Blue Jackets at Stars, PPD

[March 11, 2014]  Blue Jackets at Stars, PPD: Monday’s game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the host Stars was postponed after Dallas center Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench late in the first period.

Peverley, who missed last Tuesday’s game against Columbus — as well as training camp and Dallas' season opener — due to an irregular heartbeat, was rushed from the bench and attended to in the hallway by medical personnel before being taken to the hospital, where he was reported to be conscious and in stable condition. After a 15-minute delay, players from both clubs left the ice through the visitors' tunnel with 13:37 remaining in the opening period and decided not to resume play.

"There's nobody in there that wants to play hockey right now, and I think everybody understands that when you've witnessed what they had to witness and that's their teammate," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said in a news conference. "And that's the right place to be. That's the right emotion to have. They're not doing very good, and I wouldn't expect them to be."

Shortly after the contest was halted, the NHL released the following statement: "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."

Nathan Horton scored a power-play goal 2:44 into the game against Tim Thomas, who was making his first start for Dallas, to give the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead. A decision regarding the remainder of the contest will be made at a later date.

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