Nine days before NHL training camps begin, the Columbus Blue Jackets have relieved assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre of his duties over refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the team announced on Monday. Steve McCarthy — originally on the coaching staff of the Cleveland Monsters, their AHL affiliate — has been promoted to take over Lefebvre’s spot with the Blue Jackets to coach their defensemen.
“While we are disappointed, we respect that this decision is a personal one for Sylvain and wish him well,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a team release.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Sept. 2 that the NHL’s finalized COVID-19 protocols included a full vaccination requirement for people “whose job, role, position or access” requires personal interactions within 12 feet of other personnel — a category which includes coaches. Days later, Rocky Thompson, a San Jose Sharks associate coach, stepped down due to the vaccine requirement, citing a medical exemption that prevented him from receiving the vaccination.
The Blue Jackets struck a three-year deal with Lefebvre in late June, elevating him from the AHL roles he’s held since 2012. He most recently served as an assistant coach with the San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks’ affiliate, for three seasons, and also coached with the Hamilton Bulldogs, St. John’s IceCaps and Laval Rocket. According to The Athletic, Lefebvre informed the Blue Jackets of his final vaccination decision after the NHL finalized its protocols, though the team knew about it “for a while now.”
“Per NHL protocol, he is unable to do the job we hired him for,” Kekalainen, Columbus’ general manager since 2013, told ESPN.
Lefebvre’s firing prompted the promotion of McCarthy, who’s spent the previous five years with the Monsters after his professional career ended at the 2015-16 season’s conclusion. Columbus head coach Brad Larsen, who was a teammate of McCarthy’s when they both played in Atlanta, said in a statement that he’s a “really bright, young coach” that’s ready for the promotion.
“Steve has done a great job working with our young defensemen in Cleveland the past five years,” Larsen said in the release.
The Blue Jackets are expected to open the 2021-22 season with “all or most of the players expected to play” fully vaccinated — mirroring a league-wide trend — though players have until Oct. 1 to opt out due to personal health concerns, according to The Athletic. Columbus opens its preseason against Pittsburgh on Sept. 27 before playing its first regular-season contest against Arizona on Oct. 14.