Canadians like hockey. But maybe not as much as flu vaccinations

One of the weird sports stories today concerns a health clinic employee who let members of the Calgary Flames and their relatives to get flu vaccinations before the general public. To whit:

'Senior health officials in the Canadian province of Alberta said on Wednesday they had fired an unidentified worker for giving National Hockey League players preferential access to the H1N1 flu vaccine.

The controversy boiled over this week when it was revealed that players for the NHL's Calgary Flames and their families received shots on an exclusive basis one day before the province closed public flu clinics due to a shortage of the vaccine.

"Our policies on vaccine distribution are designed to ensure an equitable distribution of the vaccine to all Albertans," Alberta Health Services Chief Executive Stephen Duckett said in a statement.

"The special treatment for the Flames and their families is unacceptable to us and contrary to all of our existing protocols and processes. I apologize for this breach of our duty to Albertans."'

To me, a very Canadian story. Canadians are really into equality and get miffed when unfairness is perceived. However, my favorite line is undoubtedly the next one:

'Public outrage over the revelations showed that Canadians' love for a hockey team, even when it includes such franchise stars as forward Jarome Iginla and goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff, only goes so far during a pandemic.'

Um, yes. I think that public health does go before hockey, even in Canada.