Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner has spoken for the first time in two years about his injury issues and an ongoing attempt to return to the league.
In an interview with in the Las Vegas Review-Journal – the 33-year-old Swedish goaltender pushed back on claims that he was unreachable and expressed his frustration over his prolonged return to the ice as well as a Chapter 7 bankruptcy battle.
‘I don’t need sympathy or anything; screw that,’ he said during an exclusive phone interview with the Review-Journal.
‘Bring up something that’s true and I can take it like a man. But everything is fake. No one has any idea what has happened to my family and my life after a lot of these things, and a lot of, obviously, people will see in the future what actually happened.’
‘But this is portraying me like I go AWOL and don’t answer anyone,’ said Lehner, who did not tell the paper where he was living – but said that he is still in contact with family and loved ones.
Lehner also told the outlet that he previously had granted power of attorney to his lawyer, Zach Larson – but he hadn’t spoken to Larson since December of 2023 when the goaltender couldn’t continue paying his legal fees.
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner spoke to the media for the first time in 2 years
Lehner addressed his ongoing bankruptcy and legal issues, as well as his personal struggles
‘But unfortunately, different circumstances … will come out in the future, and people can judge me about that. I could not keep paying,’ Lehner said.
‘And when I couldn’t keep paying, well, let’s just lie to the court and now the (news)papers are saying this and it looks great for me (as) a father,’ he said sarcastically.
In text messages with the paper after their phone interview had concluded, Lehner also denied a court filing which claimed that he and his wife were selling clothes, shoes, and other items – claiming they don’t exist.
Lehner believes that the negative attention he has been getting from this bankruptcy case is harming his reputation.
‘When I actually had a pretty good reputation built up since I was in rehab with a great year in Long Island [with the New York Islanders] — best organization ever,’ Lehner said.
‘Up to Chicago [Blackhawks], it was amazing. And Vegas [Golden Knights], I said it from the beginning, cutthroat, I don’t give a s—t. They don’t have any feelings and that’s why they win. Is it a good thing? Is it how it’s supposed to be? I don’t know. We can debate it. I don’t care.’
Lehner didn’t comment on his physical state or the injuries which have kept him off the ice since after the 2021-22 season.
He also declined addressing if these injuries, and the surgeries he’s undergone to fix them, have spelled the end of his career in the NHL.
Lehner has not played in the NHL since the 2021-22 season after injuries derailed his career
The 33-year-old netminder also spoke about a reptile farm that he owned which garnered a lot of attention after the former owner of the farm was murdered by his wife. He said he ‘tried to do a good thing’ with the animals on the property but that the way it was reported was ‘not even close to what all these guys are saying.’
Lehner is in the final year of his contract with the Golden Knights. After he failed to report to a physical in order to remain on ‘long-term injury reserve’, an agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA allowed Vegas to pay Lehner his season’s salary without it counting against the salary cap.
Later on Friday, Lehner posted a series of lengthy tweets after the Review-Journal article was published. DailyMail.com cannot verify the authenticity of these tweets, but have reached out to Lehner’s agent, the NHL, the NHL Players Association, and the Vegas Golden Knights for comment or confirmation that the tweets did come from him.
Lehner was drafted 46th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. He would go on to play for Ottawa, the Buffalo Sabres, the Islanders, the Chicago Blackhawks, and Vegas.
In the NHL, Lehner twice won the Jennings Trophy as a part of the goalie tandem with the least goals conceded in the league. In 2019, he also won the Bill Masterton trophy – an award given to a player who ‘best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.’
Lehner has previously gone public about his struggles with bipolar I disorder as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.
