Vancouver/Abbotsford/Toronto – Vancouver Canucks forward and Jake Virtanen has been put on leave for what the organizations described as “concerning allegations”about Virtanen.“Our organization does not accept sexual misconduct of any kind, and the claims as reported are being treated very seriously by us,” the organization said in a statement.
Virtanen is from Abbotsford.
The Canucks have retained “external expertise” to help with an independent investigation into the issue, the statement also added.At a re-scheduled pre-game media appearance in Toronto, Canucks head coach Travis Green declined to comment on the issue, referring back to the team’s statement when speaking to the media.
“We met with the team this morning, did our pre-scout,had a morning skate and we’ll be ready to go tonight,” Green said when asked if the issue would be a distraction for the team.The allegations first emerged on social media from an interview with Glacier Media, but the allegations have not been proven in court yet.
The Vancouver police have yet to comment on if they are investigating the matter.Virtanen was drafted by the Canucks sixth overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Following this, Virtanen, has voluntarily stepped down as the host of the Archway Charity Golf Tournament to allow the focus to be on raising funds for community programs and services.
The statement from their website: Archway Community Service’s mission is to foster community well-being and social justice through positive action and leadership. As such Archway does not accept sexual misconduct of any kind and takes the allegations very seriously. The Archway Charity Golf Tournament raises money for families, seniors and youth in our local community. In 2019, over $50,000 was raised and organizers hope to match or exceed this amount at the physically distanced golf tournament planned for June 22nd.
