Sidney Crosby missed practice time yesterday with an unidentified illness, but it looks like he might be the latest NHL player to have the mumps. There is an outbreak going around the NHL for some reason, and it certainly looks like the most recognizable player is the latest victim.

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A total of nine NHL players on various franchises have contracted the mumps so far this season, and that is just the number of confirmed cases. There could be other players that have the disease but have yet to develop symptoms. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly says that team doctors and training staffs are being advised on how to contain the disease and ways to prevent infection.

The outbreak may end up getting worse before it gets better, and it will certainly be a blow to the league if their most recognizable star misses time with the disease. Again, Crosby's illness has not been confirmed, but anybody can see that, at the very least, his symptoms look like mumps.

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Daly was quoted as saying, "It is certainly an outbreak that was unexpected and has caused unwanted disruption at the team level, but it is not something we have any significant control over. As long as our clubs are doing what they need to do to minimize risk of contraction, we are hopeful that the wave of cases will run their course and life will return to normal in the relatively near term."

Perhaps a better question is how are people still getting the mumps? And not just regular people, but professional athletes that have daily access to top-notch medical care. It certainly raises questions.

Crosby has said that he doesn not expect to miss time because of the "illness," but there is no official word on his playing status yet.