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Detroit Red Wings' Tyler Bertuzzi refuses COVID-19 vaccine, taking Canada games off table

Tyler Bertuzzi, a key part of the Detroit Red Wings, has declined to get the vaccine for COVID-19, the only Wings player to do so, general manager Steve Yzerman said Wednesday.

Bertuzzi will still be at training camp, which runs for six days beginning Thursday in Traverse City. Yzerman said Bertuzzi will not be able to travel to Canada under current restrictions, which require a 14-day quarantine for unvaccinated players traveling into Canada.

Detroit Red Wings left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (59) tries to control the puck as Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, right, and goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) watch during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Dallas.
Detroit Red Wings left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (59) tries to control the puck as Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, right, and goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) watch during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Dallas.

Bertuzzi, 26, signed a two-year, $9.5 million deal in July. He's a top-line player and power play guy, and one of the grittiest players on the team.

The NHL and NHL Players Association do not have a vaccine mandate for players, but unvaccinated players face restrictions that the vaccinated do not. The unvaccinated will not be exempt from a 14-day quarantine when crossing from the US. to Canada, and teams can suspend players without pay who are unable to participate in team activities.

Bertuzzi announced on social media last week that he and his fiancee, Ashley Greasley, are expected the birth of their first child.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings' Tyler Bertuzzi refuses COVID-19 vaccine