NHL Will Relax COVID-19 Restrictions for Stanley Cup Playoffs

Reports have surfaced the NHL will relax on some of their COVID-19 restrictions as the league heads into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The guidelines will loosen for a team once all of their personnel is 85% vaccinated, which is becoming the case for most of the league.

Some things that will be permitted include social gatherings outside of team facilities, dining together outdoors at restaurants, and spending time in each other's hotel rooms. It's been isolation mode for NHL players all season and this is certainly music to their ears. Also worth noting is that face coverings and social distancing will no longer be required for team meetings and social gatherings. The testing for COVID will decline as well, as players won't be required to be tested on off days.

So far it's just the US teams who will be able to start taking advantage of the relaxed setting as Canadian teams have mostly received their first dose, but not their second shots.

As you'll remember we shared a story about Robin Lehner calling out the NHL over broken promises on relaxing the protocols. Bill Daly of the NHL claimed that wasn't the case at all and no promises were ever made. Regardless of who said what, it will be nice for teams to get on track to returning to a sense of normalcy. Just in time to lift Lord Stanley.