Penguins’ Ben Kindel collapsed during team flight, GM Kyle Dubas says
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel collapsed on the team’s flight from Salt Lake City International Airport on Wednesday, shortly after takeoff, according to general manager Kyle Dubas, who confirmed the news and provided details at a Thursday press conference.
The flight was forced to return to Salt Lake City so medical personnel could attend to the 19-year-old’s condition and take him to the University of Utah Medical Center for treatment.
Kindel remained in Salt Lake City for immediate care, while Dr. Rich Rotenberg and Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, along with assistant coach Nick Bonino and assistant general manager Jason Spezza, stayed with him in Utah.
According to Dubas, Kindel regained consciousness after receiving oxygen on the plane, having suffered a bout of vasovagal, which the Mayo Clinic describes as an event that causes “heart rate and blood pressure to drop suddenly” when the “body overreacts to certain triggers.”
Kindel eventually regained enough health to return home to Pittsburgh, where he will continue his recovery, and Dubas hopes he can return to practices with the Penguins as soon as next week, with “strict guidelines” guiding his return timeline.
“The plan for Ben will be obviously increased testing clearance medically, and then return to training and return to practice,” Dubas said, indicating that the player will be placed on injured reserve. “We’ll provide those updates as we go along.”
Kindel, a native of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia and coming from an athletic background, with a father, Steve, who played soccer for Canada and the Vancouver Whitecaps, is in his second season of NHL action and has scored two goals and two assists in nine games, after netting 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points in 77 games as a rookie in 2025-26.
In addition to offering a clear update on his player’s status, Dubas cautioned the media to be wary in reporting after rumors of a seizure circulated online following the Penguins’ initial statement on Kindel’s medical episode.
The Penguins return to action on Thursday night on home ice against the Florida Panthers.
