Ben Kindel Back in Pittsburgh After Scary Mid-Flight Fainting Episode
Penguins forward Ben Kindel has returned to Pittsburgh after fainting on the team charter Tuesday, with GM Kyle Dubas revealing the 19-year-old suffered a benign vasovagal episode and could be back practicing as soon as next week.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel is back in the Steel City and recovering well after a frightening medical episode on the team's charter flight earlier this week, general manager Kyle Dubas told reporters Thursday.
Kindel, 19, had an urgent medical issue about 10 minutes after the Penguins' plane departed Salt Lake City International Airport on Tuesday, forcing the aircraft to turn around and land. Dubas revealed Thursday that Kindel had fainted due to a "vasovagal episode" — vasovagal syncope, a common and generally benign fainting condition caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. He was given oxygen on the aircraft and regained consciousness.
Doctors cleared Kindel to fly back to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, accompanied by the team staff members who stayed behind in Utah with him. On Thursday he was back in the building undergoing treatment and testing, and Dubas said the club will place him on injured reserve while following "very strict guidelines" to ensure a safe return, adding that Kindel could resume practicing early next week.
The incident came as the Penguins returned from a four-game road trip that ended Monday with a 5-4 loss to the Utah Mammoth. The 11th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, from Coquitlam, British Columbia, is in his second season with Pittsburgh and has two goals and two assists through nine games after posting 17 goals and 18 assists in 77 games as an 18-year-old rookie.