Peverley in stable condition

Dallas Stars Rich Peverley was in stable condition with a heart condition in a Dallas hospital after collapsing on the bench during a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 31-year-old Canadian forward was carried from the players' bench to the dressing room by the team's trainers and then rushed to a hospital in an ambulance on Monday. Doctors said Peverley, who has a history of heart problems, is recovering after receiving emergency medical care. "We treated him for a cardiac event successfully," said Dr. Gil Salazar, assistant chief of fellowship operations at UT Southwestern Medical Center. The National Hockey League released a statement saying he was in stable condition. The game was postponed and no makeup date set. Peverley had a procedure performed during the preseason to correct an irregular heartbeat. He collapsed on the bench shortly after completing a shift. Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said their initial reaction was to get Peverley to a doctor as fast as they could. "When he dropped it was red alert," said Ruff. "Don't worry about the game. It was about getting the doctors. "I thought the medical staff did an unbelievable job." Ruff said he got a chance to speak to Peverley. "First thing Rich asked me when I spoke to him was 'how much time left in the period'. You know, typical athlete." The Stars did not go into detail about Peverley's medical condition but used Twitter to say thanks to everyone that showed concern. "Thank you for your prayers, thoughts and well wishes everybody," the Stars said on their Twitter site. The incident took place just over six minutes into the game as the Blue Jackets led 1-0. Peverley was told to sit out of the Stars' game at Columbus last Tuesday following a recurrence of his condition, but returned two days later for Dallas' 6-1 win over Vancouver. "Extensive testing will continue over the next day or so," the Stars said. Source: AFP