Sylvain Lefebvre is out of a job this week as a Columbus Blue Jackets assistant over his decision to not receive a COVID-19 vaccine, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen confirmed Monday.
“Per NHL protocol, he is unable to do the job we hired him for,” Kekalainen told ESPN.
Last month, the NHL sent a memo to its teams stating that any people whose jobs entail them to be within 12 feet of club hockey operations personnel, including players, “are required to be fully vaccinated.”
Lefebvre was hired in June to join new head coach Brad Larsen’s staff after serving as an assistant coach with the AHL San Diego Gulls.
“While we are disappointed, we respect that this decision is a personal one for Sylvain and wish him well,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen stated Monday.
The Blue Jackets have replaced Lefebvre with Steve McCarthy, who arrives after having served as the assistant coach with the Cleveland Monsters, Columbus’ American Hockey League affiliate.
Lefebvre played 14 seasons in the NHL as a defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens, Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers. He won the Stanley Cup in 1996 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.
