Rich Peverley’s season is over. Whether the 31-year-old Stars forward still has an NHL career has yet to be determined.
For now, the plan is for Peverley to undergo a heart procedure at the Cleveland Clinic -- a procedure that was originally scheduled for the off-season, but has understandably been pushed up after he suffered a “cardiac event” and collapsed on the bench Monday in a game versus the Blue Jackets in Dallas.
Stars blog DefendingBigD covered today’s press conference in Dallas, which included Peverley, coach Lindy Ruff, general manager Jim Nill and team doctors Robert Dimeff and William Robertson.
Doctors are not ready to answer if the off-season procedure will allow Peverley to continue to play hockey safely.
— DefendingBigD (@DefendingBigD) March 12, 2014
By the time they got Peverley back to the hallway, they couldn't find a pulse. Took about 1 more minute to get the AED set up and shock him
— DefendingBigD (@DefendingBigD) March 12, 2014
Peverley is wearing a specialized device at the moment that automatically detects his heart rhythm and can deliver a shock if necessary
— DefendingBigD (@DefendingBigD) March 12, 2014
Peverley is signed through next season for a cap hit of $3.25 million.
Update: Here’s Peverley offering his gratitude to those who helped him, and also all those who lent their support: