New York Rangers 1st-round pick Alexei Cherepanov died yesterday during his game in the Continental Hockey League. They were calling it an apparent heart attack and according to Russian officials, the 17th overall pick died of chronic ischemia.

Cronic ischemia is a medical condition in which not enough blood gets to the heart and other organs. Officials believe the death could have been prevented had proper action been taken.

Russian Hockey Federation official Pavel Krasheninnikov stated no ambulance was on duty at the arena where Avangard Omsk was playing. He also said workers took too long to respond and when they arrived, there was no defibrillator, which shocks the heart. It was not confirmed how long paramedics took to respond to the incident.

Former Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr was sitting next to Cherepanov and talking to him when he collapsed. The team doctors tried to revive him but they were unsuccessful. I will report updates on this tragic event as I receive them.