Questions raised over NHL allowing game to go ahead with cancer survivor behind the bench

Despite a member of the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres being placed into COVID protocol Thursday, the NHL allowed the game between the two teams to go ahead that night. Since then, another four members of the Bruins have been placed in COVID protocol and questions are being raised over whether this game should have taken place at all.

Don Granato was the head coach for his first ever NHL game Thursday night for the Buffalo Sabres. Granato is a cancer survivor, having battled Hodgkin's Lymphoma back in 2005 while coaching the Worcester IceCats of the AHL. It was also Hockey Fights Cancer night in the NHL. All of this is not sitting well with some.

"The NHL exposed a cancer survivor to COVID while head coaching his first ever NHL game on Hockey Fights Cancer Night. I think I'm done for a bit," said one Twitter user.

I'd like to think the NHL didn't force Granato to do anything he wasn't comfortable with, but I honestly have no idea. Certainly fighting cancer, especially if it included chemotherapy, can leave immune systems weakened for a long time, and in some cases permanently. It's possible all of this was discussed with Granato and medical officials before the decision was made to go ahead with the game, but it's not really a good look for the NHL either way.

It appears the Sabres themselves aren't happy they had to play this game either. According to The Athletic's John Vogl, "The Sabres are once again upset they had to play a team that had one player enter COVID-19 protocols followed by more players from that team entering." Buffalo was unhappy with having to play New Jersey in February after a player had entered COVID protocol. That game led to the Sabres having to suspend play and several members of the team testing positive. Rasmus Ristolainen had a particularly hard time, saying he couldn't get out of bed for over a week and had a lot of difficulty breathing.

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