Vancouver Canucks' star forward Brock Boeser struggled to find his passion for hockey this past season. His on-ice performance reflected that, but it was made even more apparent when, nearing the March 3rd trade deadline, rumors surfaced that Boeser had expressed interest in a potential trade, urging his agent to explore options around the league. In a candid interview with Iain McIntyre of Sportsnet following his end-of-season press conference, Boeser revealed the profound impact his father's passing had on his mental health and how it affected his relationship with the sport. Boeser publicly withdrawing his trade request during the press conference and shared : <q>«I'm being pretty open with you right now it's not easy to explain this to teammates, especially when they haven't been through it in life...»</q> He continued : <q>«I don't want to tell people that I hated the game. I never really, truly hated the game of hockey but « </q> He resented it? <q>Yes, exactly.</q> The 26-year-old Boeser kept his feelings to himself, which likely made healing even more challenging. Even if it was not easy for him, he shared more : <q>«It was a long year; I went through some stuff. I'm trying to explain this right. It's hard for people to understand the aftereffects of what I went through. Unless you really go through this, you can't understand what it's like dealing with a (dying) family member. I really blamed hockey for not being home with my dad. That was a big challenge I worked through this year. And with my hand injury, then the trade rumours, and I wasn't playing good - it just all was a lot.»</q> While Boeser initially sought a new beginning by requesting a trade, he later retracted it upon realizing that what he truly needed was closure. <q>I took a step back and remembered that playing in the NHL was both my dad's and my dream,</q> He also explained that he found peace with it: <q>Why am I holding it against why am I angry? I think I just got to a point where I became at peace with it. I'm not going to lie, there were some days that were hard to come to the rink.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/SadClubCommish/status/1649431956747337728'> </a></blockquote></div> But he continued with : <q>But the last month, I've been excited to come to the rink. I don't want the season to end. And I'm really excited to start training because I have another level to my game. I haven't gotten there yet, but I know I can get there and that's where my head's at. [...] .I kept pushing through and I found that fire and drive again. It's just really exciting to me, just feeling that again.</q> Boeser concluded the 2022-23 season with 18 goals, 37 assists, and a total of 55 points in 74 games. But the good news is that he rediscovered his desire to be a Canuck and is looking forward to growing under the guidance of head coach Rick Tocchet. Finally, Boeser confirmed that even if it was out of his control, he wanted to play for the Canucks. As Read on HockeyFeed - <a href='https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/brock-boeser-resented-hockey-and-explains-why-he-wanted-out-amidst-mental-struggles?fbclid=IwAR3Zt9TU24ORAeBRVO-vKhDoycMiuW-K7C7_X0IsHuDcSnBb8U10Sd29Heo' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Brock Boeser resented hockey and explains why he wanted out amidst mental struggles</a>