Mario Lemieux Admitted to Area Hospital for Irregular Heart Beat

Pittsburgh Penguins owner and captain was admitted to an area hospital Wednesday after the team's workout with what was called an irregular heart beat. There was no other information available at that time. Lemieux went through the team's practice without issue, but was in the trainers office for an hour afterward before being sent to the hospital. He was immediately ruled out of the team's match up with the Minnesota Wild Thursday and was listed as day to day.

Mario was released from the hospital Thursday morning after having been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, which team General Manager Craig Patrick characterized as "a relatively common condition that can be treated with medication." This problem should not derail Mario's career, however it will keep him out of the line-up for a brief period of time.

Mario has apparently had several episodes of this condition since the middle of the summer, but it had gone undiagnosed until now.