If you didn't see it on TV, you've probably seen it by now on YouTube: Stars forward Rich Peverley collapsing on the bench and a host of Stars players and staff rushing to try to help him.
I wasn't in the arena. But just watching on television as everyone tried to figure out what was going on and if Peverley was going to be OK was difficult. The game was delayed while the medical staff tended to Peverley and got him to a hospital and the Stars reported that he was conscious as he made his way there.
But as the remaining fans watched, it was up to the NHL to decide whether the game would go on.
They correctly decided against any more hockey at American Airlines Center on Monday. How could either team be expected to play a game not knowing what Peverley's condition was?
Sometimes we have a tendency to play on in these situations, thinking that if we go about our business, it might help. And perhaps that's true at certain times. But not Monday night. After something like that happens, you can't expect anyone to go about the game as if nothing happened.
The reports from the Stars indicate that Peverley was conscious and one of the doctors on the scene, Dr. Gil Salazar, said he treated Peverley for a "cardiac event successfully," according to the Stars' official twitter feed, and that Peverley wanted to get back into the game. That's a good sign.
The challenge for the Stars will be to regroup and go back out on the ice Tuesday night in St. Louis. But for tonight, the NHL got it right. They were only worried about Peverley and his condition, not playing a hockey game.
