Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner has spoken out for the first time in two years about his injury issues and his ongoing push to return to the league.

In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal – the 33-year-old Swedish goalkeeper dismissed claims that he was unavailable and expressed frustration with his long return to the ice as well as a Chapter 7 bankruptcy dispute.

“I don’t need sympathy or anything; Screw it,” 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 it’s all fake. “Nobody has any idea what happened to my family and my life after all these things, and of course many people in the future will see what actually happened.”

“But that portrays me as going away and not answering anyone,” said Lehner, who did not tell the newspaper where he lived — but said he was still in touch with his family and loved ones.

Lehner also told the outlet that he previously gave his attorney, Zach Larson, power of attorney – but he has not spoken to Larson since December 2023, when the goalie was unable to pay his legal fees.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner spoke to the media for the first time in two years

Lehner addressed his ongoing bankruptcy and legal problems, as well as his personal problems

“But unfortunately different circumstances will arise in the future and people can judge me based on that.” “I couldn’t keep paying,” said Lehner.

“And if I couldn’t keep paying, then we’ll just lie to the court and now it’s in the (newspapers) and it looks great to me (as a) father,” he said sarcastically.

In text messages to the newspaper after her phone interview concluded, Lehner also disputed a court filing that claimed he and his wife sold clothing, shoes and other items – claiming they didn’t exist.

Lehner believes the negative attention he is receiving from this bankruptcy case is damaging his reputation.

“Since I’ve been in rehab and had a great year on Long Island (with the New York Islanders), I’ve actually built a pretty good reputation – the best organization ever,” Lehner said.

“It was unbelievable up to Chicago (Blackhawks). And Vegas (Golden Knights), I said it from the beginning, cutthroat, I won’t admit it. They have no feelings and that’s why they win. Is it a good thing? Is it as it should be? I don’t know. We can discuss it. I don’t care.’

Lehner did not comment on his physical condition or the injuries that have kept him off the ice since the 2021/22 season.

He also declined to address whether those injuries and the surgeries he underwent to repair them spelled the end of his NHL career.

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 he owned that gained widespread attention after the farm’s previous owner was murdered by his wife. He said he was “trying to do something good with the animals on the property” but the way it was reported was “not even close to what all these people are saying.”

Lehner is in the final year of his contract with the Golden Knights. After he failed to report to a doctor in order to remain on “long-term injury reserve,” an agreement between the NHL and NHLPA allowed Vegas to pay Lehner his season salary without counting it against the salary cap.

Later 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 has reached out to Lehner’s agents, the NHL, the NHL Players Association and the Vegas Golden Knights for comment or confirmation that the tweets actually came from him.

Lehner was drafted 46th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play for Ottawa, the Buffalo Sabres, the Islanders, the Chicago Blackhawks and Vegas.

In the NHL, Lehner won the Jennings Trophy twice as part of the league’s lowest goals-against goaltending tandem. In 2019, he also won the Bill Masterton Trophy – an award given to a player who “best embodies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication in ice hockey.”

Lehner has previously spoken publicly about his struggles with bipolar I disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.