Taylor Hall's controversial comments are also food for thought

Hall is not the only NHLer that feels this way, as Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has uttered very similar sentiments recently, which begs the question; should the NHL move away from seemingly perpetually using an abundance of caution or should the league stay the course?

"Hopefully we can start moving along with COVID-19 because we're never going to move past it," Hall said to the media on Tuesday, alluding to the fact that COVID-19 does not seem to be going anywhere. It's difficult to argue with his sentiments, as here we are, over two years into a global pandemic with no real end in sight.

We are approaching the point where a large contingent of the population, at least in North America, has been vaccinated, with a round of boosters making its way across the continent. While COVID-19 numbers are on the rise, the largest number of COVID-19 cases in ICU and COVID-related deaths reside amongst the unvaccinated.

I write this article completely non-partisan. I, myself, am double-vaccinated with a booster booked. I wear my mask, I wash my hands, and I socially distance and keep gatherings small, but still even I cannot argue with the logic that COVID-19 appears to be here to stay. The question is, how much longer do we want COVID-19 to control our everyday lives?

Of course, we should be cognizant of the fact that there are more vulnerable people out there who all of this enhanced cleaning and all of the protocols will benefit - and we should be concerned about that section of society. We should all be doing our part. Wearing our masks, washing our hands, maintaining social distancing when around those individuals.. but how long are we going to pretend that living our everyday lives with this "on again, off again" mentality is actually the right path?

There are no winners in this current climate, with COVID-19 having a stranglehold on our lives. At some point, we're going to have to move past the idea that we can eradicate the virus and get back to living life - and in Hall's case, play the game of hockey.