Team at centre of NHL mumps outbreak in Winnipeg Saturday

The team at the centre of a mumps outbreak in the NHL is scheduled to play in Winnipeg on Saturday night.

The Winnipeg Jets are scheduled to host the Anaheim Ducks at the MTS Centre Saturday at 6 p.m. Anaheim was the first team to report players with the mumps during the outbreak.

Brett Belchetz, an emergency room physician in Toronto, said hockey provides near-perfect conditions for a viral infection like mumps to spread.

"The reason is it's a very physical, shared environment," said Belchetz. "They share water bottles, they share towels, they share equipment, there is a lot of hugging and slapping and close physical contact."

The mumps virus is usually contracted through airborne droplets or passed through direct contact with the saliva of an infected person.

Jets defenceman Paul Postma said the outbreak has players concerned.

"It's a little scary," he said. "I don't think anything like this has happened in a while so you know, you just have to be aware of water bottle sharing, that kind of stuff.

All of the Jets players received the mumps booster shot recently, Postma said.

"So hopefully that took care of it."

Maurice unafraid of mumps outbreak

The team is taking other measures to ensure it's just pucks and not germs that are getting passed around on the ice.

• Sidney Crosby will sit 2 games, being tested for mumps

The visiting Anaheim Ducks had their water bottles cleaned well before entering the MTS Centre Saturday night, Maurice said.

"Best practices right? The league will learn from this and there may be different ways the water bottles get washed and that will change the protocol going forward and we'll make those adjustments," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. 

"We offer our players everything we possibly can to give them the chance to be healthy."

Maurice said he isn't too concerned about the prospect of a mumps outbreak.

"We're not concerned about it even remotely, because the mumps is going to pass and then it's going to be the  chicken pox," he said. "There's something you can't stop that's coming and you just deal with it."

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, whose face appears swollen, is expected to sit out the next two games as a precaution.