Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulstewart22
Along with the rest of the hockey world, my best wishes go out to Dallas Stars forward Rich Peverley as he undergoes further observation following his heart-condition related collapse on the bench last night in first period of the game between the Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets.
First of all, the medical and trainer personnel on hand who were the first respondents did a tremendous job in handling the situation quickly. They deserve kudos for responding to a life-threatening situation and ensuring that Peverley got the best possible medical care when time was of the utmost essence.
Players from both sides acted quickly to inform the on-ice officials while play was ongoing that the game needed to be halted so that emergency aid could be rendered to Peverley.
While the situation unfolded, with distraught players from both teams on the ice and a need to discuss the situation, talk to their bosses in Toronto and to the coaches and managers of both teams and also relay information in a calm and efficient manner, I thought that referees Marc Joannette and Francis Charron and linemen Don Henderson and Jonny Murray were among those who stepped up big in an extremely difficult situation.
Last night's situation was different than an injury, even one that requires a player to placed on a stretcher and taken off the ice in an ambulance. While such events are upsetting and require the utmost care, everyone knows in the back of their minds that it is part of the risk of the game. What happened to Peverley last night, as well as in cases such as Jiri Fischer and the late Alexei Cherepanov, is something that goes beyond that realm. It is not something that any player, coach or official ever considers as a possibility of something that might happen during a game.
Hockey officials are just that: they are not trained EMTs or doctors. The best thing they can is to help clear the area for emergency personnel and to serve as conduits of communication to all of the affected parties and decision-makers when it comes to playing or postponing the game.
The officials must defer to the league's final decision. Neither team wanted to continue playing. Neither coach wanted to coach. The fans were distraught. The officials themselves were gravely concerned for Peverley as well. But the final call on whether to play or postpone is out of their hands.
The NHL made the right call in postponing the game. Additionally, the Dallas Stars staff is deserving of praise for providing timely information as it became available before the game was canceled, afterwards and in working on the rescheduling details to release the information to the public. This is a very tough process to navigate during an emotional time. It was handled correctly and sensitively.
We often talk about things that get handled wrong. In a life-and-death situation, the response on this one was the proper one all the way around. Most importantly of all, Rich Peverley is in stable condition with a good prognosis.
Note: Today's originally scheduled blog on the proper handling of plays around the net by officials will now run on Thursday.
************
Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.
Today, Stewart is an officiating and league discipline consultant for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and serves as director of hockey officiating for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.
Stewart is currently working with a co-author on an autobiography.