Dallas Stars coach Rick Bowness was pulled from the bench after the second period of Sunday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes due to COVID-19 protocols, the team announced.

Bowness, 66, is the oldest head coach in the league. He is fully vaccinated, the team said. Assistant coach John Stevens assumed head-coaching responsibilities for the rest of Sunday's game.

The Stars had a coronavirus outbreak in training camp after 17 members of the team tested positive, which delayed the start of their season. Dallas goaltender Anton Khudobin is the only Stars player currently on the NHL's COVID protocol list. On Saturday, Bowness said the team was hopeful that Khudobin has a false positive test; Khudobin had contracted the virus in the offseason.

The NHL is currently dealing with another outbreak in the North Division. More than half of the Vancouver Canucks roster tested positive in the past week, as the team remains on pause. Sources told ESPN that some Canucks players are symptomatic, including at least one player who required an IV for dehydration over the weekend.