The NHL is dealing with not quite an epidemic, but a possible outbreak, of the Mumps.
There have been a number of reported cases across the league -- five players on Minnesota have contracted it, along with three from Anaheim, two from New Jersey and one from the Rangers -- and some, including Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall, are extremely worried about the outcome of the outbreak.
"It's been rampant around the league," Hextall said per Sam Carchidi of Philly.com. "And it's not a one-day thing. I've talked to other managers that it had gone through their team and their docs have told them that everybody on their team has been exposed to it, but only certain people are susceptible for whatever reason.
"We've talked long and hard about it. Talked to our medical staff numerous times, and we've addressed it as best as we can."
The Mumps is a highly contagious viral infection with an incubation period of 14-18 days. It has become rare in recent years but, according to the CDC, there are still about 186,000 cases reported in the U.S. each year.
As some teams go to great lengths to avoid the virus, others have not.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby for instance, who missed Thursday's practice with an undisclosed illness, showed up to work today looking very much like a person with the Mumps.
According to the Mayo Clinic website, the main symptom of the Mumps is something called parotitis; "swollen, painful salivary glands on one or both sides of your face."
Crosby, during his time talking to the media after practice, looked like a chipmunk with a fistful of acorns stuffed in his right cheek.
While the assumption is that the team would have announced if their biggest and best player had the Mumps, it certainly looks like that's exactly what's ailing Crosby.
We'll find out in the following days whether or not any of his teammates come down with a similar affliction.
