Blue Jackets Assistant Coach Canned After COVID-19 Vaccination Refusal

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced Monday that the team has fired assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre after refusing a COVID-19 vaccination. "Lefebvre has decided not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and thus will not be able to perform the duties required of him given current NHL protocols," the team said in a statement.

Coaches and staff who interact closely with players are required by the league to be fully vaccinated.

Cleveland Monsters' associate coach and former NHL defenseman Steve McCarthy will take his place behind the bench alongside head coach Brad Larsen. McCarthy has been with the Monsters for the last five years.

#CBJ have added coach Steve McCarthy as assistant coach, replacing Sylvain Lefebvre, who resigned because he refused to get a COVID 19 vaccine per the #NHL’s mandate.

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) September 13, 2021

"While we are disappointed, we respect that this decision is a personal one for Sylvain and wish him well," Blue Jacket's general manager and alternate governor Jarmo Kekalaien said. "We feel fortunate to have an outstanding coach join our club in Steve McCarthy, who has played in this league, won championships as a player, and been an important member of our hockey operations department as an assistant coach in Cleveland."

McCarthy played 302 career games over an eight-year span in the NHL after being selected 23rd overall in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He registered 17 goals and 38 assists with 168 penalty minutes for the Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, and Atlanta Thrashers. 

The Trail, British Columbia native also played seven seasons in the AHL, including one with the Monsters in 2015-16.