‘Looking very positive’ for Blues’ Bouwmeester
Jay Bouwmeester remained in Southern California, but the veteran Blues defenseman was alert and talking with teammates one day after collapsing on the bench during a game.
“He was in good spirits with us, typical Jay, so I think it certainly made us all feel a lot better knowing that we had the opportunity to talk to him. Typical Jay is a very good Jay,” defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said.
The 36-year old Bouwmeester suffered a cardiac episode during the first period of Tuesday night’s game against the Ducks in Anaheim, Calif. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said during a news conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday that Bouwmeester was unresponsive after collapsing on the bench. Adefibrillator was used and he regained consciousness immediately before being taken to a hospital.
“He is doing very well and is currently undergoing a battery of tests. Things are looking very positive,” Armstrong said.
Pietrangelo — who was one of the first to call for help after Bouwmeester slumped over with 7:50 left in the first period — said he visited Bouwmeester in the hospital Tuesday night and the rest of team got to see him via FaceTime. The team stayed overnight in Southern California before taking a chartered flight to Las Vegas, where they will play the Golden Knights on Thursday.
Bouwmeester’s father was at the game as part of the team’s annual dads trip and accompanied his son to the hospital.
The NHL has had standards in place to deal with potential life threatening cardiac problems for several seasons.
They include having a team physician within 50 feet of the bench. An orthopedic surgeon and two other doctors are also nearby. Defibrillators must also be in close range.
Habs’ Weber out 4-6 weeks: Canadiens All-Star defenseman Shea Weber likely will miss four to six weeks because of a sprained left ankle.
He suffered the injury Feb. 4.
Weber, 34, has 13 goals and 21 assists in 55 games this season.
One-timers: David Pastrnak had his fourth hat trick of the season and the Bruins rolled to their third straight win over the visiting Canadiens 4-1. Pastrnak took over the league lead for goals (41). The Bruins have won seven of their last eight games and are 13-0-6 at home this season. ... The Jets signed coach Paul Maurice to a multiyear contract extension. Maurice, 53, guided the Jets to the playoffs in his first six seasons. ... The league fined Wild D Matt Dumba $5,000 for slashing Knights F Ryan Reaves on Tuesday. ... Former All-Star player Jeremy Roenick will not return to NBC Sports as an analyst after his suspension for making inappropriate comments about coworkers.