The St Louis defenseman Jay Bouwmeester was conscious and alert after a cardiac episode and collapsing on the bench during the first period of the game against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.

Bouwmeester crumpled over during a break in play. The Blues general manager, Doug Armstrong, said Bouwmeester was awake, alert and moving his arms and legs as the 36-year-old was transported to a hospital. He remained in the hospital overnight and was undergoing further tests.

The Blues were supposed to fly to Las Vegas, where they are scheduled to play Thursday, but remained in southern California. The team are expected to provide an update on Bouwmeester’s condition on Wednesday.

“Thankfully, with the quick response of our medical trainers, Anaheim medical trainers and their team physicians, they were able to stabilize Jay,” Armstrong said.

St Louis’s radio announcer Chris Kerber said during an interview with the team’s flagship station that a defibrillator was used.

Teammates Vince Dunn and Alex Pietrangelo immediately called for help after Bouwmeester slumped over with just under eight minutes left in the first period. After a couple of minutes, Bouwmeester was taken out on a stretcher and transported to a hospital.

Bouwmeester appeared to be grabbing a drink of water when he began to fall slowly to the floor. Emergency medical personnel rushed to the Blues bench. Bouwmeester’s father was at the game as part of the team’s annual Dads’ Trip. He went with his son to the hospital while teammates and their fathers remained at the arena awaiting updates.

Ducks and Blues players gathered to see what was wrong before Bouwmeester was taken away. Both teams then went to their dressing rooms and the game was called off a few minutes later tied at 1-1. Players from both teams met for hugs and well-wishes after changing out of their gear. The game will be made up at a later date.

Bouwmeester is in his 17th NHL season and has for that time been known for his strong skating and conditioning. He helped the Blues to win the Stanley Cup last season and won an Olympic gold medal with Canada in 2014. He was skating in his 57th game this season, the 1,241st of his NHL career. He skated 1:20 in his last shift before collapsing and logged 5:34 of ice time in the game.

The last player to collapse on an NHL bench was the Dallas forward Rich Peverley in 2014. Peverley had an irregular heartbeat, and the quick response of emergency officials made sure he was OK.

The NHL has pages of emergency medical standards that spell out in specific detail that at least two doctors must be in attendance for every game and one must be within 50 feet of the bench. A defibrillator, which was used when Detroit’s Jiri Fischer collapsed in 2005, must be available, along with a triage room and ambulances.