Blue Jackets Assistant Sylvain Lefebvre Leaves Team After Declining COVID-19 Vaccine

Columbus Blue Jackets assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre has been replaced on the staff after choosing not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, the team announced Monday. 

"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 statement.

The NHL announced in August it will require full vaccinations for anyone whose duties require them to be within 12 feet of team personnel.

"Per NHL protocol, he is unable to do the job we hired him for," Kekalainen told Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.

Steve McCarthy was hired to replace Lefebvre on the staff after spending the past five years as an assistant with the Cleveland Monsters.

Lefebvre was heading into his first season with the team after being hired as an assistant in June. 

The 53-year-old spent 14 years in the NHL as a player, appearing in 945 games for four different organizations. He helped the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup title in 1996.

After retiring in 2003, the former defenseman began his coaching career in the AHL in 2007 before rejoining Colorado as an assistant from 2009-12. He also served as a head coach in the AHL for three different organizations before getting the opportunity to return to the NHL this season.

According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, the Blue Jackets have known about Lefebvre's refusal to get a vaccine for a while, and he informed the club of his decision shortly after the NHL announced its policy. 

Portzline reported that "all or most of the players" on Columbus have been vaccinated.

The latest news comes after San Jose Sharks assistant Rocky Thompson stepped down earlier this month because of a medical exemption that prevents him from taking the COVID-19 vaccine.