Dallas Stars Are Lucky They Had Rich Peverley On Their Team

The Dallas Stars and their fan base experienced a life-altering and emotionally throttling event when forward Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench in 2014. After looking back at it though, it’s clear that Peverley as a Star turned out to be a good thing for everyone involved.

On March 10, 2014, the Dallas Stars were in the middle of a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. With just a month left to go in the season, the Stars were battling for a playoff spot and it seemed like winning every game was almost necessary.

But with about 13:45 to go in the first period, none of that mattered anymore. First-year Star Rich Peverley, who had come to Dallas from Boston in the bundle with Tyler Seguin, collapsed on the bench in the middle of play. After finishing a shift, he returned to the bench and slouched over on Jamie Benn after a few seconds.

Vernon Fiddler and Tyler Seguin were the first ones out on the ice, banging their sticks on the surface in hopes of getting the referee’s attention. Lindy Ruff immediately hopped up on the bench and began yelling for a doctor. Once they processed the severity of the event, play was quickly halted. Doctors immediately removed Peverley from the bench and took him down the tunnel, where they would revive him moments later.

Peverley was sent to the hospital where he would undergo emergency surgery and stay for a few more days. Meanwhile, the Stars were on a flight to St. Louis, where they would win one of their most emotional games ever by a score of 3-2 in overtime.

Rich Peverley had heart issues going into his first season with Dallas and even had a minor surgery in September that required him to miss the entirety of the preseason and the opening night game. The problem was that the surgery only benched the heart issue for a bit, but did not clear it out for good.

He was in the middle of an excellent first year with the Dallas Stars as well. Scoring seven goals and tallying a total of 30 points in 62 games, Peverley was on pace for a point every other game. Not bad for a player only averaging 15:23 on the ice each game.

He was shut down for the rest of the Dallas Stars season, which included the playoffs as well. He wanted to return to NHL play if his medical situation cleared up, so he continued to train. After missing the entire 2014-2015 year as well, Rich Peverley officially announced his retirement from the NHL.

He would not leave the Stars organization though. Peverley was hired on as the Dallas Stars Player Development Coordinator this season.

This past Monday night, the Dallas Stars teamed up with the Fox Sports Southwest network to deliver and up-close and in-depth look at everything that happened the night of March 10th and what has come out of it. The show was called “Playing For Pevs.” To watch it in its entirety, click here. It brought back plenty of emotions for Stars fans, and for some it was too altering of a subject to revisit and they could not watch it.

But for those who did watch it, there were plenty of happy moments to counteract the treacherous ones. For one, revisiting the Stars overtime win against the Blues was a shining moment. Also hearing from Rich Peverley himself, among other players and members of the staff and broadcast crew, was a joyous sound to behold.

Peverley talked all about the incident and how great the organization as well as the Dallas community as a whole had been to him. The outflow of support was a great factor of encouragement.

He talked about how this moment in his life had really forced him to step back and reevaluate all that he had and where he needed to be in order to keep it all intact. In the end, that place was not on the ice, though it was a very tough decision for him to make.

But Peverley has found many other ways to impact the hockey community. He has started a charity called “Pevs Protects” which is partnered with the American Heart Association to help raise awareness for heart-related issues in hockey. It is also a fundraiser to help further CPR training and the purchasing of AED (Automated External Defibrillator).

He has also been able to call and console families who have either lost children or have children affected by a heart problem in their hockey-playing career. Peverley is grateful for the quick work and training of the Dallas Stars medical staff that eventually led to the saving of his life.

“Rich and his family remain a big part of our organization and we’re proud of the awareness that he’s creating for this very important cause,” Dallas Stars President and CEO Jim Lites told the Stars media.

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The Stars will also be hosting a “Pevs Protects” night at the American Airlines Center on March 12th during the game against the St. Louis Blues. It will include fundraising and a chance to hear Rich Peverley tell his survival story and watch him do the ceremonial puck drop. The Stars will also be selling fundraising tickets which they will take a portion of the funds from to donate to the AHA. They will sell hats and shirts also throughout the night that will also raise funds. To read the article on that night, click here.

Overall, Rich Peverley was a shining light in the Dallas Stars locker room for the 62 games he played. If you talk to any players from the 2013-2014 season, they would tell you that he always had a smile on his face and was always looking for ways to encourage his teammates.

His collapse was a life-changing moment in history that no long-term Dallas Stars fan will ever forget. But Rich Peverley made an impact on the Stars organization and community that is much more than just the near-tragedy.

Peverley gave the Stars and their fan base a chance to experience something that they would never forget. But it also gave them a player to rally around and implant their support under. With Peverley’s hard work, the Stars can also begin to give back to help aid and prevent these events from happening.

It’s unlikely that you’ll ever see an entire city, organization, and league rally around a player tighter than they did for Rich Peverley. Rich Peverley left a lasting impression on the Stars organization, and now he is on his way to making his mark on even bigger and more influential issues.

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In the end, Peverley will forever be a Dallas Star, and all we can do is be grateful that we will always be able to think of him whenever we are in need of a smile.