STL_BouwmeesterUpdate

Jay Bouwmeester is doing well and following his plan to stay in St. Louis for the time being, St. Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said Tuesday on a video call arranged by the NHL.

Bouwmeester suffered a cardiac episode on the bench during the game at the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 11. The 36-year-old defenseman collapsed and had to be revived by a defibrillator by medical personnel on scene with 7:50 remaining in the first period.
The game was postponed and made up in full March 11, the day before the NHL season was paused due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
"[Jay] is good," Pietrangelo said from St. Louis. "He's still here. His plan was to be here no matter what. His kids are in school here, too, so I think once he wraps all that up he might try to get home if the doctors feel comfortable."
Bouwmeester had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) procedure to restore his heart's normal rhythm at UCI Medical Center in Orange, California, on Feb. 14. He returned to St. Louis, where he was ruled out for the rest of the season on Feb. 26. He is undecided about his playing future.
Pietrangelo said he has seen Bouwmeester out walking since the NHL season paused.
"We all kind of live in the same area here, so guys are stopping buy, seeing how he's doing," Pietrangelo said. "He's out and about walking. He was at the rink pretty much every day that we were home when we were playing. That was a breath of fresh air for us knowing he was out and about, hanging out with the guys. I'm sure he needed a break to get out of the house too. He's got three kids. He probably dropped them off at school and needed a change of pace. But he's good. Probably a big of a lifestyle change for him, but other than that, he's hanging in there."
Bouwmeester had nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 56 games this season. He had seven assists in 26 playoff games last season to help the Blues win the Stanley Cup for the first time in their 51-season history.