61-Year Old Hockey Player Who Collapsed on Ice and Saved by Teammate, 'I'll never quit'
Recently in a South Carolina adult league match, 61-year old James Pitts collapsed on his team's bench after going into cardiac arrest, and if not for a CPR-trained teammate, he would have met his demise.
Tom Donnelly, one of the men who saved his teammate's life, is a CPR trainer, so Pitts is seriously fortunate to be alive and well. According to Donnelly:
"Within 30 seconds, chest compressions were started, which is the most important thing you can do."
The Trash Pandas, Pitts and Donnelly's adult league team, had their game cut short due to the incident, and Pitts' account is a little frightening. After waking up, he was discombobulated and unaware of what had transpired just moments prior.
"The first thing out of my mouth was, 'what the heck happened,' you know?" Pitts said. "And Dave said, 'dude you were dead for like four or five minutes."
According to WGAL, Pitts returned to the ice just two weeks after the incident, but it was reported that a fall has sidelined him for another few weeks. En masse hockey players are tough as nails, and this Pitts fellow is no exception.
"I'll never quit playing hockey no matter what," he said.
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APRIL 25, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Sebastian Aho | - | - | - | |
| Mike Amadio | - | - | - | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Drake Batherson | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| William Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Thomas Chabot | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| Nick Cousins | - | - | - | |
| Dylan Cozens | - | - | - | |
| Nicolas Deslauriers | - | - | - | |
| Lars Eller | - | - | - | |
| Warren Foegele | - | - | - | |
| Dennis Gilbert | - | - | - | |
| Claude Giroux | - | - | - | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | - | - | - | |
| Ridly Greig | - | - | - | |
| Taylor Hall | - | - | - | |
| Mark Jankowski | - | - | - | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||