Former Hab Chris Nilan fired from TSN radio for refusing vaccination

Former NHL hockey player Chris Nilan has been fired from his TSN-690 show 'Off the Cuff' after he refused a COVID-19 vaccine, seeking a medical exemption. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Former Montreal Canadiens enforcer Chris Nilan, who hosted a Monday to Friday sports show "Off the Cuff" on Montreal's English-language radio station TSN 690 for the past decade, has been fired, he said, because he refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

He said in a post on his Facebook page that late last year, his employer, Bell Media, ordered him to be vaccinated.

"After consultation with my doctor and based upon my medical conditions, I have decided not to take the shot," he wrote. "I sought a medical exemption and was denied."

Nilan did not specify what his medical condition was.

His employer had no comment, but Off The Cuff has been removed from TSN 690's programming on the station's website.

Chris Nilan, who turns 64 on Wednesday, played 688 games in the National League.

-- This report by the Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 4, 2022. 

-- With reporting from CTV News.