Bouwmeester 'doing very well' after cardiac episode during game
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St. Louis Blues defenceman Jay Bouwmeester remained hospitalized and was undergoing tests Wednesday one day after suffering a cardiac episode and collapsing on the bench during a game in Anaheim.
General manager Doug Armstrong said the 36-year old Bouwmeester was unresponsive after collapsing on the bench Tuesday night. A defibrillator was used and he regained consciousness immediately before being taken to an Anaheim hospital.
"He is doing very well and is currently undergoing a battery of tests. Things are looking very positive," Armstrong said during a news conference in Las Vegas.
Teammates Vince Dunn and Alex Pietrangelo immediately called for help after Bouwmeester slumped over with 7:50 left in the first period. Emergency medical personnel rushed to the Blues bench. After a couple of minutes, Bouwmeester was taken out on a stretcher through a tunnel under the stands as players stood in shocked silence on the ice. The game was postponed.
Pietrangelo said he visited Bouwmeester in the hospital Tuesday night and the rest of team got to see him via FaceTime. The team stayed overnight in Southern California before taking a chartered flight to Las Vegas, where they will play the Golden Knights on Thursday.
"It was important for us to see him. It made everyone feel a lot better that he was in good spirits," Pietrangelo said.
The last player to collapse on an NHL bench before Bouwmeester was Dallas forward Rich Peverley in 2014. Peverley had an irregular heartbeat, and the quick response of emergency officials made sure he was OK. Detroit's Jiri Fischer had a similar episode in 2005.
That's a hell of scary thing to happen and I'm glad to hear he's doing better. And thankfully, because of previous horrible instances like this, there are AED's everywhere now and more people trained in how to use them.
CKA Uber 
