Thrashers goalie collapses on ice during game

ATLANTA, GA – Friday night was supposed to be the start of a new era as the Atlanta Thrashers hosted the Washington Capitals at the Phillips Arena to start the 2010-11 NHL season for both teams. Less than three minutes in, the joy of opening night took a back seat to concern and worry about the health of Thrashers‘ starting goalie Ondrej Pavelec.
2:35 in to the first period, Pavelec, 23, with the puck at the other end of the ice for a

face-off, lost consciousness and collapsed in front of his net, sending shockwaves through the building. He lay motionless on the ice for some ten minutes before medical personnel were able to get him onto a stretcher and into a waiting ambulance to be taken to a local hospital.
During the second intermission, Atlanta General Manager Rick Dudley informed the Associated Press that Pavelec had regained consciousness at the hospital but that nothing further would be known until after the game. Early in the third period, the team released a statement that said that preliminary tests had not revealed any serious health problems with the net minder.
“He’s awake, alert and asking about the score of the game but will be kept overnight for observation,” the team said in the statement.
Following the game, the team was able to report that Pavelec was in stable condition and resting at the hospital.
Seeing Pavelec laying on the ice in obvious medical trouble stunned his teammates.
“It was just a terrible feeling. I didn’t see what happened . I don’t think anyone did. All of a sudden we heard guys on the bench yelling for the medical staff to get out there and you look over and he’s lying flat on his back like that,“ Thrashers’ backup goalie Chris Mason told Thrashers TV after the game. “I really couldn’t think of anything else that whole first period. It’s tough to go in and play in a hockey and who knows what’s wrong with him. We found out after the first that he was OK but you’ve got to feel for his family. They’re across (the) seas (Kladno, Czech Republic). It must be a pretty awful, helpless feeling.”
“To be honest, I saw that and I think I was in shock and I was scared,” forward Evander Kane said. “Everybody was yelling once they knew what was going on and nobody knew what really happened. From what I’ve heard, he’s awake and he’s alert so it’s all good news.”
For the record, Kane scored twice and Mason made 29 saves as the Thrashers ended an eight game losing streak to the Capitals with a 4-2 victory.
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