Crosby back on ice after mumps diagnosis, others tested

[December 18, 2014]  (Reuters) - Sidney Crosby, one of the latest National Hockey League (NHL) players diagnosed with the mumps, returned to the ice on Wednesday but it was uncertain as to when the Pittsburgh Penguins captain will be cleared to play.

The NHL's reigning Most Valuable Player, who has missed his team's last three games, skated on his own before practice while three team mates were tested for mumps.

"He looked good on the ice," Penguins coach Mike Johnston told reporters. "It was a full skate. He worked on some extra conditioning drills."

Crosby, the team's second-leading scorer with 35 points in 27 games this season, was the 13th player since early November to come down with the highly contagious disease that is usually found in children.

Penguins forward Beau Bennett was diagnosed with the mumps on Tuesday, bringing the total to 15 players, while Marc-Andre Fleury, Robert Bortuzzo and Olli Maatta were being tested for the mumps as a precaution, the team said.

"We have been sanitizing the rooms and everything here for the last week," said Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)

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