Lou Lamoriello
Brad Penner | USA TODAY Sports

Lou Lamoriello excited for the coming season with players who choose to get vaccinated.

As front office executives and players across the NHL begin meeting with the media and opening training camps, one popular theme (predictably) has been the NHL’s claim that almost the entire league will be vaccinated against COVID before the season starts.

One organization that is drawing a hard line on players’ vaccination status is the New York Islanders.

Lou Lamoriello told the media on Tuesday that the entire Islanders organization will be vaccinated. That includes the players and staff of the Bridgeport Islanders, the Isles’ AHL affiliate.

“Everyone in our organization, that is staff, coaches and players, are vaccinated,” Lamoriello told the media during a teleconference on Tuesday. “We will not allow any player in our organization to participate unless they’re vaccinated.”

He went as far as to say that only one player has chosen to not get the shot(s). And that player won’t be with the organization when the season begins in North America.

Lamoriello said the player, an unnamed minor leaguer, will be assigned to a European team before the season opens.

Lamoriello also said the organization is still conducting daily testing, which is not a requirement by the NHL.

Tab has written about MLB, the NHL and the NFL for more than a decade for publications including The Fourth Period, Bleacher Report and La Vida Baseball. He is the author of two books about the Chicago Blackhawks and has been credentialed for the MLB All-Star Game and postseason and multiple Stanley Cup Finals. He is the co-host of the Line Drive Radio podcast.