Mumps: Sid the Kid Has a Kid's Disease

As if there was any dispute about hockey being a contact sport.

But this sort of contact goes a bit too far.

Mumps is making the rounds in the NHL.

And one of those afflicted is none other than Sidney Crosby.

The Kid might've said he was feeling chipper a few days ago, but feeling chipper and looking chipper can be two different things:

So why is mumps nailing NHL players and not those in other pro sports. MacLean's has a theory:

... they share water bottles and towels, spend extended periods of time in close quarters, and regularly bash heads with opposing team members on the ice, spraying spit hither and yon.

Those benches are kinda cozy, and the players do keep sliding up and down them while the other stuff remains in place. Maybe it's not so bad to be a fourth-line grinder right now.

Unfortunately, there are crazies out there spouting bad science about vaccinations causing autism. No wonder mumps and measles are making a comeback.

In that sense, maybe it's fortuitous that hockey took the hit. It's the only sport whose championship was curtailed by an epidemic, which has only heightened its sense of urgency this time. The issue is now very much on the front burner, clearly where it needs to be right now.

And it needs to be treated rationally for the good of all involved, as opposed to the alternative.