Blues' Jay Bouwmeester Has Defibrillator Put in Chest After Cardiac Emergency

St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong announced Friday defenseman Jay Bouwmeester underwent a successful surgery to place an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) after suffering a cardiac emergency during Tuesday's game against the Anaheim Ducks.

The procedure took place at the UC Irvine Medical Center in Anaheim, where Bouwmeester will remain for evaluation. Once cleared for release, he'll be flown back to St. Louis' Barnes-Jewish Hospital for monitoring. The team expects to provide a status update next week.

An ICD is used to help restore the heart's normal rhythm.

Tuesday's game between the Western Conference rivals was postponed after the blueliner's medical emergency and will be played at a later date.

Fellow Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo told reporters Wednesday the team was able to FaceTime with Bouwmeester ahead of their game Thursday night against the Vegas Golden Knights.

"I think it was important for me just to see him and for everybody else to see him," Pietrangelo said. "Bouw had his opportunity to kind of see everybody [and] everybody sent him their wishes. I'm not going to speak for everybody, but I think it made everybody feel a lot better knowing he was in good hands. He was in good spirits with us."

Bouwmeester is a 17-year NHL veteran who played for the Florida Panthers, who selected him with the third overall pick in the 2002 draft, and Calgary Flames before joining the Blues in 2013.

His resume includes two All-Star selections and a Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019. He's also been a mainstay for Canada at the international level, capturing five gold medals for his home country (two World Championships, two World Cups and one Olympics).