Flames legend McDonald posts he's out of hospital after cardiac event

CALGARY — The Calgary Flames have forwarded a message from Hockey Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald that he's out of hospital following a cardiac event earlier this month.

The 71-year-old writes in an Instagram post, with a photo of him standing outside Calgary's Foothills Medical Centre, that he's ending his "two-week visit with new and improved pipes, some fancy hardware and a figuratively full heart."

McDonald had posted on Feb. 5 that while he was returning from the NHL's All-Star Game in Toronto, two nurses heading to their own flights at Calgary International Airport helped him when he was in distress.

The forward from Hanna, Alta., was co-captain of the Flames and the squad's emotional leader when Calgary won the Stanley Cup in 1989.

McDonald writes that he's now "Off to enjoy the rest of the Flames season from the comfort of my chair instead of on hospital wifi," adding in brackets, "if you know, you know!"

He also praises health-care staff at Foothills Medical Centre, and encourages the Flames to "keep hustling" because it keeps his blood pressure down.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2024.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version of this story misspelled Hanna, Alta.