More players come out against NHL protocol, call for less testing and fewer restrictions

Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman made some waves across the NHL this past weekend when he made comments that he'd like to see the league loosen its current COVID-19 restrictions and protocols, rather than tighten them as they've done in recent days.

Specifically, Yzerman suggested that the NHL stop testing players daily and that players only get tested if they're feeling sick or unwell... you know... like the rest of the population. 

Yzerman's stance is essentially that the recent rash of positive test cases amongst players in the NHL isn't as much cause for a concern as the league would have you believe. Yes, more players than ever have tested positive for COVID-19, but the majority of those players show no signs of illness or are completely recovered within a day or two. so, while they may be COVID-19 positive, there's no real risk to their health. 

And now, players like St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly are beginning to voice their own opinions on the matter.

From O'Reilly during a media availability earlier today:

We’ve got guys vaccinated and double vaccinated and some guys aren’t showing any symptoms, and they’re getting popped and they’re in COVID protocol," O'Reilly said. I think I’d like to see no testing unless you have symptoms, but it’s not up to me.

“It’s a league and players decision. Hopefully we can figure this out because it’s frustrating. We want to keep going on the season and playing but with the way things are working out I guess the safety is the concern. But it would be nice to kind of figure out.”

- Ryan O'Reilly

I've got to say... that makes a lot of sense to me. 

After all, the players are all double vaccinated... what more can they do? What's the NHL's end goal here? To have zero cases? Because that's an impossibility. It's becoming more and more clear that COVID-19 isn't going anywhere despite medicine's best attempts to eradicate it. The only thing we can all do is make the best personal choices we can to keep ourselves and our families as healthy as possible.