My 53yr old husband is very active.. works our regularly, runs, plays hockey, etc. he looks like he's in great shape, but has a very poor heart rate recovery. is this cause for concern?

Signal: It's a signal that something is not as it should be. He needs a stress test if he hasn't already had one. Not only will this confirm (or refute) his true heart rate recovery quantatively, it will reveal if he has significant coronary artery disease. He also needs an echocardiogram to be sure his heart muscle is strong (or if not, that he's receiving treatment to help it).