Hockey icon and Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald was on his way back from the NHL’s All-Star game in Toronto when he suffered a ”cardiac event” on Sunday.
On Instagram, he personally thanked two nurses heading to their flights at the airport who helped him.
“It’s true that even tough old guys need help sometimes; today, I want to extend my overwhelming gratitude to many members of our community,” McDonald said in the post on the social media platform.
Neither McDonald nor his wife, Ardell, got the nurses’ name.
”Two selfless nurses who were passing by to catch their own flights immediately jumped into action.
”We are eternally grateful for their care and action … I owe them my life,” McDonald said.
McDonald also thanked Calgary Paramedics, Calgary Fire, and WestJet.
”I wish I could thank you all personally, as I know there were so many involved. They provided the highest degree of support, kindness and professionalism, and I am humbled to have been the recipient of the their speed and expertise.”
McDonald was in the hospital Monday, looking forward to Sunday’s Super Bowl.
”The amazing care continues, every nurse and doctor better than the next. Thank you for the well wishes (news travels fast!). While I hang out here as the professionals figure out next steps for the ol’ ticker, I’ll try to convince the team here to bet on the Chiefs next Sunday, and never stop cheering for our Flames.”
Lanny McDonald scored 500 goals and had 506 assists in 1,111 games through a 17-season NHL career, playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies, and Calgary Flames.
He won the Stanley Cup with Calgary in 1989 and earned an induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. In 2015, he was named chairman of the board of the HHOF.
