Is Ex-Boston Bruins Rich Peverley NHL career over?

Apr 11, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars center

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(17) celebrate the win over the St. Louis Blues at the American Airlines Center. The Stars shut out the Blues 3-0 and clinched the final playoff spot in the western conference. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Next week, the National Hockey League will have their annual award show in Las Vegas. Among the presenters this year is former Boston Bruins and now Dallas Stars forward Rich Peverley. Peverley will be awarding the Masterson Trophy which goes to a player “who best exemplifies the characteristics of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”

Peverley himself was nominated for the award this year. While he’s less than enthusiastic about receiving the award this year, he’s far more positive about the award in general. “I think the fact that Bill Masterton was a member of the North Stars and the Stars organization,” said Peverley to the Dallas Morning News. “I do like the fact that I get to help represent that history for the team, and I like the award and what it stands for, and I think that knowing the stories of the nominees and presenting the trophy to the winner, that could be motivation for me to come back, if coming back is possible.”

Peverley currently resides in Guelph, Ontario and makes trips to Cleveland to have his check-ups. His goal is to be ready for training camp in September with the Dallas Stars. He’s still signed to the organization until the end of next season.

Rich Peverley was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat before the beginning of last season. He had an operation to correct the problem and was able to start playing within the first week of the regular season. He ended up playing sixty two games for the Stars before that cardiac event on March 10th.  Thankfully, the trainers and medical staff were able to revive him. He had a second operation to further correct the problem on March 19th.

Peverley is still optimistic, but the chances of him making a return are long. While the NHL has established protocols for injuries like concussions, protocols for heart defects are practically non-existent. The league would certainly be worried about another event, as would Peverley and his family. It would be nice to see a player like Peverley (who rose from the ranks to make a solid impact in game three of the Stanley Cup Final for Boston back in 2011) to be able to finish his NHL career on his own terms.