Athletes are humans, too. Rich Peverley collapses on bench

We are often reminded that sport, although entertaining, can be dangerous.  Athletes are humans after all, and an NHL game on Monday night brought a scare to everyone watching.

Less than seven minutes into the first period between the Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets, Stars forward Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench.  He was immediately tended to by medical personnel before being taken to the hospital.  After a lengthy delay, and with the players on both teams stunned, the NHL elected to postpone the rest of the game.  The NHL released the following statement shortly after:

            “Dallas player Rich Peverley is doing well and is in stable condition. He has been transported to the hospital. As a result of the emotional state of the players on both teams caused by the medical emergency, the game is being postponed. We apologize for any inconvenience and we thank the fans.”

Video: Rich Peverley collapses on Dallas Stars bench

Peverely was conscious upon being transferred to a local hospital for further evaluation, according to the Stars.  "First thing Rich asked me when I spoke to him was, 'How much time left in the period?' You know, typical athlete," said Coach Lindy Ruff. "When he dropped. It was red alert. Don't worry about the game. It was about getting the doctors."

Peverely had a procedure before the season to correct an irregular heartbeat. From the Dallas News, Stars GM Jim Nill said:  “It turns out he had an `a-fib’ condition.  He’ll be out three weeks and should be available close to the start of the season. He might miss one or two games.”

Nill said the procedure entailed shocking the heart and getting it back into rhythm. He also said that the training staff did a good job of picking up the problem when looking at his EKG during his physical.

“The medical staff did a great job, they recognized this,” Nill said. “They picked it up on the EKG, and he’s going to be fine.”

But the heart issue resurfaced last week. Peverely "felt strange" after a game on March 3 and then missed the Stars' next game against Columbus on March 4. He returned to the lineup on Thursday, March 6.

“It was the same thing,” Coach Lindy Ruff told the Dallas News. “He’s been monitoring it the whole year and this might have been the first or second time it’s come around, but it’s something he has to deal with and it’s something that obviously we’re aware of.”