Hall of Famer Lanny suffers cardiac event
CALGARY — Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald was hospitalized Monday, a day after suffering a cardiac event while returning from the NHL’s All-Star festivities in Toronto.
The 70-year-old McDonald wrote on a social media post Monday that he had what he described as a “cardiac event” at Calgary International Airport on Sunday, when two nurses heading to their own flights helped him when he was in distress.
“It’s true that even tough old guys need help sometimes,” McDonald wrote. His post was shared on the social media accounts belonging to the Calgary Flames alumni association.
“We are eternally grateful for their care and action … I owe them my life,” said McDonald, who didn’t have the names of the nurses.
McDonald said he was receiving care from doctors and nurses and looking forward to Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“While I hang out here as the professionals figure out next steps for the ol’ ticker, I’ll try to convince the team here to bet on the Chiefs next Sunday and never stop cheering for our Flames,” McDonald said.
McDonald totaled 500 goals and 506 assists in 1,111 games over 17 NHL seasons for Toronto, Colorado and Calgary. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. He was named to the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2022.
KUZNETSOV IN PLAYER ASSISTANCE
Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov is entering the NHL/ NHLPA player assistance program, the league and union announced Monday.
Kuznetsov will be away from the team indefinitely while he receives care. Under the terms of the program, he can return to the team for practice and then games when cleared by administrators.
The Capitals said earlier Monday that Kuznetsov was not practicing for personal reasons.
After Kuznetsov’s name was part of trade talk last summer, the 31-year-old Russian is in the middle of another disappointing season in Washington with 17 points through 43 games.
Kuznetsov is the fourth player this season announced to be in the joint NHL/NHLPA program after Columbus’ Patrik Laine and Colorado’s Samuel Girard and Valeri Nichushkin.