Tucker Poolman’s NHL journey came to an unexpected and deeply personal end - not with a final buzzer or a farewell game, but with a diagnosis that changed everything.
The former Vancouver Canucks defenseman has opened up about the health battle that quietly brought his career to a close. It all began after a game against the Edmonton Oilers on January 25, 2022.
The next morning, Poolman woke up feeling off - dizzy, lightheaded, and overwhelmingly fatigued. At first, it was hard to pinpoint.
But it didn’t take long before the symptoms escalated.
In his next appearance, Poolman logged less than eight minutes of ice time before being pulled from the game. He was experiencing numbness in his face, hands, and torso - a terrifying development for any athlete, let alone one playing a high-speed, high-contact sport like hockey.
He made a brief return to the lineup in April that same year, but it was clear something still wasn’t right. After just seven shifts, he pulled himself from the game, telling himself, *“There’s no way I’m playing well right now.
Also, I’m probably going to hurt myself.” * He described the sensation as his body shutting down.
“I thought I was going to go crashing into the boards,” he said.
Despite a summer of rest and rehab that brought some hope, Poolman’s attempted comeback the following season lasted only three games. Those would turn out to be the final games of his NHL career.
For months, Poolman searched for answers. He visited specialists across North America, chasing a diagnosis that remained elusive. Finally, on March 9, 2023, he was diagnosed with Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopathy (AAG), a rare autoimmune disorder that affects the autonomic nervous system - the part of the body that controls things like blood pressure, heart rate, and digestion without conscious effort.
With a diagnosis in hand, Poolman began treatment, and for a while, the “flare-ups” that had plagued him began to ease. He even started working out again at home, holding onto the hope that he might still have a shot at returning to the ice. But the symptoms returned, and the comeback attempt was short-lived.
He began another round of treatment, which he responded to well, but the reality was becoming clear: this wasn’t something he could simply rehab his way through. “The medication helps,” Poolman said, “but at this point, I don’t think I’m ever going to get back to 100%.”
His wife, Jesse, shared the emotional weight of the journey. “We loved Vancouver.
We were excited to be there for four years. That was devastating to have that come to an end.
But overall, we were grateful he was starting to feel better.”
Poolman had signed a four-year deal with the Canucks in the 2021 offseason, but he ended up playing in only 43 games for the club. Vancouver honored the remainder of his contract before trading him, along with a fourth-round pick, to the Colorado Avalanche in 2024 in exchange for defenseman Erik Brännström.
Now, Poolman has settled in Grand Forks, where he’s found a new role in the game - one that doesn’t require a helmet or skates. He’s volunteering as a coach with the East Grand Forks Senior High boys hockey team, passing on his knowledge and experience to the next generation.
It’s not the ending he envisioned, but it’s a continuation of his connection to the sport he loves. And while the NHL chapter may be closed, Poolman’s story is far from over - it’s just taken a different path.