PHOENIX - It's official: This is the trip from, well, you know where.
The worst part isn't that the Penguins are only on day four of a nine-day, four-game, million-mile march around North America.
Or that weather stinks everywhere they go.
Or that their plane had a mechanical problem after Thursday's game at San Jose, forcing them to check back into their hotel and stay the night.
Or even that they lost that particular game, 5-0.
No, the worst part for the Penguins is that a nasty flu bug has spread through the ranks like wild fire.
Head coach Rick Kehoe estimates that 13-14 team members - including several players, general manager Craig Patrick, assistant coach Randy Hillier and equipment manager Steve Latin - were experiencing symptoms.
The symptoms aren't pleasant. They include all the usual flu miseries: headaches, chills, fever, stomach problems and vomiting. It got so bad that team trainer Mark Mortland called in two paramedics Friday to administer intravenous fluids to eight players.
That was done mostly with an eye toward getting the players ready to play a hockey game tonight. The Penguins only can hope that they have enough players.
"You can't even fathom it," Mortland said of how quickly the bug spread.
Defenseman John Jakopin and winger Kevin Stevens were the first players to show symptoms, either late Wednesday or early Thursday. Both were unavailable for Thursday's game.
Soon, more players began feeling ill. At first, the training staff thought food poisoning was the problem. But, as co-trainer Scott Johnson said, "Too many different guys are getting it."
Some cases are more severe than others. Rookie center Kris Beech had trouble walking under his own power after Thursday's game, in which he played about 8 minutes. Latin didn't make it to the bench for the third period.
A handful of players played through the symptoms, Kehoe said. Afterward, the team trudged back to the hotel. It was a long night for Mortland.
"I was running from room to room all night, giving medicines and stuff," he said.
Players affected so far include Stevens, Jakopin, goaltender Johan Hedberg, winger Dan LaCouture, defenseman Hans Jonsson, winger Billy Tibbetts and center Wayne Primeau, among others.
Kehoe wondered if people started to catch the bug on the long plane trip Wednesday from Pittsburgh to San Jose.
"I've never seen this many guys get it that quick," Kehoe said. "Usually, it's just a couple of guys, but everybody's so close on the bench and in the dressing room."
Kehoe said in order to bring in reinforcements for tonight's game against the Phoenix Coyotes, the Penguins would have to put players on injured reserve. There were no immediate plans to do so, and there's no telling whether the bug will spread further today or how it will affect tonight's lineup.
Kehoe didn't seem concerned that the Penguins would fail to dress a full complement of players. It's just that he doesn't know who they'll be. He said Hedberg, for example, would start in goal only if he feels up to par. If not, it'll be Jean-Sebastien Aubin.
Mortland said the intravenous fluids not only helped players feel better yesterday but would prevent them from facing further complications today.
"We'll have to wait and see with the lineup," Kehoe said. "Hopefully, everybody feels better."
On top of everything else, Kehoe's team lost a practice day yesterday. Before the plane problems, the Penguins were scheduled to practice in Phoenix. Chances are, they wouldn't have been able to practice, anyway, because of the virus.
The Penguins are scheduled to fly to Toronto on Sunday morning. They play the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, then fly to Boston, where they play the Bruins on Thursday.
Surprisingly, neither Mortland nor Johnson had experienced symptoms as of early last night, but they realize the risk.
Said Mortland: "When everybody's feeling better and out having a beer in Toronto, I'll probably get it then."
