NEWSLETTER
The NHL has made it clear that their desire to reach a point where all players and coaches are fully vaccinated is no joking matter. We’ve seen a handful of teams reach the 100% vaccination level over the past couple of days, and according to Blackhawks President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Stan Bowman, the Blackhawks have joined that group.
Blackhawks are 100 percent vaccinated, per Stan Bowman.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) September 23, 2021
Speaking before the Blackhawks’ first training camp workout today, Bowman told reporters that the Blackhawks are indeed 100% vaccinated. The NHL continues to get closer and closer to their expectation of a 98% vaccination rate league-wide.
On September 2nd, the NHL announced new COVID-19 protocols for the 2021-22 season that included stiff penalties for unvaccinated players, including possible suspensions and loss of pay if those players tested positive and were held out of team activities.
While the NHL and the NHLPA have not made getting vaccinated against COVID-19 mandatory for its players, they’re using stringent protocols and steep financial penalties as motivation to get the vast majority of their players vaccinated before the start of the 2021-22 season next month, and it’s working.
