St. Louis Blues defenceman Jay Bouwmeester will not play again this season or in the playoffs, general manager Doug Armstrong announced Wednesday.

Bouwmeester and Armstrong held a news conference on Wednesday, with the 36-year-old speaking for the first time since he collapsed on the Blues' bench during a game against the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 12. Armstrong told reporters the next day that medical personnel used a defibrillator to revive Bouwmeester before he was taken to hospital. The game was postponed shortly after the incident.

Bouwmeester had a successful Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator procedure to restore his heart's normal rhythm on Feb. 14.

Both Bouwmeester and Armstrong said Wednesday that no decisions have been made on his playing future beyond this season. The veteran blueliner is currently scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in July after playing this season on a one-year, $3.25 million contract.

"It's tough, but hockey hasn't really been at the front of my mind the last couple of weeks," Bouwmeester said. "I feel pretty good, so you can compare it to another injury where you're just not playing. But you have to remind yourself why you're not playing. It puts it in perspective."

Bouwmeester was skating in his 57th game this season, the 1,241st of his NHL career when the incident occurred. He posted one goal and nine points this season, bringing his career totals to 88 goals and 424 points.