Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has defibrillator inserted to regulate heart

Associated Press | Friday, February 14, 2020 8:33 p.m.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester collapsed on the bench during a break in play in the first period, prompting the Blues and Anaheim Ducks to postpone their game Tuesday night, Feb. 11, 2020. Bouwmeester appeared to be awake and alert as he was being transported out of the arena to a hospital.

Jay Bouwmeester had surgery Friday to insert a defibrillator to restore his heart’s normal rhythm after the St. Louis Blues defenseman collapsed on the bench during a game in Anaheim this week.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said the procedure was performed at the UC Irvine Medical Center. The 36-year-old Bouwmeester will be monitored by a team of specialists at the hospital until he is cleared to return to St. Louis.

Then Bouwmeester will be monitored by doctors at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University.

Bouwmeester had just completed a shift against the Ducks on Tuesday night when he collapsed on the bench. The veteran defenseman was unresponsive, and doctors quickly used a defibrillator to restore his heart beat. Bouwmeester also regained consciousness before he was taken by ambulance to an Anaheim hospital.