Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, left, is chased by Edmonton Oilers' Ladislav Smid during the third period of their NHL hockey game in Edmonton December 5, 2007.DAN RIEDLHUBER
The Edmonton Oilers have confirmed that defenceman Ladislav Smid has contracted swine flu.
The Oilers made the announcement Tuesday night following their 3-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Smid did not miss any games due to his illness, and played 19 minutes 47 seconds against the Avalanche.
There are no other confirmed cases among the Oilers players, coaches and support staff, although the team has been hit hard by players suffering from seasonal flu illnesses as well as flu-like symptoms.
"The biggest thing is that our doctor has been talking to our players and we are doing everything to stay on top of this," assured Edmonton head coach Pat Quinn. "We have been cautious from day one and hopefully we will be prepared to help our players get through this thing if indeed more players do contract the flu."
Quinn admitted that not all of the flu-afflicted players have been tested for the H1N1 strain.
Smid, a 23-year-old native of the Czech Republic has four assists in 12 games with Edmonton this season.
Earlier Tuesday, the Avalanche confirmed that backup goaltender Peter Budaj had been diagnosed with swine flu. Budaj didn't accompany the Avalanche for the start of their four-game road trip, though he hopes to rejoin the team before it returns home.