A week after experiencing a medical episode during a flight, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel returned to the ice ahead of the team's weekend game against the Utah Mammoth.
Kindel, who had been on injury reserve since the incident, returned to practice on Oct. 27, with the team sharing photos of him on the ice to their social media.
His return comes ahead of the Penguins' Oct. 29 home game against the Utah Mammoth, who they played in Salt Lake City a day before Kindel collapsed on the team's airplane.
Here's what we know.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel returns to practice
Kindel returned to practice on Oct. 27, with the Penguins sharing photos and a video of him on the ice to the team's social media.
"It's in the past now, it's out of my head," Kindel said in the video. "Can't control what
happened, just gotta move forward. That's where my head's at, just looking to move forward now. So I'm definitely not dwelling on anything or have anything holding me back coming into this weekend."
He added that his teammates helped make his return painless, saying, "I'm grateful for my teammates as well. They made it so easy just to come back and make it normal ... this is what we love to do, go and play hockey, and (it's) just so awesome to be back on the ice."
Will Ben Kindel play in Oct. 29 Pittsburgh Penguins game?
As of Oct. 28 morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins hadn't officially confirmed whether or not Kindel would play in the Oct. 29 game against the Utah Mammoth at PPG Paints Arena. The team typically shares its projected lineup the day of a game.
Ben Kindel suffered 'vasovagal episode' on flight. What happened?
On Oct. 20, the day after the Penguins lost 5-4 to the Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City, Kindel "collapsed" on the team plane in a "vasovagal episode," said Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas during an Oct. 22 press conference. He was given oxygen and regained consciousness, but the flight made an emergency medical landing back in Salt Lake City, where Kindel was taken by paramedics to the University of Utah Hospital for additional treatment.
Kindel was cleared to travel on Oct. 21 and returned to Pittsburgh with Nick Bonino, Jason Spezza, Richard Rotenberg and team physician Dharmesh Vyas. He was placed on injury reserve as he underwent additional testing, with Dubas saying the team would follow "very strict guidelines to ensure a safe return to training and play."
Prior to the incident, Kindel didn't have a history of vasovagal syncope episodes, Dubas said on Oct. 22.
What is vasovagal syncope? Is it a seizure?
Vasovagal syncope not a kind of seizure, but rather a kind of fainting that happens when a person's nervous system overreacts, causing their blood pressure and heart rate to drop suddenly, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It's the most common type of reflex syncope, and it generally happens when you're standing or sitting. It's commonly triggered by blood, needles, medical instruments, stress, anxiety, emotional upset, fatigue, exhaustion or dehydration. It's more likely to occur in a warm environment, or if a person is standing for a long time, experiencing pain or feeling strong emotions.
Right before an episode occurs, a person may experience fatigue, a sudden warm feeling, dizziness, paleness, nausea, heavy sweating, a slow pulse, yawning and tunnel vision. Then, during the episode, they may experience symptoms such as brief disorientation or confusion, eyes remaining open but rolling up toward the back of their head, falling when they lose consciousness, loss of bladder control and twitching movements that can be mistaken for a seizure.
People typically recover quickly, though they may have leftover symptoms like anxiety, dizziness, fatigue, headache, nausea, pale skin, sweating or the urge to have a bowel movement.
Watch, stream Pittsburgh Penguins game
The Penguins are scheduled to play the Utah Mammoth at PPG Paints Arena on Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be available on SportsNet Pittsburgh, NHL Center ICE and ESPN+.
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Penguins forward Ben Kindel returns to ice before Oct. 29 home game
