{coyotes} Coyotes' MacLean improving after cardiac episode

 

Phoenix Coyotes forward Brett MacLean is recovering in an Ontario hospital after a cardiac emergency suffered last week during a recreational hockey game with friends.

"We have been in contact with Brett's family and the hospital over the past week and the reports are that he is doing well and his condition is improving," Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said. "Brett will continue to undergo tests with the cardiology team at University Hospital in London, Ontario."

MacLean, 23, was skating with friends in Owen Sound, Ont., on July 2 when he collapsed on the ice and had to be revived with CPR and an automated external defibrillator.

Karen MacLean told the Owen Sound Sun Times that her son is improving hourly and began walking the hospital halls Friday. He's undergoing tests to determine what prompted his heart to stop.

Until results are known, the family is unsure of his prognosis or when he will be released from the hospital.

"I think he's really in shock," she said. "When he woke up he had no recollection of how he got here, and so I think he's still trying to digest what exactly did happen, how significant it was, and obviously for what his future holds."

When MacLean collapsed, fellow players Jason Gallagher and Jason Silverthorn began performing CPR. Firefighter Jay Forslund, who was watching from the stands, called 911 and found the recreation center's portable defibrillator.

Within three minutes of MacLean's collapse, his heart was shocked. Paramedics arrived and shocked him two more times to restart his heart.

"We're eternally grateful to them," Karen said of those who helped. "Jason [Gallagher] was just here [at the hospital] and we were able to thank him, but thanking them really doesn't do it justice. We can't express how grateful we are for everything they did."

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