that the divorce was due to the fact that the NHL-qualified forward did not want to remain with the team or the city. Kempe himself, who had to endure mockery and hatred from his own supporters, now tells in a long interview with The evening paper that he struggles with mental illness.
– I didn’t feel well in Luleå and it was enough to see the hall and I got anxiety. It’s been like this since last summer when I came back from my second tough knee injury. I contacted my agent early and said that it might be best for me to leave Luleå.
Kempe: Has performance anxiety
But despite that, Kempe chose to stay in Luleå at the start of the season.
– I also spoke to Luleå about my anxiety and depression and I said that I cannot perform when I feel like this. Luleå’s doctor gave me anxiety medication to make me feel better.
Kempe explains his condition with performance anxiety.
– When I felt that I could not perform on the ice, I ended up in a downward spiral. I had no energy and had trouble sleeping. It was a stress to come back after the knee problems.
Kempe now plays in Lugano, Switzerland. He says it might suit him to play abroad and be a little under the radar.
SVT Sport has applied for Luleå’s sporting director Stefan “Skuggan” Nilsson.
