Preview: Team-by-team | Picks | 50 things to watch | Top 50 players | All-NHL
You might want to avoid kissing Todd Bertuzzi for the next couple of weeks (you were probably going to do that, anyway. But now you'll really want to).
Hours before the start of the regular season, the Detroit Red Wings discovered they're going to be without one of their top forwards for several weeks.
And it has nothing to do with an injury.
Red Wings coach Mike Babcock told the media Saturday before Detroit's game at St. Louis that Bertuzzi will be out of the lineup as he recovers from mono.
Bertuzzi appeared in 71 games for the Red Wings last season, scoring 14 goals to go with 24 assists while playing mostly alongside Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen.
While it's rare, it's not totally unheard of for a player to miss time after contracting mono, as Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason missed some time back in 2009. Buffalo Sabres first-round draft pick Mikhail Grigorenko had it last year while playing in the QMJHL.
For more hockey news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnHockey and @agretz on Twitter and like us on Facebook.