Fischer's Future

The exact cause of Fischer's collapse was not known, but Colucci said on Tuesday the defibrillator indicated that Fischer's heart may have been experiencing ventricular tachycardia, a kind of racing heartbeat, orventricular fibrillation, a heart fluttering.

What are the implications for his hockey career? It depends on the cause and whether there is a clear treatment. I suspect that he may need an AICD. I am not aware of an athlete continuing strenous athletic activity after having an AICD placed. However, I suspect this may be the answer to his ongoing survival.

... Think of Hank Gathers, the powerful college basketball star for Loyola Marymount, who threw down a dunk, headed up court and collapsed into, yes, convulsions, like Fischer. He died.

Think of Reggie Lewis, the Celtics' star, who collapsed shooting hoops during the summer. Like Fischer, he had an undetectable pulse. He was rushed to the hospital. He died.

Which brings us to Fischer's hockey future, a question most fans will dismiss but which Fischer, I assure you, is thinking about as you read this. Three years ago, when he was tested after an abnormal electrocardiogram, Fischer told a newspaper he wasn't scared about the potential heart abnormality, he was scared about not playing hockey.

That should go away now. You can't play hockey if you're dead, either.