"A breath of fresh air": NHL players, coaches welcome league's new COVID-19 protocols

Morning nasal swabs have been routine for NHL players in recent months — and it's a regime many are eager to leave behind.

The league updated its COVID-19 protocol on Monday, dropping daily testing requirements for fully vaccinated players, citing a "declining positivity rate."

Vancouver Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau said the change is long overdue.

"I'm glad they're doing what they're doing," he said. "If the guy is sick and you can tell he's sick, absolutely test him, make sure he stays away from the players and everything else. But if you're not sick and you have no symptoms, I think everybody concerned would be very happy that we just go on with life and not have to test."

Virtually every NHL team has been hit by COVID-19 this season, forcing the league to postpone 104 games.

Late last month, the Canucks saw their top three goaltenders, three forwards and two assistant coaches simultaneously sidelined by the virus. The last five Vancouver players to enter the league's protocol were all asymptomatic, Boudreau said.

"We lost five good players for it seems like not really any apparent reason," he said.

For athletes on Canadian teams, away games have added an extra layer of complication.

Several players who tested positive on cross-border road trips were forced to stay behind in the U.S. as they waited out the 10 days required before re-entering Canada.

"Guys are sometimes holding their breath just hoping they can get home," said Vancouver defenceman Luke Schenn. "Sometimes you're on a 10-day trip and you haven't seen your wife and your kids in a while and on that last day, you're just trying not to get a positive test, whether you feel anything or not. Guys just want to get back and see their families."

It's tough to