GM Benning: Vancouver Canucks will be 100% vaccinated by season opener
On the eve of training camp, Canucks general manager Jim Benning said the organization will be fully vaccinated by the time Vancouver opens the regular season on Oct. 13.
“So by the time the season starts, we will be 100 per cent,” said Benning. “Players, everybody on the staff, everybody in the front office, everybody’s been vaccinated.”
He said it wasn’t difficult to convince the players to roll up their sleeves. Most of them got sick with COVID-19 last season.
“What we went through last year as a team was really hard,” said Benning. “It wasn’t just hard on the players, but their families too. A lot of these guys have young kids and they all ended up getting sick. So I think as a group, they knew the importance of getting vaccinated and to give ourselves the best chance to get back to normal.”
Canucks forward JT Miller said, “I’m just trying to do my part. I got vaccinated, did what I had to come here and do my job, that’s what I get paid to do.”
Players must be vaccinated to cross the border into Canada without having to quarantine. The 15 or so NHL players who are so far refusing to be vaccinated, including Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi and the Blue Jackets' Zac Rinaldo, won’t be paid for games they miss in Canada.
An unnamed Edmonton Oiler is also unvaccinated. Oilers GM Ken Holland says by his calculation, he could miss more than 30 games in the U.S.
“I talked to him a few times, not sure where he is at. I’m going to talk to him in the next day or so,” said Holland, who suggested that player may not be able to slide back into the lineup for games he is allowed to play.
"If we are playing good, I don’t think you take somebody out to put that person in. So obviously its going to be very difficult,” said Holland. He hopes the unvaccinated player changes his mind, but isn’t preventing him from attending training camp.
“I think the player is going through a process to decide because it’s a difficult decision, so I want to give the person the appropriate time,” said Holland.
But the Columbus Bluejackets have told Rinaldo he’s not allowed to attend training camp.
“Everything we do together we do as a team, and as we continue to navigate COVID-19, it’s no different. We have to do what we have to do,” said Bluejackets GM John Davidson. “We have a responsibility as the leaders of the organization. We want our people vaccinated.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.