
Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele joins Blake Wheeler in NHL’s COVID-19 protocol
Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele joins Blake Wheeler in NHL’s COVID-19 protocol
- Jets
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SportsWriters
Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele has been placed into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, the team announced Thursday.
The 28-year-old is the second Winnipeg player to test positive for COVID-19 this week after captain Blake Wheeler was put in league protocol Monday. Scheifele tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday morning, but was asymptomatic.
“We would have game-time decisions all the time,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said after his team’s morning skate. “The difference is if a guy’s got a pulled groin, you don’t have to worry about it spreading to the guy who sits beside him on the plane.”
Maurice also confirmed that all Winnipeg players had been vaccinated.
“We’re not surprised by anything,” Jets center Paul Stastny said. “The trainers gave us a warning that there might be a trickle down. So whether more guys go in protocol or not, I think we’ll be ready for it. Not as nervous as what you would have been last year. It’s unfortunate times right now, kind of unforeseen. But nothing comes easy in this world.”
According to the NHL’s rules for the 2021-22 season, Wheeler and Scheifele must isolate from the club for a minimum of 10 days, and a doctor’s approval to return is mandatory once both of them are symptom-free.









