The NHL is in the most difficult position among the four major North American professional sports leagues on vaccinations because seven of its teams are based in Canada. The U.S. is vaccinating 3 million a day and has widespread availability. The NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball have plans to relax virus protocols when a certain percentage of team personnel are fully protected by vaccines against COVID-19. The world’s top hockey league does not have that luxury. The NHL instead is grappling with an outbreak in Vancouver and vaccine inequity on opposite sides of the border.
