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On Wednesday, Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner called out the NHL, saying the league is not staying true to previous promises surrounding COVID-19 vaccinations. Lehner claims the league told players if they got vaccinated the restrictions would be loosened, but says that hasn’t been the case.
Lehner says the NHL forced the players to get the coronavirus vaccine and they were misled by what changes would be made if they agreed.
“We are vaccinated and we are still trapped in a prison,” he said to reporters.
He added concerns about what the restrictions can do to mental health, saying as someone with a bipolar diagnosis, isolation is something he was told not to do. Lehner says the league is picking “competitive edge” over the treatment of players.
Lehner said:
“At some point we’ve got to start looking at the mental health of people around us, not just the NHL, but everyone in society and see how can we start getting back to normalcy, because the problem is going to be huge. But lying to us about things changing to kind of forcing us to take the vaccine. Unacceptable. And now that we’ve taken the vaccine to have the excuse of saying, ‘Nah, we’re not changing because of competitive advantage.’ It’s outrageous.”
He continued, saying, “They told me yesterday that they’re surveying all the teams to see who has taken the vaccine, and who has not taken the vaccines, and they’re not going to change the rules for us as players until all the players have the vaccine at the same time so it’s not a competitive edge.”
Lehner said the latest news made him “go crazy.”
He clarified some of his comments on Twitter and continue to emphasize the importance of mental health.
Despite what Lehner is claiming, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN the league did not make these promises to the players.
“It’s been a matter that’s been raised and discussed as between us and the NHLPA, but no decision to modify has ever been made nor communicated to anyone,” Daly said.
In February, the league sent a memo to those in the league, including coaches and staff, saying they “shall remain at home and not leave except to attend practice or games or perform essential activities.” They also said families of the players should limit time out of the house for less chance of exposure.