NHL player 'doing very well' after suffering cardiac episode during Blues-Ducks game

The player with the NHL's St. Louis Blues who was rushed to the hospital after collapsing on the bench during Tuesday night's game against the Anaheim Ducks appears to be on the mend, the team's general manager said Wednesday.

Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, 36, suffered a cardiac episode and collapsed on the St. Louis bench after completing his shift, according to Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong. The remainder of the game was postponed.

During a press conference Wednesday, Armstrong said Bouwmeester was doing "very well," and undergoing a battery of tests to determine what caused him to collapse. Players were able to visit Bouwmeester in the hospital Tuesday night and said he was in good spirits.

The incident late Tuesday caused a rush of medical attention to the NHL star.

Medical trainers and team physicians were able to stabilize Bouwmeester, who was alert and moving all of his extremities as he was transported to UC Irvine Medical Center, the statement said.

"Currently, Jay is conscious and alert as he undergoes further testing by Anaheim's physicians," said the statement, which was released late Tuesday night local time.

Bouwmeester had returned to the bench after a long shift about halfway through the first period, when he appeared to fall slowly to the floor.

The game, which was tied 1-1 at the time, was postponed following the incident. The Ducks announced that the contest would be made up at a later date.

The Blues will play their regularly scheduled game in Las Vegas on Thursday, the team confirmed.

A veteran defenseman, Bouwmeester was the third overall pick in the 2002 NHL draft and a member of the Blue's Stanley Cup-winning team last season. He ranks second among active defensemen with 1,241 career games played, behind only Boston's Zdeno Chara.