What You Need to Know

The NHL season starts in 15 days, and league officials are pleased with its players’ vaccination status, The Boston Globe reports. Here’s what you need to know.

84%: 27 of the NHL’s 32 teams are 100% vaccinated. Detroit, Edmonton, New Jersey, and San Jose are the only four teams that expect to start the season with any unvaccinated players on their rosters.

10-15: That’s how many players among more than 700 that the NHL anticipates not being fully vaccinated when the season starts.

9 Games: That’s how many games one unvaccinated New Jersey Devil will miss this season, as unvaccinated players are not permitted to play north of the border. The Devils have not yet revealed the name of this “high profile” player.

Greg Wyshynski @wyshynski

The NHL is expecting full capacity in 30 buildings to start the season. That, plus the latest on fan vaccine and mask mandates: NHL expects 30 of 32 arenas to be full capacityThe NHL anticipates 30 of its 32 arenas will open at 100% capacity for the 2021-22 season, according to a memo circulated to teams this week.espn.com

September 24th 2021

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2: Only two NHL buildings will not operate at fully capacity, Matt Porter writes for The Globe. “Because of vaccinations, every NHL building will open at 100 percent capacity except two in Canada: Montreal’s Bell Centre (33 percent) and Vancouver’s Rogers Arena (50 percent). Ten of 32 will require proof of vaccination. Eight will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test (this includes TD Garden). Fourteen of 32 won’t require any documentation for entry. Twenty-one of 32 will require masks for all fans.”

Bottom Line: NHL officials should feel about as good as they can expect to in the midst of a global pandemic ahead of Oct. 12. With anti-vaccination sentiment still plaguing the MLB, NFL and NBA, the NHL has far and away been the most successful of the four major sports in getting its players vaccinated.

Nashville Predators @PredsNHL

Bridgestone Arena today announced a new partnership with CLEAR Health Pass to provide easy proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test and offer safer and faster fan entry into events held at the venue. Bridgestone Arena Partners with CLEAR Health Pass for Easy Vaccine ProofNashville, Tenn. (September 27, 2021) - Bridgestone Arena today announced a new partnership with CLEAR Health Pass to provide easy proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test and offer safer and faster fan entry into events held at the venue.bit.ly

September 27th 2021

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Links from the Rink

• A racist gesture in the Ukrainian Hockey League (UHL) shocked the hockey community over the weekend. “HC Kremenchuk forward Andrei Deniskin is facing disciplinary action from the Ukrainian Hockey League after making a racist gesture toward American-born defenseman Jalen Smereck of HC Donbass, who is Black,” ESPN writes. Multiple hockey personalities took to Twitter in support of Smereck, a Detroit native and former Arizona Coyotes draft pick, including Anthony Duclair, Kevin Weeks and J.T. Brown.

• Seattle Kraken played its first ever NHL game Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks, who laced them up in the U.S. for the first time in 575 days. The Kraken defeated the Canucks.

• Blues sign GM Doug Armstrong to extension that runs through 2026.