Malkin's club explain why they turned the plane around because of the 19-year-old
Forward Ben Kindel lost consciousness due to a drop in blood pressure, explained the general manager of Pittsburgh. Players can return to training in a few days
The Pittsburgh Penguins had to turn the plane around after taking off from Salt Lake City after 19-year-old forward Ben Kindel passed out, but he will be able to return to training as early as next week. This was stated by the general manager of the club Kyle Dubas, quoted by the press service of the NHL.
The incident on board became known on October 21.
As Dubas explained, Kindel had a vasovagal fainting (due to a sharp drop in pressure and a slowing heart rate). He received oxygen support and was taken to hospital after an emergency landing. He was allowed to return to Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
The hockey player has yet to be examined, and if he is all right, he can start training on Sunday or Monday.
"As far as we know, Ben has never had anything like this before," Dubas said, noting that the player himself was "shocked" by the incident.
Pittsburgh, played by Evgeny Malkin, selected Kindel in the first round of the 2025 draft at number 11. In his debut season, he has 17 goals and 18 assists in 77 games, and in the current championship he managed to play nine matches (two goals, two assists).
