Canucks’ COVID cases still rising

The Canucks said 25 players and coaches have tested positive in a COVID-19 outbreak involving a variant of the virus.

The team said Wednesday that 21 players, including three from the taxi squad, and four members of the coaching staff have tested positive, and one other player is considered a close contact.

“This is a stark reminder of how quickly the virus can spread and its serious impact, even among healthy, young athletes,” the team said in a statement.

All players and staff are in quarantine, and 19 of the 22 players on Canucks’ active roster were listed on the NHL’s COVID protocol list Wednesday.

The Canucks said a variant is involved in the outbreak, and full genome sequencing is being conducted by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control to determine which one.

They said an ongoing investigation by Vancouver Coastal Health and contract tracing found that the outbreak was sparked by a single unidentified individual picking up the infection in a “community setting, which has since been identified by public health as a public exposure location.”

The Canucks’ outbreak began March 30 when forward Adam Gaudette tested positive. The NHL postponed the team’s game against the Flames the following night when defenseman Travis Hamonic and a member of the coaching staff were added to the protocol list. A total of six Canucks games have now been postponed.

Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner had surgery for a broken finger and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Jenner, 27, has eight goals and nine assists, while playing in all 41 games for this season.

College football: Former Florida State WR Travis Rudolph was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder with a firearm in Palm Beach County, Fla. Rudolph, 25, was the Seminoles’ leading receiver in 2015 and 2016 before leaving school early to enter the NFL draft. He went undrafted but spent time with both the Giants and Dolphins, as well as having a stint in the Canadian Football League.