In a recent heroic feat, ex-NHL star Tony Hrkac potentially saved a fellow league employee’s life during an L.A. Kings game at Crypto.com Arena on January 4.
Sources revealed to TMZ Sports that an unnamed NHL staff member faced a life-threatening situation, choking on a pretzel and turning “purplish” within the arena.
Acting swiftly, the 57-year-old Hrkac, currently a scout for the Tampa Bay Lightning, performed the Heimlich maneuver, successfully dislodging the obstructing pretzel. The distressed employee quickly regained normal breathing.
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Eyewitnesses credit Tony Hrkac with saving the individual’s life during this critical incident.
For those unfamiliar with Hrkac, he enjoyed a remarkable 14-season career in the NHL, marked by winning the Hobey Baker Award in 1987 at the University of North Dakota. Notably, he clinched a national championship for his college team the same year. Throughout his professional journey, Hrkac played for the Blues, Blackhawks, and Stars, earning a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999.
Retiring from professional hockey in 2005 (with a brief comeback later), Hrkac continues to make headlines, this time not on the ice but as a real-life hero.