NEW YORK, N.Y. - Once mumps invades a professional sports dressing room, it finds a fertile breeding ground and the NHL is finding that it is not easy to get rid of.Multiple players on multiple teams from coast to coast have come down with the mumps, an illness more typically associated with children.It started in Anaheim and plagued the Ducks, who had three players affected. The Minnesota Wild was next, with five victims. Tanner Glass of the New York Rangers then came down with it, and as recently as Wednesday, the New Jersey Devils had two players turn up sick.It is certainly an outbreak that was unexpected and has caused unwanted disruption at the team level, but it is not something we have any significant control over, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said. As long as our clubs are doing what they need to do to minimize risk of contraction, we are hopeful that the wave of cases will run their course and life will return to normal.The Ducks hosted the Wild in mid-October, New Jersey and the Rangers played each other a few days later and Minnesota visited the Rangers not long after that before facing the Devils in mid-November. But it was not clear whether the teams shared the virus with each other or picked it up in other ways.You see the hits that they have, and sometimes the spraying of saliva, said Dr. Judith Aberg, chief of the infectious diseases division at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. I think they are high risk. I am surprised we havent actually seen this before.The illness isnt just hitting hockey players, of course. Students on college campuses have also recently fallen victim in another close environment that promotes spreading of the very contagious virus.It is relatively uncommon since the vaccine was licensed in the early 1960s, but this year weve actually had more cases, Aberg said. In 2013, we had less than 500 cases, and already this year were looking at about 1,000 cases in the United States. One person is expected to infect 10 others.Millions are vaccinated at a young age, but Aberg said the immunity can wane with age and 10 to 20 per cent of individuals who have been vaccinated may not have full protection.The NHL and the players association have provided information to teams and players on ways to protect themselves against the mumps. Vaccination decisions for any disease are made by club medical staffs and the players themselves.The Rangers quickly moved to give boosters to players, and other teams have done the same. The Ducks cleaned and sterilized their entire operation following the outbreak that hit Corey Perry and others. Everyone was encouraged to get re-vaccinated and most did.Some affected players have already returned to the ice, and all should recover without lasting effects.Each season at training camp, players are encouraged to provide their vaccination records. Childhood vaccine programs are fairly universal and accessible worldwide, although arent mandatory in every country, the NHLPA said.The NHLPA has been actively educating the players regarding the recent outbreak, while providing best practices on how to avoid contracting and spreading mumps, players association spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon said.Many of the recommendations about locker room and bench behaviour are similar to the standard precautions the NHL provides regarding the flu, which is similarly transmitted.Simple coughing and sneezing and getting those respiratory droplets on each other can cause the spread of mumps, Aberg said. The problem is that it is contagious before you have symptoms. Thats where it gets tricky because you dont know youre going to come down with the mumps, and youre contagious. Then you are contagious for five days or so after you have symptoms.The illness even felled Minnesota ironman defenceman Ryan Suter, the rare American-born player to be affected.Every Wild player was offered a booster shot last month when the virus surfaced. Suter decided not to take it, and paid the price. He was the fifth Minnesota player — all defencemen whose cubicles are next to each other — to come down with the mumps.Suter, who hadnt missed a game since joining the Wild in 2012, led the NHL in ice time each of the last two seasons.I probably wash my hands more than anybody, he said. I go out of the way to make sure Im a clean guy. So for me to get it, it stunk. I always tell these guys, Youve got to be mentally strong and youll never get sick. So theyre all giving me a hard time.___AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham in Anaheim, Calif., and Dave Campbell in St. Paul, Minn., contributed to this report. Custom NCAA Jerseys . 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JOHNS, N.CHICAGO -- Minnesota Twins rookie Trevor May came out sizzling, pitching three perfect innings and striking out five. But he had to refocus on being aggressive to get deeper into the game against the Chicago White Sox. May struck out a season-high 10 in six innings and Minnesota overcame Jose Abreus 35th home run, beating Chicago 6-4 to end a four-game losing streak. "Ive always kind of been a strikeout guy," May said. "Getting those first couple of strikes and then giving them some of my best stuff has translated into swings and misses." May (3-4) was staked to an early 4-0 lead, then hung on to win his third straight start. The 6-foot-5, 24-year-old walked none while allowing three runs and five hits in his seventh start and longest outing so far. Adam Eaton reached on an infield single in the fourth to end Mays streak. The next three batters followed with hits to cut the lead to 4-2 as Abreu and Conor Gillaspie drove in runs with singles. After pitching coach Rick Anderson visited the mound, May struck out the next three Chicago batters. "(Anderson) went out there and told him to trust his stuff and pitch off the fastball," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "After that he started doing it again and I think you saw him go right throught them." Glen Perkins pitched the ninth for his 34th save in 40 chances, despite giving up Abreus homer. Abreu tied the White Sox rookie record for homers, set by Ron Kittle with 35 in 1983. Abreu singled and drove in two runs, giving the rookie 102 RBIs. Abreus homer was his second in two games, but he before that he hadnt hit one since Aug. 22 at the New York Yankees. "Hes been pretty consistent just as a hitter," manager Robin Ventura said. "The powers going to be there. He went through a little stretch where he wasnt hitting many home runs, but its there." Adrian Nieto also homered for the White Sox. Trevor Plouffe and Jordan Schafer homered for the Twins. Hector Noesi (8-10) allowed five runs and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings. Kurt Suzuki had two RBIs and Eduardo Escobar drove in a run for the Twins, who rebounded to take the final game of the series.dddddddddddd Swept in a doubleheader Saturday, the Twins came back to win for just the second time in 10 games. Minnesota won the season series from the White Sox 10-9. The Twins took a 2-0 lead in the second on Plouffes homer, his 14th, and Escobars sacrifice fly. Schafers two-run shot with two outs in the fourth extended Minnesotas lead to 4-0. It was his first with the Twins since joining them on Aug. 5 after being claimed on waivers from Atlanta. After the White Sox closed to 4-2, Nieto hit a solo homer in the fifth. The Twins added runs on Suzukis double in the seventh and his sacrifice fly in the ninth. TRAINERS ROOM Twins: Rookie 1B-DH Kennys Vargas sat out his first game since making his MLB debut on Aug. 1. Vargas has seven homers and 35 RBIs in his first 41 games, but is hitless in his last three. "Hes had some great at-bats," Gardenhire said. "Weve been impressed." ... The Twins played their sixth game in four days. White Sox: White Sox DH Paul Konerko said he hoped to return during the teams nine-game trip that starts Monday in Kansas City. Konerko has been sidelined since Sept. 2 with a broken left hand. He has 439 career homers and will retire in two weeks after 18 seasons, 16 with the White Sox. UP NEXT Twins: Minnesota sends RHP Anthony Swarzak (3-1, 3.95) against Detroit and ace RHP Max Scherzer (16-5, 3.19) in Minneapolis on Monday night. White Sox: LHP John Danks (9-11, 5.05) is set to face Royals RHP James Shields (14-7, 3.13) in Kansas City on Monday night. K-TIME The White Sox (26) and Twins (19) pitchers combined for for 45 strikeouts in Saturdays doubleheader sweep by Chicago, the most in a doubleheader since Oct. 2, 2010, when the Yankees and Red Sox at 49 in a twinbill, according to STATS. Players and managers said the shadows from the U.S. Cellular Field stands played a role during the first game, which started at 3:10 p.m. "The ball was disappearing," Gardenhire said. ' ' '