Peverley to Have Procedure for Atrial Fibrillation

Dallas Stars forward Rich Perverley will sit out the rest of this hockey season while doctors try a procedure to help fix his heart abnormality.

Perverley and his coach Lindy Ruff spoke at a press conference Wednesday afternoon where the disclosed Peverley has an "Atrial Fibrillation" issue with his heart.

The procedure which doctors hope will return his heart to a normal rhythm had been planned for the offseason. Peverley had been diagnosed with the issue at a preseason physical and gave him the okay to play. They believe he had the issue last year in the playoffs and he's played 62 games this NHL season while on medication to regulate his heart beat.

You'll recall Peverley passed out Monday trying to get off the teams bench and onto the ice for a game. He was immediately rushed off the ice and tended to by medical personnel, the quickness of that treatment doctors say, may have saved his life.

The surgical procedure is planned in the next couple of weeks in Cleveland and while recovery time is usually a couple of months, doctors are not sure if Peverley will be able to play professional hockey again.

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Guy Boucher Fired In Tampa

((HT: NHL/Sportsnet))

After starting out 6-1 in the regular season, the Tampa Bay Lightning hit the skids...

And that means that head coach Guy Boucher is no longer the head coach...

Post start, the team went 6-16-1...

"Guy has poured his heart and soul into the Lightning organization for these past three years and we appreciate all the work he has done," said GM Steve Yzerman upon making the announcement. "But ultimately I am not satisfied with the direction we are heading and I believe making a change today is in the best interest of our franchise."

The Lightning are 14th in the Eastern Conference and rumors have former Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff as the leader in the clubhouse to take over full-time. Yzerman hired Ruff as an Assistant Coach for Team Canada's 2010 Olympic Team. Assistants Martin Raymond and Dan Lacroix will share coaching responsibilities in the short-term...

Here's Boucher's last game behind the bench...

DEVELOPING: Sabres Fire Ruff

The Buffalo Sabres, at 6-10-1, started out the season winning their first two games- then, they've gone 4-10-1
That got the team's winningest coach ever (532-400-151), Lindy Ruff, fired...

Buffalo's 13 points are the fewest in the Northeast Division and tied for the third-fewest in the Eastern Conference. Ruff played left wing and defense with the club from 1979 to 1989, before coaching the team starting in 1997-98- giving him a 25-year association with the team and the mark for the longest tenured coach in the league.

After this morning's 90-minute skate, Ruff was relieved of duty and a night after this...

Next up for the Sabres is a game against Toronto Thursday...