Penguins star Sidney Crosby has been diagnosed with the mumps.
Crosby was under suspicion for the disease one week earlier and tested negative. However, after Crosby displayed a badly swollen face on Friday morning, Penguins physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas and head trainer Chris Stewart believed the Penguins' captain remained a candidate for the mumps.
He was given more sophisticated tests over the weekend, and the team learned on Saturday night that Crosby had tested positive.
Crosby skated with his teammates during Friday's morning skate, during a period in which he was likely contagious. All of the Penguins have been tested for the mumps.
Vyas said there wasn't alarm on Friday morning when Crosby skated.
“It was a rapidly evolving process,” he said.
General manager Jim Rutherford said there was no cause for concern when Crosby took the ice with teammates. One side of Crosby's face was swollen on Friday morning. Vyas said that mumps patients generally suffer from swelling on both sides of the face.
“Quite frankly that decision was approved,” Rutherford said of Crosby skating on Friday. “His condition worsened after the skate. That's when I got the call from Dr. Vyas. I think it was at 5 in the afternoon. He said he could play in the game, but there certainly would be risk. That's when we said we weren't going to do that.”
Vyas said Crosby's contagious period should be over by the end of Monday. As a result, Crosby will not play on Monday against Tampa Bay. He is a candidate to return to action on Thursday against Colorado.
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Originally Posted by X-Terminator
