NHL announces midseason rule change
It's official!
The NHL and NHLPA have come to terms on an agreement to amend their outdated COVID rules and protocols. These changes will officially take effect immediately following NHL All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. The updates to these rules and protocols more closely aligns the NHL with other professional sports leagues like the NFL and NBA.
These changes reward fully vaccinated players while continuing to test those who remain unvaccinated. At this time the list of unvaccinated players is believed to be under 3 players and possibly as low as 1, with just Tyler Bertuzzi remaining openly unvaccinated.
The NHLPA shared this information today in a Tweet announcing the changes.
"The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) announced today updates to their COVID‑19 Protocol.
The attached revised Protocol combines the changes that have been made since the start of the season, and incorporates new changes to the most recently issued «enhanced measures» and testing requirements, including (without limitation) the following:
�Recommendation to receive booster vaccine(s) as they become available.
�Removal of «enhanced measures» and reverting instead to the start-of-season Protocol, except where otherwise specified.
�Updated recommendations for type of masks and steps to reduce community exposure.
�Removal of the requirement to test daily (i.e., «for-cause» testing only) for Fully Vaccinated individuals.
�Removal of the requirement to test close contacts.
�Updated requirements for in-arena family spaces, game presentation and on-ice ceremonies."
These changes make it more likely the NHL will complete an 82 game schedule without incident and should leave fewer teams short handed, due to asymptomatic testing being halted. There was no mention of the Taxi Squads, which are expected to be dissolved at the conclusion of All-Star Weekend like originally planned.
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