Thrashers’ Goalie Pavelec In Stable Condition Following On Ice Collapse

Added on Oct 08, 2010 by Jack Thurman in

NHL

Very scary situation in Atlanta tonight as Thrashers’ goalie Ondrej Pavelec collapsed on the ice early in the first period. The play was on the other end of the rink when Pavelec slumped to the ice. Play was stopped immediately and medical staff from both teams rushed to his aid. They attended to him for several minutes before he was removed via stretcher still unconscious. He was transported to a local hospital and play resumed about 20 minutes later with Chris Mason in net. The Thrashers went on to defeat the Washington Capitals 4-2.

Fortunately, despite the horrific incident he seems to be OK. He regained consciousness soon after and by the end of the second period was reported to be awake and alert. Team officials indicated that like a good hockey player his first concern was the game–he immediately asked about the score upon regaining consciousness. He’s listed in stable condition, but an initial examination showed no serious problems and his vital signs were reported as normal. He’ll be kept overnight for examination.

A statement released by the Thrashers was short on details but definitely doesn’t suggest anything more serious:

“He’s awake, alert and asking about the score of the game but will be kept overnight for observation.”

Atlanta signed Chris Mason in the offseason to shore up their netminding, but are very big on the future potential of 23 year old Pavelec. In 2009–his first full NHL season–he went 14-18-7 with a 3.29 goals-against average and two shutouts in 42 games. He also played for the Czech Republic team at last year’s Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Obviously, Pavelec will undergo further testing before he’s cleared to return to the ice. He reportedly has no history of any medical condition that would have resulted in the collapse. There has been some speculation that this sort of collapse is common in diabetics, but obviously that’s just a theory at this point. All of us here at Sports Betting World wish him a speedy recovery.