Blues D-man out even for playoffs

Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has been ruled out from returning to play in the regular season or in the playoffs.

In a news conference at the Enterprise Center, Bouwmeester spoke to reporters for the first time since he collapsed on the bench in the first period during a game at the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 11.

“It was a scary thing, but its been going pretty good lately,” he said. “We’ll continue to evaluate things as it goes. I’m at the point now where I feel pretty good.”

The Blues were hosting their annual fathers trip when they played in Anaheim.

Bouwmeester said there was no warning anything was about to happen.

“Everything up to that point was normal,” Bouwmeester said. “I hadn’t been sick, or had much going on. It was completely out of the blue.”

Bouwmeester said he’s been moved by the response he has received from people.

“It’s all been so humbling,” he said. “It’s a small world. People really do care.”

The 36-year-old Edmonton native was hospitalized at the UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange County, Calif., and spent five nights in the hospital. Bouwmeester had a cardioverter defibrillator implanted into his chest. It is a device that monitors heart function. It also can deliver a shock to the heart if an arrhythmia happens to restore a regular heartbeat.