December 4th is the last time Shane Doan played for the Phoenix Coyotes before coming down with an undisclosed illness. On Friday, Coyotes' GM Don Malone wouldn't go as far as to say Doan has contracted the actual illness but he did imply he was sick: “Shane is receiving antibiotics for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever symptoms and he’s showing improvement."
Probably safe to assume he has the totally real, not something Ferris Bueller made up, disease.


What is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, you ask? Here is how WebMD describes it:

This disease is caused by Rickettsia rickettsii and is transmitted by a number of different ticks. Despite its geographical title, Rocky Mountain spotted fever is present in many locations throughout the United States and the entire Western Hemisphere. After infection by tick bite, there is an incubation period of 2–14 days. The abrupt onset of the disease includes severe headache, fever, chills, arthralgia [joint pain], and myalgia [muscle pain]. After 2–3 days of these constitutional symptoms, erythematous macules [spots] erupt on the wrists, hands, forearms,legs, and ankles ... Lesions then spread to the palms and soles and the trunk. The macules originally blanch with pressure but soon become purpuric [subcutaneous bleeding] and even necrotic [dead skin tissue]. The disease causes a severe vasculitis [inflamed blood vessel(s)] and complications include disseminated intravascular coagulation [proteins that control blood clotting become over active], hemorrhage into the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts, and cardiovascular collapse.
YIKES! Hopefully Doan's case is not as serious as WebMD describes it.
The Coyotes have missed and will continue to miss Doan's contribution. Since Phoenix's leading scorer has been out of the lineup, the 'Yotes have gone 2-2-2. The team sits three points back of Minnesota for the second of the two wild card slots.