N.L. goaltender saved after heart stops during hockey game

One of Newfoundland and Labrador's most accomplished senior hockey players said he is "feeling good" following a scary incident Sunday at the arena in Mobile on the Southern Shore.

"I'm in good care and being looked after," Mark Yetman told CBC News from his hospital bed in St. John's on Monday.

Yetman, 35, the starting goaltender for the Southern Shore Breakers, was between the pipes Sunday afternoon for Game 5 of the Avalon East Senior Hockey League championship series.

The best-of-seven series between the Breakers and the St. John's Caps is tied at two wins each, with the winner to compete for the Herder Memorial Trophy — symbolic of senior hockey supremacy in the province — against the West Coast Senior Hockey League champion.

But less than two minutes into Sunday's game, with both teams lining up for a faceoff deep in the Southern Shore end, Yetman suddenly collapsed, hushing the more than 800 fans in attendance at the Ken Williams Southern Shore Arena.

One of those looking on was Jack Casey, league president.

"You don't see a young man like that drop to the ice very often," Casey said.

Luckily, there were highly trained medical personnel at the rink, said Casey, including Dr. Scott Bay, head coach of the opposing Caps team.

"Within a minute he had … three or four qualified people at his side," said Casey.

'His heart stopped and he lost consciousness'

For nearly an hour, players, officials and fans looked on in stunned silence as medical personnel tended to Yetman. Yetman's fiancèe, Alexis, and their daughter were among those holding their breath.

Yetman was eventually transported by ambulance to a hospital in St. John's, where he continued to undergo tests on Monday but was alert and able to write a few words about the incident.

"I want to thank the first responders, the Witless Bay fire [department], both hockey organizations and everyone who helped," he wrote.

Brad Yetman said his younger brother had been consulting with medical specialists about his heart health, so there were signs of trouble before Sunday's collapse.

"His heart stopped and he lost consciousness," Brad Yetman said during a phone interview from Shawinigan, Que., on Monday.

Brad Yetman, head coach of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, agreed to speak on behalf of his brother.

"He felt a sharp pain in his chest when he was talking to the ref in the game and he lost consciousness," said Brad, adding that his brother did not need to be resuscitated.

"It was almost like an instance of it stopping and it came back," Brad explained.

After consulting with both teams, it was decided to cancel Sunday's game, said Casey.

He said the players were "very concerned for their teammate and friend" and felt the game should be played at another time.

"Mark has a lot of friends on both teams," said Casey.

Yetman is a three-time Herder champion, capturing his third trophy last season with the Breakers. He also backstopped the Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts to victory in 2011 and the Harbour Grace-based CeeBee Stars in 2013.

Sunday's game has been rescheduled for Tuesday evening.

As for Yetman's hockey future, that's not something he is focusing on right now. His top priorities are his three- and one- year-old daughters, his health, and his upcoming marriage to Alexis.

"We haven't even come close to that conversation yet," Brad Yetman said of his brother's return to the ice.

"We're just happy that our brother is doing OK, and that he's getting better."

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