Quote :

"DETROIT (CP-AP) - Detroit Red Wings defenceman Jiri Fischer collapsed on the team's bench after suffering a seizure during the first period of an NHL game against the Nashville Predators on Monday night. The 25-year-old Czech defenceman was taken to a local hospital where he was listed as stable. It was not immediately clear exactly what caused the seizure. "He's breathing on his own, he's responsive," Red Wings spokesman John Hahn said. "It looks like he's going to be OK." Play did not resume and the game was called with 7:31 left in the first period. Nashville was leading 1-0 at the time. Hahn and the arena PA announcer both said Fischer had suffered a seizure. Fischer was worked on by medical personnel for several minutes before being wheeled back toward the Red Wings dressing room. Play was stopped after the Wings alerted officials to a problem on the bench. The teams were immediately sent to their dressing rooms, but some Detroit players remained near the bench and looked on while CPR was administered. Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman and forward Brendan Shanahan stayed on the ice and helped Fischer's fiancee, Avery, across the surface to be with him. The decision was made to resurface the ice then, and the remaining time was to be added to the second period. But the game was later called. Fans at Joe Louis Arena were not immediately told what was happening and many were shown talking on cellphones. An in-house PA announcer later told the crowd that Fischer was "alert and responsive" more than 40 minutes after play was stopped. A loud cheer went up. Fischer, who played for the QMJHL's Hull Olympiques, is in his sixth NHL season and won a Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2002. Fischer was diagnosed with a heart abnormality in September 2002, causing him to miss two days of practice. The problem was found on an electrocardiogram as part of a routine battery of tests during the Red Wings' pre-season physicals. When the result was abnormal, Fischer was given a stress test that he passed. "There is a little abnormality, but nothing that will stop me from playing," Fischer said at the time. "It's nothing that will bother me emotionally." He said that his heart essentially is a little thicker than normal. "I wasn't scared about the abnormality," Fischer said. "But I was scared about not playing hockey again. That was a shock for me." "

11/21/2005 9:23:33 PM

man, how many careers and lives have been cut short by this kind of thing? irregular heartbeats and the like

here's to him coming back at full strength

11/21/2005 9:35:24 PM

That has to be absolutely terrifying to witness.

To a speedy recovery for Jiri, as well as his fiance and teammates and fans from the shock.

11/21/2005 10:06:33 PM

(it won't let me edit, has been too long)

UPDATE:

Fischer is awake and talking. Awesome.

11/21/2005 11:52:52 PM

This is really scary. I hope he will be able to return to hockey after his doctors get all of this straightened out. I know he was really upset when they found the abnormal heart beat. He was terrified of never playing hockey again. I hope he is able to make a full recovery soon!

11/22/2005 1:08:05 AM

go wings

get better big j

11/22/2005 1:43:12 AM

^^i woudlnt be suprised to never see him on the ice again.

11/22/2005 10:35:34 PM

he's a fuckstick

but i hope he makes it out alright

11/23/2005 2:15:48 PM

I don't understand why they postponed the game. In football when a guy goes down and can't get up they don't just end the game. Not to make light of the situation, just seems that they would finish the game.

11/23/2005 4:18:52 PM

In football, you're not as intimately connected to all of your teammates as you are in hockey. I'm almost sure that Yzerman and Shanahan couldn't have continued, considering they had to deal with skating the stretcher across the ice at full speed.

11/23/2005 5:19:12 PM

It's not a guy going down that can't get up. It's a guy going down who's heart STOPPED.

11/23/2005 6:35:55 PM