Tumor removed from Penguins' Maatta discovered to be cancerous

When Pittsburgh Penguins doctors found a tumor in defenseman Olli Maatta's thyroid gland during a physical, they took action right away which could have saved his life.

Maatta underwent surgery on Nov. 4 to remove the tumor, and was given a four-week timetable to recover. Head coach Mike Johnston said Thursday Maatta is at least five days away from returning to the Penguins lineup.

He continues to work out with the team during his recovery process.