Penguins’ Ben Kindel recovering after vasovagal episode on team flight

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel skating on the ice in his black and gold uniform. — Justin Berl / Getty Images via NHL.com

Summary

Ben Kindel lost consciousness about 10 minutes after the Penguins’ flight left Salt Lake City on Tuesday.
The plane returned to the airport, and Kindel was taken to a hospital before being cleared to travel Wednesday.
Kindel is undergoing further testing and could resume training within days if doctors find no complications.

Kindel returns to Pittsburgh after in-flight emergency

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel is back in Pittsburgh after losing consciousness aboard the team’s flight from Salt Lake City, an episode that forced the aircraft to return for an emergency landing. General manager Kyle Dubas said Thursday that Kindel experienced vasovagal syncope about 10 minutes after takeoff Tuesday. Team medical personnel treated him immediately, and he regained consciousness before the plane landed.^{[1] [2]}

An ambulance took Kindel to the University of Utah medical center for evaluation. He was released and medically cleared to travel back to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, according to NHL.com and an Associated Press report carried by Sportsnet. Kindel was at the Penguins’ facility Thursday for treatment and additional testing.^{[1] [2]}

Return timetable depends on further tests

The Penguins placed the 19-year-old on injured reserve Thursday. Dubas said the team hoped Kindel could begin training within roughly four days and possibly practice Sunday or Monday, but he attached that timeline to the results of further testing. The team has not identified what triggered the episode, and Dubas said he knew of no previous history of Kindel collapsing.^{[1] [2]}

Kindel is expected to miss Pittsburgh’s games against the Florida Panthers on Thursday and the Nashville Predators on Saturday. Any return-to-play decision will follow the club’s medical process rather than the tentative practice target. Dubas described Kindel as shaken by the incident and said protecting the player’s health was the priority.^{[1] [2]}

What a vasovagal episode means

Vasovagal syncope is a form of fainting in which the nervous system overreacts and causes blood pressure and heart rate to fall suddenly, temporarily reducing blood flow to the brain. Cleveland Clinic says the condition is the most common type of reflex syncope and is usually not a sign of a larger medical problem, although fainting can have other causes and should be evaluated by a medical professional.^[3]

Possible triggers include stress, anxiety, exhaustion, dehydration, pain and seeing blood or needles, according to Cleveland Clinic. No trigger has been established in Kindel’s case. His continuing tests are intended to determine what led to the episode and whether any complication could affect his return.^{[1] [3]}

A second NHL season interrupted

Kindel, selected by Pittsburgh with the No. 11 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, has two goals and two assists through nine games this season. He played 18 minutes and 53 seconds in Monday’s 5-4 loss to the Utah Mammoth, the final game of the road trip preceding the medical emergency.^[1]

The forward recorded 17 goals and 18 assists in 77 games as a rookie. His next step remains contingent on the Penguins completing their evaluation and clearing him for training, leaving the timing of his return unresolved.^{[1] [2]}

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