Mackenzie Blackwood Has Received His First COVID-19 Vaccine
Mackenzie Blackwood has started the COVID-19 vaccination process.
The New Jersey Devils confirmed Monday that Blackwood has received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine late last week. That would put him in line to be fully vaccinated two weeks after his first shot.
#NJDevils have confirmed that Mackenzie Blackwood did receive his 1st vaccination shot against COVID-19 at the end of last week (Pfizer)
— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) October 25, 2021Blackwood is currently on the Injured Reserve with a heel injury and hasn’t yet made an appearance in 2021-22 for the Devils. New Jersey has used Jonathan Bernier, Scott Wedgewood and rookie Nico Daws in net and the trio has combined for a .907 save percentage in four games.
The plan for the Devils was to roll with a goaltending tandem of Bernier, who they signed to a two-year contract in the offseason, and Blackwood, who started 35 games for the team in 2021. But if Blackwood isn’t vaccinated, he wouldn’t be able to join the team on their road trips to Canada.
New Jersey’s first trip across the border will be in early December when they head to Winnipeg to face the Jets. The Devils are scheduled to play a total of eight games in Canada this season.
Once Blackwood receives his second dose in a couple of weeks, Tyler Bertuzzi of the Detroit Red Wings will be the only player left in the NHL who isn’t vaccinated. Bertuzzi has stated that he would rather sit out games than be vaccinated. He was suspended without pay for the Red Wings’ 6-1 loss in Montreal on Saturday.
As Frank Seravalli reported last week, the NHL and the Players’ Association will look into altering the league’s COVID-19 protocols. Multiple vaccinated players, such as Nathan MacKinnon and Mark Schiefele, have missed games due to producing a positive test despite not having any symptoms.
Given the league’s high vaccination rate, the NHL could opt to not test players who are asymptomatic. The NHL currently tests all players three times per week, while the NBA doesn’t test vaccinated players save for rare circumstances.