Alex Pietrangelo addresses the media on Wednesday
The Central Division-leading St. Louis Blues complete what was
supposed to be a fun Dad’s Trip to Southern California and Las
Vegas when they face the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.
The first game of the trip on Tuesday night in Anaheim was
postponed with 7:50 remaining in the first period after veteran
defenseman Jay Bouwmeester collapsed on the bench during a
television timeout and sustained what the team reported was a
“cardiac episode.”
After several Blues players frantically waived for medical
personnel to come to the bench, the 36-year-old Bouwmeester left
the arena on a stretcher along with his father Dan for further
tests at UC Irvine Medical Center. He was reported to be alert and
moving all extremities despite being unresponsive on the bench
before being revived with a defibrillator.
The Blues, scheduled to fly a charter to Las Vegas immediately
after the game (which was tied 1-1 at the time of the incident),
instead remained in Orange County overnight before flying to Nevada
on Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s hard to even explain,” Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said
when asked how stunning the incident was. “It happened so fast. It
felt like it was an eternity for us. We just reacted as fast as we
could. Everybody seemed like they wanted to help and do something.
Story:Â Metro Networks
