Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images(ANAHEIM, Calif.) — A player with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues was rushed to the hospital after collapsing on the bench during Tuesday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, causing the remainder of the game to be postponed.
Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, 36, suffered a cardiac episode and collapsed on the St. Louis bench after completing his shift, according to a statement by Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong.
Medical trainers and team physicians were able to stabilize Bouwmeester, who was alert and moving all of his extremities as he was transported to UC Irvine Medical Center, the statement said.
“Currently, Jay is conscious and alert as he undergoes further testing by Anaheim’s physicians,” said the statement, which was released late Tuesday night local time.
Bouwmeester had returned to the bench after a long shift about halfway through the first period, when he appeared to fall slowly to the floor.
The game, which was tied 1-1 at the time, was postponed following the incident. The Ducks announced that the contest would be made up at a later date.
A veteran defenseman, Bouwmeester was the third overall pick in the 2002 NHL draft and a member of the Blue’s Stanley Cup-winning team last season. He ranks second among active defensemen with 1,241 career games played, behind only Boston’s Zdeno Chara.
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.