Jiří Fischer

Jiří Fischer (July 31, 1980 in Hořovice, Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic) is a former professional ice hockey defenceman in the NHL, who has not played since November 2005 after suffering cardiac arrest in a game against the Nashville Predators. Fischer is currently director of player development for the Detroit Red Wings.

Fischer was selected in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft in the first round, 25th overall, by the Red Wings, and was a part of the team that won the 2002 Stanley Cup.

Endorsement work
In 2003, Fischer appeared with fellow NHL defenseman Chris Pronger in a television commercial for Dodge Ram trucks. The commercial featured a black Ram truck running along a track, which then smashes into a wall. Fischer and Pronger, along with two other unnamed players, exit the truck in full hockey gear. Pronger then intones "I've been hit harder," and Fischer answers "Me too." The commercial was played during the 2003 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. Neither defenseman were playing at the time as both were recovering from torn anterior cruciate ligament injuries when the commercial was filmed.

Heart trouble
During a game on November 21, 2005, against the Nashville Predators, Fischer collapsed on the bench. He had gone into cardiac arrest, and he was resuscitated by CPR and by using an Automated External Defibrillator after he had been unconscious for six minutes. He was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital.

The game was postponed due to his injury, and was made up on January 23, 2006. This was the first time in NHL history a game had been postponed due to injury. The game was played for the full 60 minutes, though the Predators were allowed to maintain their 1-0 lead from the original game. Incidentally, Nashville won the game by a score of 3-2.

On Wednesday, November 23, he was released from the hospital. Fischer's heart may have been experiencing either ventricular tachycardia, a type of racing heartbeat, or ventricular fibrillation. Both can cause death if treatment is not immediately received. Doctors ordered Fischer to avoid all physical activity for four to six weeks, and no prognosis was made on whether or not he would be able to continue his hockey career. On November 28, he suffered a "brief, abnormal cardiac rhythm", while at his home in Detroit. He was released two days later and has undergone more testing with several cardiologists, including doctors at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As of 2009, his future on the ice is over.