COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen and assistant coach Steve McCarthy have been placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, the club announced Tuesday.
As the Blue Jackets prepare to host the Islanders tonight, associate coach Pascal Vincent will lead the club, the CBJ said. Vincent has previous head coaching experience in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose.
While the Blue Jackets have largely gone without pandemic-related disruptions in recent months, the club postponed several games in December amid a league-wide outbreak that eventually forced the NHL to take an extended holiday break.
McCarthy notably was promoted to his position before the start of the season after the club said Sylvain Lefebvre declined to get vaccinated for COVID-19. McCarthy was originally slated to coach the Blue Jackets’ American Hockey League affiliate in Cleveland.
