CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Canucks are in trouble. And not the way they usually are this time of year.
This is serious.
More than three-quarters of the Vancouver roster has now been placed on the NHL's COVID-19 list -- 16 of the 22 active players, plus four coaches as of late Sunday night -- with more expected in the coming days. But this isn't just another case of a handful of young, otherwise healthy individuals killing time symptom-free. According to Canada's TSN, some of the players are known to be in 'rough shape,' receiving IV treatments and even hospitalized.
My first thought on this couldn't be better expressed than what Paul Maurice, the Jets' always eloquent coach, had to say over the weekend in Winnipeg: "You're hoping they can all kind of rebound and become the players that they were, that everybody gets healthy, that they're fine. There's also a reminder of vigilance here, that it's not the time to get casual."
Right. We're not out of this. And to be sure, Canada's not out of it, as they're miles behind the U.S. in vaccine rollout.
So yeah, here's thinking of the Canucks.
COVID-19 continues to be very serious and we encourage everyone to follow the public health orders. We hope to have further information to share in the coming days. Stay safe and healthy. pic.twitter.com/qJqMZyUSFY
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) April 4, 2021
Here's what I have to say, and it might not be popular: Vaccinate all active professional athletes. Now.
No, they're not essential workers. No, they're not the elderly or infirmed. But they're employed in one of the rare occupations -- in the team sports -- that requires participants to compete in direct contact, mask-free. When the Canucks and Jets go at it, they're chin-to-chin. When the Reds and Cardinals cleared benches this weekend in Cincinnati, not a soul was masked amid all the jawing.
Both Mike Sullivan and Derek Shelton acknowledged in the past week that neither the Penguins nor the Pirates have been vaccinated. That's the norm across sports right now. There aren't even plans to vaccinate as a group.
My guess, though no one will say it out loud, is that all concerned are leery of any perception that they'd be jumping the line. I appreciate that. But I also appreciate that we're 3-4 weeks away, by all accounts, from having ample supply in the U.S., and experts estimate the process will be open to all sooner than that. So there really isn't much of a line to jump. And I'll bet that those jumping the line, in this event, are actually at greater risk.
It's no joke. The Canucks haven't played since March 24, and there's no date for a return. The Canucks' AHL affiliate in Utica, N.Y., hasn't played since March 10. More important, the possible long-term repercussions of COVID-19, particularly with the new variants, remain unknown and legit frightening. And it's not just players in Vancouver. It's hit coaches and, of course, families and acquaintances of those affected.
We're looking to professional athletes to entertain us at a time when that matters, too. Let's keep them safe.
YOUR TURN: Shoot 'em up now or make 'em wait?
