MOSCOW – The investigation into the sudden death of Alexei Cherepanov, the New York Rangers’ first round No. 17 pick in the 2007 NHL draft revealed that poor medical treatment was not the cause of death according to statements made during a press conference today. Here’s the video of what little transpired between medical personnel on the bench after the player collapsed…you be the judge:

Russian officials originally reported that the arena medical defibrillator was faulty and it took an excessive amount of time for emergency personnel to respond to the incident.

Those accusations have changed over a course of time and during the press conference, KHL spokesman Vladimir Shalaev shared a Russian State Police report and said that medical personnel “acted professionally and did everything they could. The absence of special medical equipment in the arena was not the cause of death of this hockey player.”

The prosecutor in the case, however, is keeping the criminal investigation open.

The 19-year-old player died after collapsing during a hockey game with Avangard Omsk in the KHL on Oct. 13 in Chekov, a city near Moscow.

The following came from information taken from a report that was given to ESPN. ‘Russian officials refused to reveal exactly what caused Cherepanov’s death, but promised that information would be forthcoming. It is unknown whether criminal charges still might be filed.’

The police are however, keeping the case open.

Copyright © 2008 – Sports Climax