“We have a situation…” is a phrase you don’t want to hear an announcer say. The words almost incite an “uh-oh” from those listening. And that’s exactly what happened during the opening minutes of Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames at Rogers Place. Just as the players were looking to get into the grove, a fan behind the Oilers bench “collapsed on the stairs,” as per Hockey Patrol’s Austin Kelly.

The Oilers’ doctors immediately jumped into action as the play paused. While few at the stadium seemed to barely have any idea beyond the fact that a fan had suffered a medical emergency, Bob Mackin of The Breaker News shed some light. “Chatter on Edmonton Fire dispatch radio indicates a male suffered a heart attack,” wrote Mackin. However, fans didn’t wait for further details to voice their concerns.

“I’ve never seen a sporting event where a fan collapses. The whole arena went hush, and they had to call an ambulance. Scary. Edmonton Oilers Vs Calgary. Prayers for the fan,” commented one Oilers fan, describing the atmosphere inside Rogers Place. The announcers also noted the sudden shift in the entire arena’s mood, going from loud to absolutely pin-drop silent.

“The building’s gotten really quiet over here, and you never wanna see this… And even the hush. You can almost feel it on the bench,” noted the announcers. Thankfully, the medical staff at Rogers Place wasted no time calling for an ambulance after providing first aid to the individual. Naturally, the game was paused as both teams spoke to the medical team on site.

Sportsnet reported that the total delay amounted to 10 minutes. The game resumed only after the ambulance arrived, and medical personnel were available. The Edmonton Oilers fans were excited about seeing the Oilers’ forward Leon Draisaitl‘s return after sitting out a couple of games thanks to injury. However, concern clouded their excitement.

The incident scared fans at the Edmonton Oilers’ home arena

“Scary scene in Edmonton tonight. The game got delayed due to a medical emergency in the crowd. The Oilers doctor jumped into action to help. Sending prayers to the fan,” wrote one fan wishing a speedy recovery for the fellow ice hockey fan. Meanwhile, another fan who saw it happen explained why the incident felt so scary.

“I’m at the game and it wasn’t pretty, the fan had a medical episode and fell down 18-20 rows before someone could stop them…” the netizen posted from inside the Edmonton Oilers’ home arena. Yet despite the tragic incident, everyone appreciated just how swiftly the medical team reacted. The one who saw it firsthand said no differently.

“Oilers training staff or doctors were on site right away,” added the fan. Tensions ran high even before the game began. The Edmonton Oilers are contesting with the LA Kings for home ice when the playoffs come around. Yet, the stakes for Calgary were much higher. In fact, how they performed against the Oilers had the potential to make or break their playoff chances.

The Calgary Flames have lost a lot of steam in their on-going chase for the wild-card spot, and losing this game would spell doom. Yet, despite the high stakes, the incident took precedence for the NHL players to the fans. The collective concern of the arena was to rush the collapsed fan to the hospital. “Really hope the fan is okay,” another netizen posted during the pause.

“Sending prayers to the person who collapsed at the Oilers game,” wrote another while posting a clip of the hectic scenes from the broadcast. The clip showed officials, staff, and the teams patiently waiting as medical personnel tended to the fan off-screen. However, the night ended on a positive note, at least for the Edmonton Oilers.

Though Leon Draisaitl’s return started off catastrophically, the forward’s heroic antics seized the day for his team. Things weren’t looking up for the Oilers as the Flames had taken the lead in the third. Yet, the no McDavid-troop managed to level the goals and dragged the game to overtime. That’s when the German shined, scoring a milestone 50th goal for the season.

The goal marked Draisaitl’s 4th career 50-goal season. It was a “remarkable” achievement, as coach Kris Knoblauch put it. While the tragic incident cast a long shadow on Draisaitl’s achievement, he gave the fans something to celebrate on a night that started on a terrible note.