Colin Wilson

Wilson played 11 seasons in the NHL and 632 contests, scoring 113 times and adding 173 assists. He was drafted seventh overall in 2008 and recently opened up about his struggles with OCD. “At this time, I am left to reflect on the 8-year-old kid from Winnipeg who couldn’t be dragged off a pond or outdoor rink. I can only imagine his excitement in learning of his career he would have in the NHL. I would like to thank the game of hockey for the incredible experiences and amazing people I was exposed to along my path. It is very bittersweet to retire as I leave my childhood passion behind but look forward to what comes next,” said Wilson. We wish Wilson all the best in retirement. 

Wilson was told by Predators psychologist Gary Solomon back in his 2009-10 rookie season that he had OCD. The team noticed it based on his preflight routine, which involved Wilson cleaning up every single piece of the trash around the gate and then wait to make sure he was the very last passenger on the plane. After that, he would always talk to the pilots. At the time though, he shrugged off the idea that he had OCD because he felt fine. He's coming forward with his story now though because he wonders what might have happened had he taken those initial warnings more seriously. Eventually his OCD took over his life. He'd fear things like his skates laces not being tied, so he'd retie them over and over again until his hands bled. He was in constant fear of getting injured and not being good enough and he couldn't sleep properly. To cope with that, he started alternating between taking Xanax and Seroquel, but ultimately the pills were seemed to just further amplify his poor state of mind. He hit bottom during the Predators' run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. "It became so bad that I remember when we beat Anaheim to win the Western Conference finals, everyone on the team was, of course, really happy. But all I wanted to do was go home and bawl my eyes out. I was a complete emotional wreck," Wilson recalled. Things are still difficult for him and he thinks he's probably played in his last hockey game, but since that low point in 2017, he's been seeking help from a variety of sources and that's been providing him with some positive results.

Wilson only played nine games this season, suffering a lower-body injury on October 26 and never returning to the lineup. It remains to be seen if he will be able to be healthy enough to go to training camp as he was unfit to play when the NHL resumed action in August. He had four assists in nine games and is a bottom-six forward at best, at this time.

This is not surprising after Wilson was left off Colorado's training camp roster ahead of Phase 3 of the NHL Return to Play Program. Wilson hasn't played since Oct. 26 due to a lower-body injury.