Pittsburgh Penguins F Pascal Dupuis diagnosed with blood clot in lung

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis has been diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung and will be sidelined for at least six months, the team announced

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis has been diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung and will be sidelined for at least six months, the team announced Wednesday.

The clot was identified during testing on Monday after Dupuis, 35, complained of discomfort in his chest. His treatment will consist of blood thinners.

“Pascal had a blood clot in his leg that traveled to his lung,” said Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, the Penguins’ team physician. “In medical terms, that is a deep vein thrombosis resulting in a pulmonary embolism. This is the second such incident that we know of for Pascal. The treatment is at least six months of blood thinners, during which time he will not be able to play hockey. Other than that, his condition is stable.”

Dupuis missed Monday's game vs. the Montreal Canadiens and didn't travel with the team. At the time, the reason given was an undisclosed injury.

According to Craig Custance of ESPN The Magazine, most Penguins players found out about Dupuis' blood clot via a Wednesday morning text from head coach Mike Johnston.

Mike Johnston sent text to players 15 minutes ago about Dupuis. That's how many found out: "This is very new news, this is tough news."

— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) November 19, 2014

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Dupuis has six goals and five assists in 16 games for the Penguins this season. He missed the majority of the 2013-14 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee. Shortly after the knee injury in January, Dupuis was diagnosed with a blood clot. He was cleared to return to Pittsburgh's lineup in October.

The 14-year NHL veteran was acquired by the Penguins via a February 2008 trade with the Atlanta Thrashers.

“Our focus at this point is on Pascal’s health and well-being,” Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford said. “He will have all the support he needs from the Penguins organization and our medical staff.”

Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta returned to the lineup Tuesday two weeks having after having surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his thyroid gland. Maatta saw 20:14 of ice time in the Penguins' 4-0 win over the Canadiens.

- Mike Fiammetta