Canadian hockey coach suspended for discussing team’s COVID-19 outbreak

The head coach of a Canadian junior hockey team has been fined and suspended for talking to the media about an outbreak of COVID-19 cases on his team. 

Andrew Milne, head coach of the Canmore Eagles in Canmore, Alberta, according to a report in USA Today, was fined $1,000 by the Alberta Junior Hockey League and suspended for 15 games.

In a November interview with CTV, Milne said he was concerned with the speed at which the coronavirus was spreading after more than a dozen team members and staff members had tested positive for COVID-19 in November.

“We did everything we could possibly do within our group to mitigate this but obviously it just happened so fast,” Milne told CTV.

The remarks to CTV appeared to break rules imposed by the league that forbid people from talking about such outbreaks. 

In a statement to CTV, league commissioner Ryan Bartoshyk said Milne was punished for “bringing discredit to the league,” and that his actions “reflected his lack of knowledge regarding the league’s COVID protocols.”

Deena Hinshaw, the chief medical officer of health in Alberta, expressed concern in an interview with the CTV that people were being punished for talking about an outbreak, stating that it is “critical that people are able to share their experiences” as long as they are “factual and validated.”

Milne has been head coach for the Eagles since the 2007-2008 season, reports USA Today.

According to the World Health Organization, Canada has recorded more than 520,000 cases and more than 14,000 deaths due to COVID-19.