In February, St. Louis Blues’ defenseman Jay Bouwmeester experienced a cardiac episode during a game. During a conference late last month, the 36-year-old announced that he would not be playing for the rest of the hockey season.
During the conference, he also profusely thanked the fast responding medical team. So just what are the health precautions the hockey team’s medical staff considers for each player? We asked Dr. Matthew Matava, medical director for the St. Louis Blues, just what goes into keeping St. Louis’ favorite hockey players safe on and off the ice.
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Hockey players are at risk for sustaining a wide range of injuries including lacerations, concussions, and musculoskeletal injuries, says Dr. Matava. He adds that overuse injuries tend to occur as the season progresses due to “too much stress and not enough rest.” Also, environmental factors like the rigid glass, goals, and boards, speed of the puck (up to 100 mph) and players (traveling up to 30 mph), use of sticks, and risk of playing on the ice with extremely sharp skates can all cause injuries. “Additional environmental factors, such as the cold humid environment of the ice surface can lead to exercise-induced asthma in those players who are predisposed,” explains Matava.
Although the team physicians and athletic trainers emphasize prevention and frequently encourage the players to notify them of any medical issues, injuries, of course, still happen. Consequently, even before the season begins, the team physicians repeatedly practice several different types of scenarios, because “perfect practice makes perfect,” Dr. Matava says. For instance, this may involve practicing maneuvering and rolling the injured player onto the gurney if he needs to be transported to the hospital or practicing removing the hockey gear to minimize any undue stress on the cervical spine. “Because when it really counts and emotions are high, and there’s a concern, you want to have this down pat for when you need it,” Matava says.
So, what happens during game time? For away games during the regular season, the Blues’ players are treated by the opposing teams’ doctors. During the playoffs, however, the Blues’ medical staff travel with the team.
For home games, the team of eight doctors is present. This includes two orthopedic surgeons, a general surgeon, an internal medicine specialist, an emergency medicine specialist, a chiropractor, a dentist, and an oral surgeon. Additionally, the paramedics and an ambulance must be standing by at all times in case a player needs to be transported to the hospital. In fact, if this happens, they cannot resume the game until another ambulance takes its place.
The doctors are required to be within 50 feet of the ice near the tunnel to the locker room or within the locker room area with the exception of the emergency medicine physician who has to be adjacent to the ice. Matava spends most of the games in the locker room area because it’s more convenient. “I can watch the game on the monitor from various perspectives. We are right there if the player comes off the ice. The vast majority of the injuries—we don’t have to go in the ice,” he explains.
Once a player has been injured, he is brought into the medical area to be examined. Equipment like an x-ray machine, an examining table, and a dental chair are available. Each physician has a workspace where they can attend to the players’ injuries. There’s even a doctor’s office in case a player wants to have a private conversation regarding any hockey or non-hockey related medical issues he may have.
At this point, Matava wants to stress that although it’s natural for people to be concerned about an injured player, the medical staff only releases medical information limited to the player’s ability to play or not with the player’s permission. “We treat these players the same as our own patients. You wouldn’t want to be examined in front of all your friends, much less strangers, who may be watching. You would like some degree of privacy,” he says.
However, since Bouwmeester’s emergency unfolded on TV, it was handled a little differently. “After he was resuscitated and evacuated from the bench, everything was kept very private. We go to great lengths to keep it that way,” Matava says.
Most importantly, Matava adds. “The players’ health is our first priority. Not the win/loss record. We would not jeopardize their long or short-term health issues.”
