Off-duty cop helps save hockey player’s life in Coquitlam

An off-duty New Westminster police officer is being credited with saving the life of a young man at a Coquitlam hockey game recently.

Const. Curtis Heath had arrived at the rink early to watch his son play hockey when he noticed a crowd of people gathered in the middle of the ice. As he rounded the boards, he realized someone was performing CPR on a hockey player – the player had suffer cardiac arrest and collapsed on the ice, according to a press release from the New Westminster Police Department.

Heath rushed on to the ice to help. He took over the CPR duties and, with the help of a Justice Institute of B.C. grad, the two were able to stabilize the player long enough for someone to find an automated external defibrillator (AED), according to the release.

“My training and instincts kind of kicked in, and I did everything I could to save this man,” Heath said in the release. “I chose this line of work to help people, and it’s a 24/7 job. It’s nice that I was able to be there for a fellow hockey player.”

The player was defibrillated twice, and Heath continued CPR until paramedics arrived. The player, a 27-year-old man, was taken to hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, according to police.

“We’re proud that Const. Heath was able to apply the skills he learned for his job and use them to safe this young man’s life,” New Westminster Police Chief Const. Dave Jones said in the release. “I would like to personally commend all those involved for their action.”