Goalie Turns Medic

It’s not often that a goalie turns his trade into that of a paramedic, especially at a hockey game he is taking part and playing in, but this one knows the ropes.

Saves are saves, but this one beats any of Patrick O’Brien previous ones in any game he has ever played in on Canada’s East Coast in Newfoundland.

The Gander Flyers “tender” player uses just two short words to describe himself in his Twitter bio – that being “goaltender” and “paramedic.”

And it was his (O’Brien’s) heroic’s that that helped save a fan’s life during the Flyers’ home game against the Corner Brook Royals over the past weekend.

When a middle-aged fan in the stands collapsed due to cardiac arrest, O’Brien ran from the dressing room to the bleachers in his equipment to perform CPR on the fan.

A cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood unexpectedly and without immediate treatment, there would be a deadly outcome of the condition. There are many factors that can contribute to cardiac arrest, although not all can be predicted, hence why sudden cardiac arrests happen frequently.

With help from Flyers board member Tom Whalen and town mayor Claude Elliott (both former paramedics), O’Brien resuscitated the man, who was whisked to Gander’s James Paton Memorial Hospital.

“It’s less stressful to save the pucks,” tweeted the 26-year-old O’Brien, who works as a paramedic with the Central Health Authority. “Had lots of help today from incredible people on scene.”

When Gander coach Chris Peach saw the scene unfolding before puck drop, his first instinct was to fetch O’Brien from the dressing room.

The goalie was wearing skates, hockey pants and one leg pad.

He told the Gander Beacon “I just hopped in and started chest compressions and anyone would have done what I?did.

I?guess it’s just where it was at the rink and I?had some of my gear on. But it’s what I?do. It happens with some level of regularity [while on duty].”

The Flyers’ other goalie, Roger Kennedy, started the game but was replaced by O’Brien late in the second period.