Capitals Announce That Team Is 100 Percent Vaccinated

The Washington Capitals are 100 percent vaccinated.

General manager Brian MacLellan said on Thursday that the team would be fully vaccinated in two days. On Saturday, the team made the official announcement.

The Capitals join several fully vaccinated teams across the NHL. The Blackhawks announced they are fully vaxxed at the start of their training camp. Vegas and Carolina are also 100 percent vaccinated.

The Blue Jackets are 100 percent vaccinated. The team has also been strict when it comes to getting the shot. Columbus fired assistant coach Sylvian Lefebvre after he refused the vaccine, and uninvited Zac Rinaldo from training camp when he didn’t get the shot.

The Penguins, Flyers, Canucks and Maple Leafs expect to be fully vaccinated to start the year, according to the Daily Goal Horn.

READ MORE ON WHN: Capitals Training Camp Takeaways, Day 2

Dmitry Orlov, who originally wasn’t vaccinated, explained the decision to get the shot. He had nothing against getting vaccinated and did so when he returned to D.C.

“I think the league made some rules… they give option, but the second option, if you’re not vaccinated, basically you’re not playing all games, you’re not normal person,” Orlov explained.

Orlov had said he wanted to get vaccinated before the start of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but when the Johnson & Johnson shot was no longer being given out, he decided to wait.

“After season is over, I go to Russia, ask our doctors, ‘Can I get vaccinated in Russia?’ They said no, because it’s not working here, so it’s no sense for me to get there. When I get here, as soon as I get here, I get vaccinated. So it’s not a problem… I didn’t care if I was vaccinated or unvaccinated. So if I get it, it’s fine.”