St. Louis Blues Player Jay Bouwmeester Collapses on Bench After Suffering Cardiac Arrest

A Tuesday night battle between the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks was postponed by the NHL midway through the first period. Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester experienced a cardiac episode with 7:50 remaining in the period. He was taken from the bench on a stretcher and transported to the hospital.

According to NHL.com, the 36-year-old Bouwmeester was conscious and alert en route to the hospital. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said that the hockey player was moving his arms and legs.

“Thankfully, with the quick response of our medical trainers, Anaheim medical trainers, and their team physicians, they were able to stabilize Jay,” Armstrong said in a statement from the team.

Bouwmeester was reportedly reaching for a bottle of water when he slumped over on the bench. Teammates Vince Dunn and Alex Pietrangelo called for help, and medical personnel rushed over to the Blues’ bench. St. Louis’ radio announcer Chris Kerber revealed that a defibrillator had been used.

“Tonight’s game between the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks has been postponed by the NHL due to a medical emergency that occurred at 12:10 of the first period involving defenseman Jay Bouwmeester,” the NHL said in a statement. “A decision on when the game will be played will be made in the near future.”

The Blues were supposed to fly to Las Vegas following Tuesday’s game. They have a game scheduled for Thursday. However, the team remained in Southern California overnight. The team will provide an update on Bouwmeester’s status Wednesday afternoon.

Bouwmeester was appearing in the 1,241st game of his NHL career and had logged 5:34 of ice time prior to the incident. He was in the midst of his eighth season with the team and had just won the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career last season.

The NHL has previously postponed a game due to a medical emergency. Rich Peverley of the Dallas Stars suffered a cardiac episode against the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 10, 2014. He had an irregular heartbeat and had to be treated and later transported to the hospital. This incident was similar in that a defibrillator was used. Peverley was also alert en route to the hospital.

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