The Patrick Schoonover Heart Foundation announced a new statewide effort to place automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in every Minnesota hockey arena, ensuring that lifesaving equipment is readily available for players, coaches, officials and spectators.
A tribute to a young athlete
The initiative, called the Play For Patrick HeartSafe Arenas Project, commemorates the memory of 14‑year‑old Patrick Schoonover, who collapsed during a 2014 tournament due to an undiagnosed cardiac condition.
Since 2015 the foundation has screened more than 7,800 young athletes, identified hundreds with elevated blood pressure or structural heart defects, taught hands‑only CPR to thousands and donated dozens of AEDs to schools and community centers.
Statewide rollout
Building on that track record, the organization will begin delivering functional AEDs to arenas across the state starting in September, marking the first phase of a long‑term plan to blanket all hockey facilities with the devices and maintenance support.
Community members are being urged to learn AED awareness and CPR, a call echoed by families who have been touched by the foundation’s work and by local officials who see the program as a model for public safety in youth sports.
"Our goal is simple: when a cardiac emergency strikes on the ice, the equipment and the know‑how must be within seconds," said Mike Schoonover, director of the foundation, emphasizing that basic training can be the difference between life and death.
The foundation’s website, playforpatrick.org, provides resources for screening events, training sessions and ways to contribute, while the Schoonover family continues to champion a culture where every rink is a HeartSafe zone.