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Penguins doctor: Crosby’s mumps ‘came about as a bit of a surprise’

sidcros

skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on December 8, 2014 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Penguins 4-3 in overtime.

Bruce Bennett

However you speculate about how the Pittsburgh Penguins handled Sidney Crosby’s case of mumps, they’re at least being fairly transparent about the situation (right now).

The team shared a detailed feature on the situation, including some insight from the team’s head physician Dr. Dharmesh Vyas.

“It came about as a bit of a surprise to us,” Dr. Vyas said Sunday afternoon. “Every indication was that he was well protected against the disease.”

Here’s the team’s timeline for Crosby’s mumps, verbatim:

Illness Timeline

Pre-Winter Olympics, 2014

Crosby is given immunization and a booster shot to protect against diseases, including the mumps, prior to leaving for Sochi, Russia.

Nov. 24-28

Entire Penguins team was immunized and tested for mumps as an outbreak continues to grow in the NHL.

Nov. 28 vs. Carolina

Crosby suffered an injury to the right side of his neck – the salivary gland. He was tested with a CT scan and for mumps. All blood tests came back negative. Was given medication to bring swelling down.

Dec. 10-11

When medication for the salivary gland was stopped, Crosby developed swelling next to the injured area. Another series of tests, including mumps, were conducted. The tests showed no indication of an infection.

Crosby showed no symptoms of mumps such as fever, chills or generalized body aches.

Dec. 12 vs. Calgary

Crosby’s swelling and condition worsened. Crosby’s DNA was sent to the CDC for a sophisticated test. He was held out of the game until the CDC test results come back.

Dec. 13 at Columbus

Crosby’s CDC test results came back positive for mumps.

Friday, Dec. 12 is maybe the most interesting day in that timeline, as that’s when the 27-year-old was cleared to practice with teammates. It’s also when this jarring image surfaced:

crosbyface

Yeah, it certainly seems like his swelling had “worsened” by then.

Crosby is now being quarantined by CDC guidelines, yet there’s the concern that mumps already spread through the Penguins team and maybe beyond.

Don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last we’ve heard of this, as the league seemingly cannot shake the mumps.