St. Louis defenseman Jay Bouwmeester was conscious and alert after suffering a cardiac episode and collapsing on the bench during Tuesday's game against the Ducks at Anaheim, Calif.
Bouwmeester, 36, crumpled over after a long shift and during a break in play. Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong said Bouwmeester was awake, alert and moving his arms and legs as he was taken to a hospital. He remained in the hospital late Tuesday and was undergoing tests.
The Blues were supposed to fly to Las Vegas, where they are scheduled to play Thursday, but remained in Southern California. The team is expected to provide an update on Bouwmeester's condition Wednesday.
"Thankfully, with the quick response of our medical trainers, Anaheim medical trainers and their team physicians, they were able to stabilize Jay," Armstrong said.
St. Louis radio announcer Chris Kerber said a defibrillator was used.
Bouwmeester slumped over with 7:50 left in the first period. He appeared to be grabbing a drink of water when he began to slowly fall. Emergency medical personnel rushed to the Blues bench.
Bouwmeester is in his 17th NHL season is known for his strong skating and conditioning. He was playing in his 57th game this season and 1,241st of his NHL career. He skated 1:20 in his last shift before collapsing and logged 5:34 of ice time in the game.
Tampa Bay 2, Pittsburgh 1 (OT): Yanni Gourde's wrist shot from in close 2:45 into overtime gave the visiting Lightning its eighth straight victory. Jason Zucker played 15:26 in his debut with Pittsburgh after being acquired in a trade with the Wild on Monday night. He skated on the top line with Sidney Crosby. "I don't think I played very well tonight," Zucker said. "My hands were terrible. I pretty much mishandled every puck."
