It's February. While the weather's been unusually nice there are a few other things synonymous with this time of year, including illness. The Blackhawks have encountered some of that right now. Fortunately for them, however, it's not the mumps that are once again hitting other NHL locker rooms.
The Minnesota Wild, who played the Blackhawks before heading into their bye, came out of their break with several players diagnosed with the mumps. It's the second time in three seasons the Wild have dealt with the illness. The Vancouver Canucks also came out of their bye with several players affected by the mumps.