Ottawa hockey player Mark Cloutier is living proof that CPR training saves lives — and that a single refresher course can make all the difference when minutes matter most.
Cloutier was playing a recreational hockey game at a local Ottawa rink when he suddenly collapsed on the ice. His heart had stopped. For 17 terrifying minutes, he had no pulse — and yet, thanks to the quick actions of teammates and bystanders who had recently brushed up on their CPR skills, he survived.
The Moments That Changed Everything
When Cloutier went down, the people around him didn't freeze. Several players on the ice had taken CPR refresher courses in recent months, and that training kicked in almost immediately. They began chest compressions while someone called 911, keeping blood and oxygen circulating to Cloutier's brain until paramedics arrived.
Cloutier himself has said he wouldn't be here without their intervention. Seventeen minutes is an extraordinarily long time for a heart to be stopped — most survivors of cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting receive help within the first few minutes. The fact that he survived with no serious neurological damage is being credited entirely to the sustained, skilled CPR performed by those around him.
Why CPR Training Matters in Ottawa
Ottawa's hockey community is tight-knit, and the sport is embedded in the city's identity — from outdoor rinks on the Rideau Canal to dozens of community arenas spread across every neighbourhood. With thousands of Ottawans hitting the ice every week, cardiac events at rinks are not unheard of.
Heart & Stroke Foundation data suggests that cardiac arrest survival rates can more than double when a bystander performs CPR before paramedics arrive. Yet surveys consistently show that a large portion of Canadians either have never learned CPR or haven't refreshed their skills in years.
Cloutier's story is a sharp reminder of why that needs to change.
Getting Trained in Ottawa
For Ottawa residents looking to take or renew their CPR certification, options are widely available. The Heart & Stroke Foundation offers in-person Heartsaver courses at locations across the city. The Ottawa Paramedic Service and Ottawa Public Health also periodically host free or low-cost training sessions for community members.
Many rec hockey leagues and community centres in Ottawa have started encouraging — and in some cases requiring — that at least a few players or officials on site be CPR-certified at all times. It's a small ask with potentially enormous consequences.
A Second Chance
For Cloutier, life after the incident has taken on new meaning. He's spoken publicly about his experience in hopes that his story will push more Ottawans to sign up for a course, dust off their skills, or at minimum learn where the nearest automated external defibrillator (AED) is at their local rink or arena.
AEDs — which deliver an electric shock to restart a stopped heart — are now required in many public buildings in Ontario, and most Ottawa arenas have them on site. Knowing where they are and how to use one, alongside CPR, forms a critical chain of survival.
Cloutier's teammates gave him 17 minutes. His second chance at life began the moment someone knelt down and started compressions.
Source: Ottawa Citizen
