Robin Lehner says NHL players were lied to by the league over COVID-19 protocols

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner has been no stranger to speaking out on what he feels is important and Wednesday was no different.

Lehner spoke for over ten minutes, saying the NHL and NHL Players Association told the players that if they were to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the league would ease quarantine and isolation restrictions.

Lehner said that was a lie.

“They told me yesterday they’re surveying all the teams to see who has taken the vaccine and who has not taken the vaccine’s and they’re not going to change the rules for us as players until all teams have a fair - have the vaccines at the same time so it’s not a competitive edge,” said Lehner. “That made me go crazy to be honest.”

“This is human lives and people are struggling with this stuff in society a lot and we are humans as everyone else, so there is a two-fold problem for me here. One we get promised something to take something that not everyone wanted, so that was a lie, a blatant lie. Second, to put competitive edge over human lives, in terms of going back, and I’m not saying we’re going to a party or what not. We had a meeting at the beginning of camp that told us we can’t go out of our house, can’t go to the grocery store, can’t do anything, on the road you can take a meal, go up to your room, don’t be with your teammates, don’t do this, don’t do that, no one thinks about the mental impact.”

Lehner, who has honest and open about his own personal mental health issues, says he has bipolar disorder type 1. One of the worst things for that disorder is isolation, something NHL players have had to experience a lot this season, especially on the road in their hotel rooms. He says he has spoken with a lot of players around the league this season and even last summer when teams were in the Edmonton and Toronto bubbles.

“Some point we have to start looking at the mental health of people around us and not just NHL, but everyone in society and see how we can start getting back to normalcy because the problem is going to be huge, but being lied to about things changing, to force us to take the vaccine, unacceptable, and to not only take the vaccine, but have the excuse of nah, we’re not changing, because of competitive advantage, it is outrageous.”

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