REPORT: The mumps epidemic claims another victim.

The outbreak of the mumps in the NHL has claimed it's latest victim today, Minnesota Wild's star defenseman Ryan Suter. We reported yesterday that the Wild feared Suter may have contracted the disease:

Suter went for bloodwork yesterday and the team is awaiting the results, Yeo said. Yeo said Suter doesn’t have swollen glands but a few other symptoms unique to the mumps that makes the Wild concerned. "We're hoping it's just illness," Yeo said. "There's a couple symptoms that he has that would make us concerned that it could be [the mumps]."

After a series of tests Suter has now officially been diagnosed with the illness, making him the fifth Wild player affected this season. Coach Yeo is not prepared to rule out Suter however:

"I'm not even ready to rule him out tomorrow, it affects people differently."

One thing is for certain, teams are scrambling to keep their dressing rooms clean as this illness continues to spread Francois Beauchemin, Tanner Glass, Corey Perry, Jonas Brodin, Keith Ballard are just some of the players that have been hit by the mumps this season.