The puck will drop on the 2021-22 NHL season Tuesday night with more than 99 percent of players vaccinated against COVID-19, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.
Daly told USA Today in an interview that “probably less than five” of the league’s roughly 700 players opted not to receive the vaccine heading into the season.
“It’s a pretty tremendous result, for sure,” Daly said Monday.
Daly estimated that the number of teams that will begin the season fully vaxxed to be in “the high 20s, low 30s.” Coaches and staff are required to be vaxxed.
“It gives us the best chance not to have disruptions and execute a full 82-game season with 32 healthy teams,” Daly told USA Today. “Everybody wants to get back to normal and getting the vaccine is a good step toward making that happen.”
–Field Level Media
