Former Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Darcy Robinson passed away today after collapsing on the ice during the first period of the season-opening game in the Italian Series A circuit.

The 26-year-old Robinson, an 8th round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1999 Entry Draft, was playing for Asiago in a home game against Renon.

Robinson fell to the ice without any players making contact with him. He lasped into unconsciousness and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead of apparent cardiac arrest.

The rest of the Asiago-Renon game was suspended, as were the other league games.

Robinson, a native of Kamloops, BC, played in the WHL for the Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels before turning pro in 2001-02. After splitting parts of four seasons in the AHL and ECHL, he signed with Asiago in Italy. This year was to have been his third with the club.

The player, who passed his pre-season physical, was not known to have a history of heart problems. However, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)often occurs in victims who have not been diagnosed heart disease. The time and mode of death are unpredictable and death often occurs within minutes after symptoms appear.

While the official cause of death has not yet been announced, SCA is suspected.

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