{"id":237522,"date":"2026-04-09T00:37:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T00:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/09\/senators-linus-ullmark-lays-bare-emotional-toll-of-recent-struggles-i-am-broken\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T00:37:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T00:37:01","slug":"senators-linus-ullmark-lays-bare-emotional-toll-of-recent-struggles-i-am-broken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/09\/senators-linus-ullmark-lays-bare-emotional-toll-of-recent-struggles-i-am-broken\/","title":{"rendered":"Senators&#8217; Linus Ullmark lays bare emotional toll of recent struggles &#8211; &#8220;I am broken&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"5151009\" data-slug-id=\"2764526\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ottawa Senators goaltender <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/linus-ullmark\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Linus Ullmark<\/a> provided a raw update on his mental health journey this week, revealing the ongoing battle he faces while simultaneously being honored for his perseverance with a Bill Masterton Trophy nomination.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to select reporters on Wednesday after learning of his nomination, Ullmark didn&#8217;t sugarcoat his current state and offered candid insights into the daily struggle that continues even months after his return from a leave of absence.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I am broken, and I&#8217;m still not fully, completely healed,&#8221; Ullmark admitted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The 32-year-old Swedish netminder pointed out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/news-brady-tkachuk-s-father-keith-seemingly-takes-dig-senators-goalie-linus-ullmark-panthers-players-rest-management\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">double standard that exists between physical and mental health injuries<\/a> in professional sports.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;If we say [Thomas Chabot] has his injury, no one is going to question that. But just because I&#8217;ve been playing and all that, and all of a sudden I&#8217;m not available. People just started attacking me [saying], &#8216;Oh, he needs to play.&#8217; He needs to be available. This is what we pay him for.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Referencing his unavailability for a crucial late-March start against the Lightning, Ullmark said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I am very much trying my very hardest every single day to be there. And I was not having the best of days leading up to the Tampa game.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Ullmark&#8217;s struggles trace back to December, when pressure both on and off the ice reached a breaking point for the netminder during a game against Toronto. The crisis forced him to step away from the team for six weeks, seeking professional help through the NHL\/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>Linus Ullmark dubs Bill Masterton Trophy nomination &#8220;bittersweet&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p>This week, the Ottawa chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association named Ullmark the Senators&#8217; nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.<\/p>\n<p>Ullmark shared that he was honored and &#8220;thankful&#8221; to be nominated and thanked everyone for their support throughout the journey. However, he also admitted that the nomination was still &#8220;bittersweet&#8221; for him.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s both good and bad in a way,&#8221; Ullmark said. &#8220;You don&#8217;t really want it because that means you&#8217;ve gone through a lot of stuff, and it means that you&#8217;re going through hardships that maybe people don&#8217;t want you to go through.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The nomination recognizes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/news-linus-ullmark-makes-feelings-known-crowd-s-loud-cheer-return-leave-absence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">his journey back from mental health struggles<\/a> but it&#8217;s an honor that comes with the acknowledgment of significant personal pain.<\/p>\n<p>Linus Ullmark has so far recorded a 26-12-8 record in 47 games with a goals against average of 2.82 and a save percentage of .887 this season with the Senators.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\" title=\"like article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\" title=\"dislike article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Anjum Rajonno<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/news-senators-linus-ullmark-lays-bare-emotional-toll-recent-struggles-i-broken\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark provided a raw update on his mental health journey this week, revealing the ongoing battle he faces while simultaneously being honored for his perseverance with a Bill Masterton Trophy nomination. Speaking to select reporters on Wednesday after learning of his nomination, Ullmark didn&#8217;t sugarcoat his current state and offered candid [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":237523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6806],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-237522","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gossip"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}