McKendree hockey player endures risky surgery for love of the game

McKendree University student athlete Dylan Mueth had a tough choice to make.

Doctors told him, because of a health condition, he either had to quit playing hockey — or else he needed risky heart surgery.

For the graduate student getting a master’s degree in education systems, it was a no-brainer.

He had the surgery and got back in the game.

“It was about two years ago and I had a normal checkup with my cardiologist — I had heart surgery when I was 2 years old — so I get a checkup from time to time,” Mueth said. “He said a part of my heart was growing too fast.”

The cardiologist put Mueth on blood pressure medication and told him he had to cut way back on physical activity. His passion for playing hockey had to be put on ice.

“I went to see a second doctor and he was the one who suggested surgery,” Mueth said. “He said I could choose to sit there and do nothing and I couldn’t do any physical activity at all — or I could have heart surgery and try to get back to normal.”

Mueth admitted he was filled with dread about having a heart operation. But, in the end, he knew what he had to do.

It was December 2013 when Mueth had the surgery. It was nearly a month after he agreed to have the operation before it took place.

“I thought about if for 3-4 weeks,” Mueth said. “I was scared when they told me what was going to happen. I mean, they’re chopping you open. But there was a chance that if I chose to wait that I might have had to have it anyway in five years. So I wanted to get it over with.”

Mueth, who had trouble just getting around campus to go to classes before the operation, started to get strong enough to consider playing hockey again by the middle of 2014.

“I played the past two seasons,” Mueth said. “I just finished up the last one.”

McKendree hockey coach Garry Henson said the impact Dylan had on his team was immeasurable both on and off the ice.

“Dylan has been the captain of the team for the last two years as well as being one of our leading scorers,” Henson said.

Getting such a boost on the ice was hard to imagine for players before it happened. Up to that point, teammates were mostly concerned about Mueth’s life.

“The conversations were not really about making it back. Most were just concerned about the actual surgery,” Henson said.

McKendree’s hockey team was 19-12 — its highest win total in nearly a decade — during the 2015-16 season and qualified for the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 3 tournament.

Mueth’s netted 26 goals and 20 assists in the 2014-15 season.

The club rallied around Mueth after his return.

“I think so,” Henson replied when asked if Mueth was an inspiration to other players. “More so for the few guys that were there during the surgery and recovery. I think all were inspired at some level, though. I mean his scars are hard to ignore. I believe guys have looked at those scars and have been motivated by his dedication to and love for the game.”

Besides having his life back, Mueth said the biggest benefit was getting a chance to be a part of the team he loved again.

“It was great to be around the other players,” Mueth said. “We’ve come so far together. Just this past year, we qualified for regionals. I scored the game-winning goal in overtime in one of the games that helped send us to nationals. I’ll never forget that.”

It was also a thrill to get to play in front of his parents, Brian and Michelle Mueth of New Baden, again, he said.

“Ever since I was about 8 years old, I’ve been interested in hockey,” Mueth said. “It started in my hometown of New Baden. There is a small roller rink there where I kind of got into it. Eventually, my parents offered to take me to Fairview Heights (to play at the U.S. Ice Sports Complex) and then over into St. Louis.”

Mueth, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound right winger, said it took him a while to add some muscle and get back to his playing weight.

“It was really hard,” Mueth said. “I got pretty weak and lost a lot of weight. Basically, I was laying down for 2-3 months. It was pretty frustrating. I got down to about 155 pounds.”

Mueth had the surgery during winter break and felt much better by the time school resumed in January. But it took time for the pain from having his chest cracked open to subside. He worried that he wouldn’t be able to handle a hard hit on the ice.

“I was definitely worried about it for the first month or so” after practice resumed, Mueth said. “But I got hit one of the first games back — hit pretty hard. It was kind of a mental thing and after that first hit, I was over it.”

While his hockey career is over, Mueth said he’s still glad he had the surgery, which gave him a new lease on his athletic life.

“I just like to be able to work out,” Mueth said. “I ski and snowboard. Those are things that were a struggle to do before the surgery.”

If he had to do it all over again, Mueth said he’d do the same thing.

“It was definitely tough,” Mueth said. “But it was also hard to have to sit there and watch. So it was worth it. I think teammates had a lot of respect for me for what I accomplished.”

While he won’t play hockey anymore, don’t be surprised if Mueth ends up playing a role in college sports at some point in his future.

“I’m getting my master’s at the end of the semester in higher education systems,” Mueth said. “Hopefully, I will get into athletic directing or something similar at a university.”

This story was originally published March 27, 2016 at 11:40 AM with the headline "McKendree hockey player endures risky surgery for love of the game."