NHL Evolves Its Plan, Prep for Terrifying Cardiac Events

Members of the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks gather on the ice as Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, who suffered a medical emergency, is worked on by medical personnel during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., on Feb. 11, 2020. Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo

The horror that swept across the NFL when Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during a game this week in Cincinnati was all too familiar to members of the hockey community.

Five players in the NHL over the past 25 years who collapsed during a game—terrifying scenes that stopped play while people scrambled to help—were diagnosed with a heart-related issue of some kind.