Career
Žoltoks was drafted by the Boston Bruins 55th overall in 1992 National Hockey League Entry Draft. After playing 25 games with the Boston Bruins in the 1992-1993 National Hockey League season and the 1993-1994 National Hockey League season, Žoltoks spent the next years playing in minor leagues. Žoltoks returned to the National Hockey League in the 1996-1997 National Hockey League season with the Ottawa Senators.
In the following years, he played for the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and the Nashville Predators.
During the 2004-2005 National Hockey League lockout, Žoltoks returned to Latvia and played for the Riga 2000 team in the Latvian national hockey championship and the Open Belarus hockey championship. On November 3, 2004, his cardiac arrhythmia resurfaced during the game between Hong Kong Riga 2000 (Latvia) and The Human Context Dinamo Minsk (Belarus).
Žoltoks left the game with 5 minutes remaining, collapsing and dying after returning to the dressing room in the arms of teammate Darby Hendrickson. An autopsy determined heart failure as the cause of death.
This was not the first occurrence.
In January 2003 he had to leave a game due to this arrhythmia, and had been observed in a hospital overnight. He was allowed to return to play after missing seven games. During his 10 years in the National Hockey League, he played in 588 regular-season games, scored 111 goals and had 147 assists.
1996: Ironman Award, International Hockey League, given to a player who has played in every game for his team and displayed outstanding offensive and defensive skills.
