Quick action from medical staff on Stars' Rich Peverley impressive amid chaos

As frightening as the scene was in American Airlines Arena on Monday night when Dallas Stars' winger Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench early in the first period of the Star's match with the Columbus Blue Jackets, that's how impressive team medical personnel were in their speed and professionalism in treating the stricken 31-year-old.

Just seconds after Peverley had suffered what team physician Gil Salazar called a "cardiac event", Stars' staff were carrying Peverley back into the hallway leading to the rooms, placing him on the floor and immediately performed chest compressions and zapped him with a defibrillator, restoring a normal rhythm to his heart on the first attempt.

“We provided oxygen for him. We started an IV. We did chest compressions on him and defibrillated him, provided some electricity to bring a rhythm back to his heart, and that was successful with one attempt, which is very reassuring.” - Salazar

Reassuring indeed, and a testament to the dedication of first responders and emergency personnel and, as if one is needed, a justification and reward for the endless hours of training to prepare for just such an occasion.

Coach Lindy Ruff gets the attention of medical personnel in Dallas

"We train for episodes like this with the hopes that they never arise," said Dr. William Robertson, chief of sports medicine at UT Southwestern, whose crew reacted swiftly to the episode. "but our ability to act today quickly for Rich is a testament to the training staff and the team approach to how we prepare for these events.”

The "event", related to a previously diagnosed irregular heartbeat brought on by arterial defibrillation, follows a pattern that the team and physicians have been closely monitoring since the offseason, when Peverley had a procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat and forced him to miss the preseason schedule and the team's season opener...

...and which arose again last week when Peverley told staff that he didn't feel right after a game against Buffalo, with coach Lindy Ruff acknowledging to beat writers that Peverley was adjusting to medication related to his heart condition - missing one game at Columbus but playing twice this past weekend before Monday's scare, something that Ruff said he never wants to witness again.

“As soon as he came off the ice, he collapsed,” an obviously shaken and emotional Ruff said. “I instantly stood on the bench and started screaming up in the crowd for a doctor.  I was just screaming to let the doctors know we needed somebody ASAP, and they were there ASAP. I can tell you firsthand, it was an absolute marvel what they went through.”

All in a day's work for the folks at UT Southwestern.

“We have a specialized team that’s implemented that trains preseason with the training staff who did a fantastic job today," Robinson said on Monday evening. "and that team is made up of internal medicine doctors, orthopedic surgeons, trauma surgeons, trauma doctors, airway specialists, they’re all here to respond to incidents like this along with the Dallas Fire and Rescue paramedic staff,” 

There have been no updates since the team released word that Peverley was in stable condition, but thanks to the medical personnel on the scene, Peverley has a condition to update - and that's the best news of all.