DALLAS -- Rich Peverley will not play again this season after collapsing on the bench during a game.
Reggie Wayne Colts Jersey . Whether the Dallas Stars forward will ever play again wont be known until after more
extensive work is done to evaluate his irregular heartbeat. Peverley appeared
briefly at a news conference Wednesday, reading nervously from a statement that
thanked "the number of people that saved my life" after he went down in the
first period of a game against Columbus, stunning players, coaches and fans. The
31-year-old left the questions to doctors who said his season was over and he
would undergo a procedure that he decided to put off when his condition was
first discovered during a physical before training camp in September. Dr. Robert
Dimeff said Peverley was given the option of treating atrial fibrillation, the
most common type of heart arrhythmia, with a minor adjustment and medication or
missing several months to undergo a more invasive approach. "He said, Im new to
the team, its a new coach, a new general manager, I only have a two-year
contract, theyve got to know that I can play," Dimeff said of Peverley, who came
to the Stars in an off-season trade from the Boston Bruins. "And so we went back
and forth. That was a joint decision, an informed decision on his part." Dimeff
said Peverleys heart likely raced out of control and then stopped during the
game against Columbus on Monday night, but probably for no more than about 10
seconds before medical personnel got it going again in the tunnel behind the
Dallas bench at American Airlines Center. The game was postponed. The procedure
Peverley skipped in September, called an ablation, will likely be performed
within days. When he walked out of the news conference at St. Paul University
Hospital, Peverley could be seen wearing a device that a doctor later described
as something that monitors his heart rate constantly and can be used to
implement corrective measures if the heartbeat gets out of rhythm. Peverley
remains hospitalized, but all heart tests have been normal, Dimeff said. "The
last couple of days have been a lot of anxiety, a lot of unknown," Stars general
manager Jim Nill said. "It turns out that its a great day to walk in here, to
see Rich Peverley walking in here." Dimeff said the question of whether its safe
for Peverley to play hockey again wasnt one they wanted to address yet. Peverley
was sidelined through the first game of the regular season after the condition
was diagnosed, then played in 60 straight games before complaining of discomfort
that caused him to miss a game at Columbus last week. Dimeff said doctors
adjusted his medication after last weeks episode, and he played in two more
games before his collapse. "This is extremely rare in our sports medicine
world," Dimeff said. "We dont think about atrial fibrillation as one of these
conditions that leads to more serious rhythms." The Stars have been monitoring
Peverleys heart rate in practice, and he had what Dimeff called a "red
light-green light" device that the player could use to tell whether his
heartbeat was out of rhythm. But the rapid response when he was stricken against
the Blue Jackets wasnt because his doctors have always been on high alert during
games. The NHL implemented emergency medical procedures after Detroits
Jiri Fischer had a similar incident that ended his career in 2005. Fischer, who
was 25 when he played his final game and is now the director of player
development for the Red Wings, said he exchanged text messages with Peverley on
Tuesday night. "Just because on video my cardiac arrest looks like kind of
similar to his, that doesnt mean were the same or that well follow the same
path," Fischer told The Associated Press. "Hell have to make some decisions --
educated ones based on the advice hell get -- his family." The Stars flew to St.
Louis not long after the Columbus game was postponed and beat St. Louis 3-2 in
overtime the next night. The bench erupted when Jamie Benns winning goal went
in, with the errant stick of one player striking exuberant coach Lindy Ruff in
the face. Alex Chiasson didnt make the trip because he was in the same hospital
as Peverley after being traumatized by the incident. But Ruff said the
23-year-old forward was back to skating Wednesday and should play Friday night
against Calgary in the first home game since Peverleys collapse. "This doesnt go
away in one game," Ruff said. "Those emotions that the players will carry
forward are going to last for a good period of time."
Le Raven Clark Colts Jersey .Kemba Walker added 16 points for the Hornets (3-2). Charlotte trailed 68-63 before pulling
away with a 23-1 run.John Wall scored 14 points for the Wizards (4-2) on
3-for-12 shooting. He had three assists and four turnovers.
Henry Anderson Colts Jersey .Y. -- After falling behind by 10 points at the outset against No.DURHAM, N.C. -- Rodney Hood
connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting
shots and scoring in transition. And sixth-ranked Duke needed every bit of that
production to hold off East Carolina. Hood scored a career-high 30 points
Tuesday night to help the Blue Devils beat the Pirates 83-74 in the NIT Season
Tipoff. Parker had 21 points, nine rebounds and six blocks for the Blue Devils
(4-1), who survived a tougher-than-expected fight from the underdog Pirates to
improve to 24-2 all-time in the early season tournament. It was also the second
game in as many nights for both teams, who were playing in a four-team pod at
Dukes Cameron Indoor Stadium. "The last two nights, weve played our butts off,"
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "This is not about Duke not playing (well). ...
Dont undersell what they did. We were ready and we played hard. I thought we
brought great energy but so did they. This was a really good basketball game."
Duke led by a point with about 7 minutes left but stayed in front and did enough
in the final 2 1/2 minutes to turn away East Carolina (4-1), earning a trip to
next weeks NIT semifinals for a matchup with Alabama in New Yorks Madison Square
Garden. Hood, a 6-foot-8 sophomore transfer from Mississippi State, finished 8
for 10 from the field and hit all 12 of his free throws while playing nearly the
entire 40 minutes. Parker made his biggest impact with a couple of key
second-half plays, from taking a rebound all the way for a team-rousing dunk to
blocking consecutive shots with his team protecting a 75-70 lead. "We couldnt
scout them like we normally do and we tried not to stay in the gym last night
and watch them play because we had a quick turnaround," Hood said. "But theyre a
great team. Theyve got a lot of talent, especially for a mid-major. They played
hard. They wasnt scared of us." The Blue Devils, who beat UNC Asheville 91-55 on
Monday night, cooled off significantly after a hot start and shot 47 per cent,
failing to reach at least 50 per cent for the first time this year. The Pirates
had a much tougher time in their Tipofff opener, needing to rally from 17 down
after halftime to beat Norfolk State 76-74.
Darius Butler Colts Jersey. That game at Cameron marked a return to unfriendly surroundings for Pirates coach Jeff Lebo,
who played for Dean Smith at hated rival North Carolina in the 1980s. Lebos team
turned in a strong fight less than 24 hours later, but couldnt pull off a huge
upset. "We can draw a lot from this -- our kids playing in this stage, this
environment," Lebo said. "We dont get a chance to do that too often. We draw a
lot of positives, and when we watch the tape, I think well get some confidence
from that. "And then weve got to be able to build up on it. We cant say, Hey, we
played well and were done for the year." Prince Williams scored 15 for the
Pirates, who shot 40 per cent and helped themselves by hitting the offensive
glass for a 16-3 edge in second-chance points. East Carolina fell to 0-21
all-time against Duke, though the Pirates flirted with earning their first win
against a ranked opponent in nearly 11 years. Duke led by 18 points late in the
first half after an 11-for-11 shooting start, but the Pirates didnt let the Blue
Devils put together a knockout run. Instead, the Pirates closed the gap to 11 by
halftime, and then kept inching closer and closer from there. East Carolina
twice got within a point, the last coming on Williams free throws with 6:58
left, but never could push in front. Duke helped itself by playing with
composure down the stretch, hitting all eight of its free throws in the final
2:34 to stay in control. Parker also came through with a big defensive sequence
after his coast-to-coast dunk, swatting a leaner from Williams out of bounds and
then stuffing a driving shot from Antonio Robinson with about 2 minutes left.
Hood hit two free throws to make it 77-70, and East Carolina didnt get closer
than five again. Duke finished 24 for 31 from the foul line, including 19 for 24
after halftime. The Blue Devils, who beat Florida Atlantic on Friday night, are
off until Sunday, when they host Vermont. "Now weve got to rest," Krzyzewski
said. "I mean, our guys are dead."
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