Ice hockey NHL coach fired for refusing vaccine
NHL coach fired for refusing vaccine
Sylvain Lefebvre, assistant coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, « will not be able to perform his duties under current NHL protocols, » the club said.
Sylvain Lefebvre joined Columbus in June.
Getty Images via AFP
Sylvain Lefebvre, assistant coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL), where the Swiss Grégory Hoffmann and Dean Kukan play, was fired on Monday for refusing to be vaccinated against Covid-19, said the American club.
« Lefebvre has decided not to receive the vaccine against Covid-19 and will not be able to perform the functions incumbent upon him under current NHL protocols, » the club said in a statement.
Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekaleinen said he respected « this personal decision » of the 52-year-old former defender, who joined the US franchise in June 2021.
Strict protocol
Last month, the NHL announced that club employees who were within 12 feet (about 3.5 meters) of hockey operations personnel, including players, needed to be vaccinated.
“The NHL (vaccination) protocol made it just impossible for them to do their job, so we needed a new coach,” Kekaleinen told the Columbus Dispatch newspaper.
The new NHL regular season begins October 12.
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