More Than Half of NHL’s Vancouver Canucks Have COVID, Some with ‘Intense’ Symptoms

People
·3 min read

Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Players on the Vancouver Canucks celebrate during a game on March 1

The NHL's Vancouver Canucks are dealing with a massive COVID-19 outbreak after more than half of the team's players and coaches have tested positive for the virus, according to reports.

At least 19 players and three coaches have tested positive, according to TSN, with many having the more contagious P.1 COVID-19 variant that was first found in Brazil and is now spreading in the Vancouver area. Many of the players' family members have also tested positive.

The athletes are experiencing a mix of reactions to the virus, ESPN reported. Some players are in "rough shape," and have been getting IV treatments for severe dehydration.

"Fatigue, dehydration, the symptoms are intense," the agent of a Canucks player told ESPN. "It's knocked a lot of guys out. Some can't even get out of bed."

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Michaela Gaudette, the wife of 24-year-old forward Adam Gaudette, tweeted on Thursday that her husband "isn't in great shape but I'm taking good care of him!" and said that she's "feeling fine other than being tired and I just woke up with a bad headache."

The first three positive cases were identified on Thursday, leading the NHL to postpone the Canucks' next three games. The league expected to resume play a week later, but the outbreak only grew from there, with six more players testing positive that night. Each day since, more players have been added to the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list, the league's way of identifying athletes who have either tested positive or are quarantining due to a possible exposure. Players on the list are not allowed to practice or play.

PEOPLE has contacted the NHL for comment.

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After delaying the start of the 2020-2021 season due to the pandemic, the NHL started a condensed season on Jan. 13 and immediately had to postpone the Dallas Stars' first few games due to an outbreak on the team. Since then, around 100 players and coaches across the NHL have been added to the COVID-19 protocol list, with several teams, including the Philadelphia Flyers and the New Jersey Devils, dealing with major outbreaks.

On Sunday, Canucks General Manager Jim Benning thanked "fans everywhere for their support this week."

"Our players, coaches and their families are grateful for the messages and we all hope for a return to full health as soon as possible," he said in a statement shared on Twitter.