Simon’s Heart and Defibtech Launch “Overtime Challenge” to Equip Youth Facilities with Lifesaving AEDs Nationwide

October 8, 2025  •  Guilford, CT

National initiative faces off with NHL Opening Week to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest in sports

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., October 8, 2025 — Simon’s Heart, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing sudden cardiac arrest, and Defibtech, a leading provider of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), today launched the Overtime Challenge, a national initiative to provide AEDs to youth organizations. Each week of the 2025-26 NHL season, an AED will be donated to a local youth facility in a U.S. market whose team enters sudden-death overtime.

“The Overtime Challenge highlights the most exciting moment in hockey and the most tragic reality of youth sports,” said Darren Sudman, co-founder of Simon’s Heart. “Every year, we hear heartbreaking stories of young athletes who suffer sudden cardiac arrest while playing a game they love. With this campaign, and GotAED, our crowdfunding platform, we’re making sure kids are protected where they learn and play.”

Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among student athletes, according to the American Heart Association. Immediate CPR and access to an AED can increase survival rates by nearly 70 percent, while each passing minute without defibrillation can reduce survival odds by 10%.

Simon’s Heart and Defibtech plan to donate 25 AEDs during the NHL season, focusing on youth organizations with critical needs or limited access. Community members are invited to nominate facilities to receive an AED via GotAED.org.

“An AED can mean the difference between life and death in a matter of minutes,” said AJ Pace, president & CEO of Defibtech. “We are proud to partner with Simon’s Heart to place more AEDs, so they are available in the right place at the right time. AEDs are a critical tool in protecting young athletes and kids wherever they play, so that their coaches, families, and fans are prepared to handle cardiac emergencies.”

About Simon’s Heart

Simon’s Heart is a nonprofit organization founded in memory of Simon Sudman, a seemingly healthy baby who died suddenly at three months old from an undetected and treatable heart condition. The organization’s mission is to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in children, teens, and young adults through awareness, education, legislation, and access to lifesaving resources such as community heart screenings and AEDs. Learn more at simonsheart.org.

About Defibtech 

Defibtech is a leader and innovator in the design and manufacture of life-saving resuscitation devices, including  automated external defibrillators  (AEDs), mechanical chest compressors, and related accessories that the public and healthcare professionals depend on every day.  With more than 650,000 AED units shipped worldwide, Defibtech is committed to saving lives by producing the best AEDs that  advanced medical technology  has to offer. Headquartered in Guilford, Conn., all of Defibtech’s life-saving products are conceived and developed in-house and are designed and built in the United States at their state-of-the-art facilities. For more information about Defibtech and its products, visit www.defibtech.com. 

About GotAED

GotAED overcomes the budgetary constraints felt by schools, sports clubs, and other youth organizations. The crowdfunding platform makes it easy and practical to acquire an AED device.

Media Contacts:
Debbie Lewis
Simon’s Heart
610-772-5103
media@simonsheart.org

Melissa Johnston
Defibtech
203-520-0331
mjohnston@defibtech.com