Former NHL star Ian White of Winnipeg had to go to extreme lengths to escape Canada to play hockey in the United States due to his unvaccinated status. In video footage from a 2022 podcast that has been unearthed and circulating online, the former Calgary Flames player told the Slangin' The Bizkit podcast the whole story of being left with no other options — having eliminated plane, train and automobile — but to walk across the border in -20C weather carrying nothing but his skates and a small suitcase. Because he refused the jab, an NHL career was no longer viable. Yet, he still had a strong urge to play puck. So when an opportunity arose to play in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL), he began strategizing how he could physically get there despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal minority government making it virtually impossible to leave Canada without proof of vaccination. But where there's a will, there's a way. White has been playing for the US league ever since. .Prior to his great escape from Canada during the mandatory vaccination period, White played more than 500 NHL games in total, with stints playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings.
