(WCCO) The NHL expects fewer than 15 players to be unvaccinated for COVID-19 in this upcoming season, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Thursday, according to the Athletic.
The vaccination rate is in the 98-99% range for players on final rosters for teams across the league.
As of Wednesday, the NFL reported that 93.5% of its players were vaccinated. The NBA won't force players to take the vaccine in the upcoming season, the league said earlier this week, and reports from July indicated that 90% of players were vaccinated.
MLB has the lowest percentage of vaccinated players of the major sports league, with 85% of its players being vaccinated, according to NBC Sports.
Daly admitted that he was "a little bit" surprised by the vaccination rate, adding "that certainly was our goal, to get as many people fully vaccinated as possible."
"Not only among players but hockey operations personnel, club personnel, generally," he told The Athletic. "If you're going to have any access to the players, it needs to be mandatory, including the media.
"We want everybody fully vaccinated and, obviously, the last couple of months have shown that that doesn't necessarily preclude the fact that people are going to get the infection. But it certainly increases the likelihood that it's not a serious health and safety concern."
The NHL Players' Association was vocal about encouraging players to get vaccinated. The league's COVID-19 protocols for the 2021-'22 season reported that players would lose money for missed games if they contracted the virus.
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"I know they spent a lot of time on the phone with players, reluctant players who didn't want to be vaccinated for various reasons, explaining to them why it was important for them to be vaccinated," Daly said.
Along with losing pay, NHL teams will also be allowed to suspend unvaccinated players who are "unable to participate in club activities," according to The Athletic.
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