Tragic Death of Rangers Prospect Deserves Further Examination

The New York Rangers have gotten off to a blazing-hot start in this year's young NHL season. Despite major roster alterations, these new Rangers seem to be meshing quickly and outworking their opponents. But due to tragic events in Russia earlier this week, the positive attention the Blueshirts have been receiving has suddenly taken a backseat.
In a surreal moment for the organization, top prospect and former first round draft pick, Alexei Cherepanov, collasped and died on the bench during a game for the Avangard Omsk. Cherepanov was only 19 years old.
Avangard is a team in Russia's Continental Hockey League; the league which gained recognition this offseason by luring NHL players, most notably former Ranger Jaromir Jagr, to come overseas and play. With it's deep pocketed owners, the KHL (I know it seems like it should be CHL, but this is how it's supposed to be abbreviated) has been considered a league on the rise, but this terribly tragic event has put that reputation in jeopardy. And for good reason.
"There are elements of negligence here," said Pavel Krasheninnikov, who sits on the Russian Hockey Federation's supervisory council.
Indeed there are, Mr. Krasheninnikov. An investigation is currently under way, so more information will surely surface, but there are some serious issues to be taken up with the league based on what we already know.
It has been determined that Cherepanov had chronic ischemia, which is a condition that occurs when not enough blood gets to the heart and other major organs. Prior to his death, the KHL was unaware of this condition despite regular heart and blood tests issued by the league. It seems odd that this could slip by going unnoticed, but even if we assume this is the case, it seems clear that the league was not prepared to deal with this type of incident.
After completing a shift with Jagr (they played on the same team and same line), Cherepanov was seated next to the former Ranger captain when he suddenly fell back and turned white. He was carried into the locker room, where there was no defibrillator present. A defibrillator is a medical machine used to shock the heart, and should be in place at all sporting events. To make matters worse, according to Krasheninnikov, there was no ambulance on duty at the arena and as a result there was a delay getting Cherepanov to a hospital.
Osmk coach Wayne Fleming was asked about how adequate the medical attention for his promising young player, but he said he was asked by the team not to comment. According to Cherepanov's agent, Jay Grossman, "[Jagr] went with him into the dressing room area and they revived him for some time and then he didn't make it."
What could the KHL expect to happen if a serious injury occurred on the ice, yet there was no ambulance to ensure the quickest and most effective medical treatment? Or if a player had a heart condition, yet there was no defibrillator on-site? Perhaps, Cherepanov's young life was one that was capable of being saved. At the very least, on the surface there seems to be many questions that should be directed at the KHL and their emergency response methods.
In the NHL, each team is responsible to comply with emergency medical procedures. Among the requirements are that medical staff on hand must be certified in advanced trauma life support, as well as have an ambulance service on-site.
If the KHL expects to continue to lure big name players from the NHL, they should seriously consider a similiar policy and not avoid the issue. This tragic news will surely not sit well with players across the world.
"This is a blow for the KHL," said Igor Larionov, who is a former Russian hockey star and is on the KHL's board of directors. "We must learn from this. This cannot happen ever again."
The fact is, it already happened one time too many.