The NHL has fined the Capitals 100k for breaking NHL Covid Protocol after it was discovered that Ovechkin, Samsonov, Orlov and Kuznetsov broke NHL Protocol and hung out together in their hotel room on the road.
Players are strictly instructed that they must be alone in their rooms in order to protect themselves from contracting and/or spreading the Corona virus.
This is a hard call and not easy on the players. These players practice together, sit on the bench together and when home come in contact with family members...so why can’t they hang out together on the road? The reality is these rules are important and with new more aggressive and contagious strains of the virus gaining momentum we are literally in a race as the vaccine gets dispersed in the States and Canada.
The NHL wants to get as many games as they can played as quickly as they can here without sending the players back into bubbles...
The NHL fined the Caps 100k for this break in protocol, but the big question now is more complicated...
Some are suggesting a 1 or 2 game suspension. To me, there is an easier answer. Put them back into quarantine. 10 days and however many games they miss, they miss without pay. This shows the NHL is not just disciplining these guys, for medical reasons the NHL has no choice in the matter. 10 days is significant...4 to 5 games will be missed, but this is the reality and seriousness of the situation...
I talked to an NHL source about this and there is serious debate going on and the NHL and NHLPA are discussing how this is going to be treated. With or without pay? I say without. It’s just that serious.
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