Mueller, this one hurt to write. Seriously, his sophmore year sucked, poor thing.

C - On a team lacking any real firepower, PM managed to come in 5th in points and had 4 GWGs  which is all that is saving him from falling below the yellow line.  Maybe I set the bar too high for Muels? His rookie season showed so much talent, this year was a write off. Where the hell was the ‘real’ Peter Mueller? If this guy is him we’re all in trouble.

Excuse after excuse, put on too much muscle, added bulk too fast, hip pointer, concussion, sophmore jinx. Whatever it was, the guy that we saw was:
slow – rarely used his innate ice awareness to anticpate the play and be where the puck was going, was usually the last guy to get ‘there’ (no matter where ‘there’ was). Was guilty of cheating more times than not, reaching for pucks rather than skating to them to gather them up, regularly failing to hold the blue line on the PP because his feet weren’t moving.
slow/lazy – I wonder if the slow is the same thing as the lazy? Srsly I feel bad to have to even say this about one of our guys. But evidently TGO felt the same way and PM ended up in the doghouse quite a few times due to his failure to even ‘look’ like he gave a shit.
soft  – can anyone remember a single big hit by Muels? With his size, PM ’should’ be able to lay a mofo out. But I don’t think he ever really did. And puhleeze! don’t even think about him taking a hit most nights,  PM avoided hits like the unemployed avoid bill collectors.  I don’t mind if a guy steps outta the way when possible but we all know that sometimes to make the big play you gotta sacrifice and take the nasty hit but still get the shot/pass away.

He still has the hands and the shot but if the effort isn’t there? Peter Peter Peter… you can’t get by on talent alone.  When you are young,  have size, you get top line minutes and PP time out yer ass and Rhino outscores you!… there’s a problem there. Can you imagine what Peter could be w/ Uppy’s drive and will?

Man sized but without a mean bone in his body, the big PM is going to have to find something that turns on the jets, turns on the will, hell… turns his entire game around. He’s the sweetest thing in the world off the ice and I adore him but his game this season stunk.

This was hard to admit, much less write. The 3rd line might end up being Petey’s if things don’t turn around. A whole lot of competition joined the ranks at the end of the season. I hope Muels can regain form.

Next up in the report card line up is David Hale or DHL as I liked to refer to him.

I vacillitated between a C- and a D+. 27 years old, 5 years in the big league and still mostly couldn’t find his defensive ass with both hands and a torch, in broad daylight, most games. I think thats pretty accurate an assessment of David Hale (or Red Auburn Sunset Hair aka RASH to people who live to find the ridiculous).

Haler is obviously not ready for primetime yet. Against slower teams or teams we’ve rattled early, David has great games. Okay maybe great isn’t the word, let’s call it… basic, sound defensive output instead. At 27 he isn’t exactly long in the tooth and still has time to get better. He can hit (oh boy can this kid throw the body), he skates very,very well, he finally scored a goal in the NHL (actually 3 of them) and recorded a career high 9 points. He IS improving.

His main problem seems to be decision making under pressure. Many games Haler just threw away pucks…right to the opponent because he either didn’t think, didn’t have time or couldn’t make space for himself. It happens…on a Coyotes team featuring Jovo, Yandle and now Kalinen…it happens frequently, so I can’t fault DHL exclusively for these kinds of errors. Yet for a 5 year veteran to consistently make these ‘rookie type’ mistakes, gives me pause everytime David is on the ice.

Don’t get me wrong… David Hale is a great teammate from what I have seen. In practice he works extremely hard. He even threw down unexpectedly when it was necessary. He shows flashes of becoming an able if not great defenseman. But I don’t think the Yotes can afford to wait to see if Halestorm can really live up to the flashes consistently. Even at the 7th D position there are seemingly better choices.

There is 1 more year on DHL’s contract, maybe if he works really hard in the offseason, he can finally deliver. I’m not holding my breath. Jonas Ahnelov, Maxim Goncharov and Chris Summers are looming on the almost immediate horizon. (Summers will probably opt to finish his Sr. year at Michigan and I say good on ya Chris. Gonch has 1 year left on his KHL contract but the way the KHL has been so unsteady on its feet, we might see him early if GMDM can work some of his magic. Jlov was slated for the main roster looksee last season but injuries kept the big Swede out of the lineup.)I don’t think Hale can realistically out play or have more potential upside than any of them at this stage of his development.

I would miss that big goofy grin and his grace and ease with the fans but truthfully I see GMDM going after DMo, resigning Klee and possibly goin after the likes of Souray (if the rumors are true that he wants shed of EDM) Mike Komisarek or even someone like Matthieu Schneider, not in any particular specualtion order. So that really doesn’t leave any room for DHL on our main blueline. I see him being packaged or sent to SA in 09. We can’t really afford to sit back with our defense if we seriously want to make a push to the next level. Any of the above speculatory events knocks DHL out of his 7th man position, especially if you factor in the blueline rookie challengers.

Do I expect him back? Oh Hale no! Do I have a sinking suspicion that it might still happen? Of course…we are still the Coyotes and feces happens with us…frequently.

What are your thoughts?

Well I guess it was too much to ask for these asshats to just shut up and prepare briefs for a few days, so we could finish off the season reviews and watch the Stanley Cup finals in peace…

Another loophole for snakes and other pests to slither through?

“The lawyers for Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes are seeking an new emergency hearing – by June 3 – in order to get the NHL to hand over its timetable on franchise relocation and documents related to billionaire Jim Balsillie’s previous attempts to buy NHL teams.

A hearing is set for June 9 on the issue of relocation, but Moyes’ legal team is asking for a hearing by June 3 so it can find out how the NHL handled previous transfers of the Quebec Nordiques to Colorado, Hartford Whalers to Carolina and Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix.”

http://www.thestar.com/article/642288

Ummmm, and who exactly is paying for this proposed renovation?

“Plans to transform Hamilton’s Copps Coliseum into a spectacular home arena for a new Southern Ontario NHL franchise were unveiled today by Jim Balsillie.

With a focus on fan-friendly cutting edge designs, the new Copps Coliseum would feature a soaring atrium-style entrance lobby, a range of luxury boxes, new lounges and restaurants, food and bar amenities throughout and capacity for more than 18,000 spectators. The design also fully addresses requirements the NHL has previously communicated for Copps Coliseum.”

http://smr.newswire.ca/en/jim-balsillie/jim-balsillie-unveils-dramatic-revitalization-for-copps-coliseum

Okay am I the only one screaming through the streets ‘be very, very careful Hamilton, Balsillie doesn’t seem to care much about breaking leases when it suits him’ and frantically looking around my imaginary NHL headquarters for min-snakes who might have leaked info about those other moves? hmmm maybe I’m just paranoid? Balsillie would never run out on his hometown and leave them holding the bag for 150M would he? And of course the NHL is a tightly sealed and unified camp…they couldn’t have a traitor in their midst could they?

As always… Go Coyotes!

Okay it is seriously time to take a break from all the courtroom drama. These report cards shoulda been done and out of the way by now. Unfortunately I have been consumed with the insanity that is our ownership, the brazen asshattery that is Balsillie and the emotional crater that is the thought of losing my team. Until June 9th (barring other developments) it is time to get back to the business of being a Coyotes fan and that means report cards and draft speculation. So without further huhaw…

Ilya Bryzgalov

B – the coaches screwed him by dumping him into games he shouldn’t have even been near (Chicago* cough* cough*) 

65  games played with 26 wins and 31 losses (just a lil under .500 and at least 6 or so of those losses were because we couldn’t score to save our lives even though Bryz played his ass off) 6 OTs and 3 shut outs is not a bad season’s work.  Especially when he only let in 187 goals in 1,994 shots against. His end of season save % was .906 and his GAA was not out of the normal range at 2.98 (if we could have scored more than 1 or 2 goals our ownselves per game, this stat wouldn’t look half as bad). When the Breeze was on his game he seemed unstoppable but I can’t blame the coaches or anyone else for the time Breezy spent as a total head case. It seemed like forever. Gettin pulled from games, lettin in back to back softies and generally lookin like an injured bird floppin around in the crease.

But for the most part I trusted Bryz every start, but he was like a box of assorted chocolates (nuts and soft chews), you just never knew what you were gonna get… and it showed in the lack of team belief. The team didn’t have the gel w/ him… gave him no love when he grabbed a game unless it was a major shut out or something, this is worrisome. Without the boys in front of him giving him 110% devotion, a goalie is bound to have major problems.

The Pros:

• His attitude is much better… doesn’t out his teammates for errors as much as last year, even inadvertantly.
• With a decent defensive corps he can win and win big games.
• Has playoff experience which will be invaluable when we break through next season.
• Still has the passion to be a winner. Is one of the best off ice fan interaction guys.

The Cons:

• Not ready and probably never be able to pull a team as #1 goalie alone… needs a tandem,  probably a 60/40 % would be best so that he is still the #1 guy in his mind.
• Still cheating off his posts and making classic goalie blunders w/ glove and anticipating things and getting caught out.
•  Still loses focus easily when not enough action.
• The dreaded softie issue.
• Rebound control

Bottom line. He coulda been better. But he sure as hell ain’t the worst that we’ve seen. The staff needs to help the brotha out by using him more effectively and not tryin to get their 4 mill out of him in sweat equity. Knock off the back to backs on road trips and give the backup some of his games in a routine that Bryz can wrap his head around and get a rythm.

Your thoughts?

The normal glacial pace of legal maneuvers continues. Nothing great happened. The NHL proposed an intermanagement plan in which Sr. Management will remain in place and continue to make day to day decisions regarding team operations BUT both the NHL and Moyes will have point men for when anything needs to be decided outside the normal scope of business. If anything can’t be agreed on by both sides then they will defer to the court. Apparently GMDM will be in charge of the draft and the NHL will remain the DIP provider of funds.

The original schedule called for the ‘relocation issue’ to be started on June 12th, now both sides must file all motions and declarations by June 5th and oral arguments will be heard at 9 am on June 9th… prepare for an all day battle as the NHL, the City of G, Moyes, Balsillie and any other person/group/interested party (NFL, MLB, NBA etc) can speak on their motions.

The judge placed both the NHL and Moyes schedules in play. The Moyes group is going for the quick n dirty so that they don’t lose the bird in hand bidder, Balsillie (with a June 22nd auction date) the NHL is going for the maximum bidder version (September 10th auction date) No matter which version happens the judge set a tentative deadline of June 17th for all bids to be placed (with the caveat that if Bill Gates or someone like that appears on June 22 or Sept 10 with a valid bid, the judge expects full and speedy vetting of that bidder by the NHL). *Judge Baum was very concerned about the shortness of the bidding window but decided to go forward with the scheduling*

Judge Baum also made it clear the scope of the trial would include the Debtor’s ability to prove their case via section 363F and/or 365 *B,C*  and the adequate assurance of league performance. The judge also said he would be looking closely at the economic effect on the creditors of the estate.

Several of the former motions were stricken from the proceedings such as the 5M $ overbid requirement (since the judge will be looking for the ‘best’ bid rather than only the largest bid). PSE was also removed from being included in the group that would be reviewing all bids that come in. No break fee will be included to PSE in the case that their bid is not accepted.

So while today wasn’t a raging tear jerking event, it was a step forward through our legal morass. And that my friends is how progress and keeping our team will happen. 1 step at a time.

So hopefully we can all enjoy the Cup excitement for a little while b4 the main event happens on June 9th.

As always…Go Coyotes!

Today, one of the biggest days in my admittedly limited sports life is here. Today we get the answer to one of life’s biggest questions (no, not where do babies come from?) I got the answer to that one in first grade from Billy Hofflemeir. Hopefully the answer to this one will be much more truthful and have nothing to do with aliens errupting from… well, never mind…

Today we get to know who owns the Coyotes… hopefully. Or at least the more important question of who gets to run the team going forward from today. It is apparent to anyone with half a working brain cell that the team needs to be sold so the question of whether Moyes had the right to put them into bankruptcy is really rather moot. How that sale will be accomplished and what is actually for sale are actually the two world altering questions afoot now. But 1 step at a time, lets get this one answered and put behind us first.

Will the NHL wrest control and retain the ability to manage how NHL teams are franchised? Circumstances are certainly looking likely. When both camps decided to mediate themselves without the sideshow of Balsillie, SOF and the City of G, everything shifted. Now it seems much more like 2 reasonable parties trying to work out a solution (something that probably should have happened waaay before now). Before the situation FUBAR’d, before the entire professional sports world was put at risk.

Today, one way or another, we make history. We either embark on the voyage of reengaging a soft hockey market and infusing Arizona with Coyotes fever by turning a bloated, fetid NHL organization into a lean, flexible entertainment machine. Or we begin the fight of our lives to keep the worlds of the MLB,NFL, NBA and NHL turning in their proper orbits.

You already know which way I want this to turn out. It is my sincerest hope that we keep our beloved team. It is my sincerest wish that the citizens of Canada get another one of their own. Whichever way this turns out today, there is a long road ahead of all of us. Maybe we can all begin the journey to recovery and to the end of all this us VS them madness that has permeated my beloved hockey world.

Today I head for court high in spirits, hope springing anew.  We will try to keep everyone up to speed (if a certain court monitor will leave theYotesDiva’s phone alone), so check your Twitter. Court starts at 9 am and even if the actual court room is packed solid again there is an overflow room provided for interested parties to watch via closed circuit teeveez. Maybe I’ll see you there? We can exchange hugs… or provide shoulders to lean on. Either way there will be tears I just hope they are joyful.

As always… Go Coyotes!

This is probably a lil disjointed and maybe I’m an idiot but its how I feel…

Okay hockey bretheran… I have a question. One that has been bothering me for some time. Why can’t the league support 2 more teams? Why can’t makeit32 work? Why is expansion ‘really’ such a bad thing? Is it really the horrible an idea that Kansas City or Wisconsin AND Hamilton or Winnipeg get a team. (I really don’t have a clue who all is clamoring for a team right now)

I can see the NHLPA getting behind the idea. They get more members to contribute to the pool and have a stronger voice. More players get a chance at the gold ring.

I can see the players getting behind the idea. More opportunities to play longer (they are already like migrant workers going from team to team, 2 more to choose from can’t be a bad thing). Newbies could see it as better opportunity to break into the league with a bigger draft (almost like adding round 8 back in...) and b4 you say no one good comes out of the lower rounds, puhleze! the Wings seem to have no problems finding talent like Zetterberg and Datsyuk in late rounds.

I can see the fans getting behind this. More hockey! is thereanything better than more hockey? Ummm especially for the fans of the chosen cities who have been raucously screaming their lil lungs out to get one for years.

The team owners, well hell, them ole boys would get expansion money out the wahzoo. Could shift the conference member teams around a bit resulting in shorter flights, less money being spent crisscrossing the country, more revenue to share, better TV contracts if the markets are chosen correctly.

Seems to me that everyone wins with makeit32. So why isn’t it happening? Why haven’t Mr. Balsillie or Mr. Bruckheimer or whomever, been throwing their dollars at getting the NHL to expand, rather than targeting teams already in place? We’ve expanded and contracted a lot since 1967, I don’t understand why the topic has suddenly become such an anathema.

Cincinnati, Hamilton, Oklahoma City, Portland, Winnipeg all seem like pretty viable expansion cities for various reason. Hell Kansas City’s TV market alone would make me sit up and drool if I’m the NHL. Portland doesn’t provide a whole lot of competition from ‘other’ sports and could easily become a hockey hotbed just from lack of Pro sports choices. With a bit of judicial governmental $$ support, either Hamilton or Winnipeg could renovate their large arenas to accommodate a couple more thousand fans and some state-of-the-art luxury boxes in a very short time frame and with the clamoring market could have that monetary support paid back very quickly. Cincinnati I’m not too sure about even if it has been bandied about in the past. Vegas seems too transient to support a pro franchise on the season ticket holder front (although I am pretty sure they could get plenty of corporate response). These are just a few cities w/ possibilities off the top of my head.

Its long been said that hockey costs too much to make part of the average Joe’s discretionary spending and that isn’t true in most markets. Its mainly the longest serving and the big ticket winners that charge out the wahzoo for tickets (but hey! they only charge what the market apparently will bear). Maybe it is time for Toronto et al,  to share the wealth? Bring down the ticket prices there just a little bit with some healthy competition from a team close enough to give fans a choice (TOR has got a waiting list that would immediately give their competitor a built in shot at a fanbase). That would certainly give the fans a boost (lower prices for the team they already love and a chance for others to get season tickets without waiting for Uncle Cletus to drop dead) It could start one of the nastiest rivalries the NHL has ever seen and you KNOW hockey fans can seriously get behind a rivalry. Maybe its time to take a look at having a set price range? We’d damn sure see which cities can support a hockey team then. Have a set range that ticket prices can fall within, if your team can’t maintain an average attendance at the prescibed prices…well I guess then we get to find a home for you that will be able to. I don’t know… just seems like all the teams should be contributing equally but can’t due to weird ass management practices or some other form of monetary mismanagement madness. (That way it truly becomes about butts in the seats rather than teams filling an arena yet still not pulling in the monetary numbers because they charge 40% less that the rest of the league, we need equal footing for true measurements)

With the economy in such disarray maybe this seems like a shallow and thoughtless entry. Expanding the NHL when people are losing their jobs, the economy is freefalling like a stone from a bridge and food banks can’t keep up with families on the edge. But even the economy would get a boost. Construction or renovation of 2 arenas would create jobs, said arenas need to be staffed which would create new jobs and of course their would be another 60+  hockey players getting jobs (including any minor league additions in 2 new feeder rosters).

What am I missing here? I know there has to be some major issue with this idea. The NHL can’t be stifling its own growth for no good reason right? So help a sista out. Explain it to me like I’m a 5 year old because I don’t get it. Makeit32 makes more sense to me than keepinit6 or relocating it7 in too many ways to ignore.

I can’t wait for this to be over so I can enjoy hockey again. C’mon Canes! (damn you flightless birds! That Geno is a monster! why’d he have to wake up now?) You can do it Cammie Cane. Lets go Ded Things! Black Hawks Suck! Guess you know where I stand in this series LOL Even though I kinda realize a Canes – Wings final just won’t have the punch that a Wings – Pens matchup would have, it would still be beautiful to have a ’southern’ team in the finals… for troll taunting reasons if nothing else.

Mr. Breslow… sir, I salute you!

As always… Go Coyotes!

Well bankruptcy proceedings are tedious. You gotta love Judge Baum though, the man is a pistol.

Got there early and went into the court room around 12:30. At 12:50 the lil mad dog room monitor made us turn off our cellies. Not just on vibrate… OFF! which sucked big time. Luckily Art.Vandelay aka Kash2112 filled in from the viewing room overflow on Twitter. Way to go Art!

So basically here is the day…

12:45 the room is court staff, 12 Canadian media types, 4 of us and 8 of the Coyotes staff or arena personnel (including Moss and Jim)

Lawyers begin arriving in droves. Mostly NHL and City of G

1:00 Moyes legal beagals start arriving.

1:05 main legal teams for bothe sides start filling in the front rows, reams of papers being dragged out

Mr. Moyes enters

1:10 Ulfie squeezes into our row

1:15 all seats are full and no more room to squeeze

1:28 teleconference roll call (Ivan Kallich – ticketmaster, Jeff Freund – NHLPA, Barry Pupkin – Moyes rep) (Later in the day one of these nitwits forgets about the mute button and bellows out effin A! or something quite like it. Baum was seriously not amused and someone will probably get royally reamed)

1:30 Judge Baum enters the courtroom and everyone comes to attention

First order of business… transfer of funds to ticketmaster so that Taylor Swift concert can proceed w/ out hitches on 5/21 (AEG apparently is worried about getting paid) Motion passed and included Drawbridge Special Fund getting the  same ticket protection as City of Glendale.

Second order of business… an extention for dates to file statements and motions (now due on 5/27) City of G only asked that there be no more extentions… over 600 pages of filings already… (good grief isn’t that enuff?) Motions started coming in at around 3:45 on Wednesday morning, Judge Baum was not pleased about it.

Third order of business… Who the hell owns this team?

Everyone agrees that they don’t want a 341 meeting, because it will mean involving district court.

NHL lawyer Clark starts the proceedings with golf story comparison between accepting mulligan not being fair during his trip to Ireland and the current proceedings not being fair to all parties…yaawnnnn. States that proxy document is completely clear and precise.

Baum questions that assumption ad nauseum. Brings up clever question why the words sole and inclusive powers weren’t used in the wording instead of the run on sentence that uses voting rights… says document never says Moyes has NO rights at all. Next line of questions from Baum include serious grilling on rights exercised VS rights owned… scary!

2:05 after many questions and concerns about document and its intent. Baum declares that he will definitely NOT rule from the bench on this matter today.

Moyes group opens with exhibit 4, the operating agreement for  Coyotes Hockey LLC. Much the same result, as Baum questions about a billion things. Topic drifts into relocation issue. Baum says there will be problems if this is taken as a 363F bankruptcy in which there must be a clear dispute. Moyes never asked the NHL about Balsillie buying the team and was never turned down so there is no dispute yet. Cited the Coliseum case (Baum says the case was won because there was a request to vote and the vote setup a clear dispute), the Sullivan case was brought up and Baum said the case was lost because there was no dispute (he never asked for nor was denied a vote…so no dispute). Baum making sure the sides all know what will be needed if they go the 363F route.

Fourth order of business… divulging the Reinsdorf offer. Baum argues with Freeman and Salerno quite vociferously about the request and ultimately denies their motion to divulge. Since there is the possibility of an auction and any bidder knows how to contact them, Baum sees no value to this motion.

The next few hours included:

The city explaining its position on the Coyotes not having to be insolvent if they stay in place due to the fact that much of the debt is incurred through the city’s lease, eliminate the need to pay the city all that dough and the rest of the debt can be restructured quite easily.

PSE lawdawg Freeman gettin nasty about the Yotes true value.

Judge Baum lays down the law and tells all sides to put on their big boi panties and work out who owns the team through mediation. They have until the 27th to make progress on this or he will deccide for everyone.

Clark from the NHL makes a really good distinction between and owner and a league… the owner of a team can only sell the team in the location in which he purchased, the league can sell a franchise in any location.

A representative for the other major sports leagues makes his presence known and their position that this case could set a precedence that affects others beyond the scope of a single team and owner. (like anyone didn’t see THAT coming)

Moyes group brings up break fee for Balsillie in the amount of 4M , Baum isn’t happy about that. Says it will take money away from crditors. Much debate ensues about the PSE offer being the stalking horse offer and that it may drive away other bids.

Much discussion on bid procedure and an accelerated timeline for getting to the auction if indeed an auction is deemed necessary.

More discussion on what exactly IS for sale. A team in Arizona? or A team with the right to move. Obviously one is worth more than the other.

The NHL brings up the fact that the team was selling tickets  (over 1 million $ in the 10 days b4 the filing) and only $20k since the bankruptcy announcement.

The City of G discussed its 2 main concerns: gating issues. Concern that the proceedings must not completely free the team from liens it holds (penalty for moving before lease expires) and the right to service in which it was agreed that all Coyotes home games would be played at Jobing.comArena (of which 26 years remain on the contract).

SOF’s lawyers spent a few minutes preserving their rights as this progresses. Bringing up things like credit bids and restructuring VS outright sale (for those who get any of that lingo)

And thankfully that was all she wrote. The main points seemed to be:

•  Baum making sure the sides knew what he expected of either a 365 or a 363F route.
• Get mediating by 5/27 or else.
• Relocation issue to be filed and possibly ruled on by 5/27.

It got a bit heated in spots, a lot boring in spots and very educational in spots. Would love to be the fly on the mediation wall! Guess we’ll have to wait until the 27th to see who owns the boys and if all this shite is going to really have to be gone thru.

It was probably as clear as mud for yout too but

As always… Go Coyotes!

Well it is May 19th 2009… a day of major ramifications. (but hopefully not a day that will live on in sports infamy) Today’s court battle is just the beginning. Judge Baum appears to hold a LOT of fates in his hands today. The biggest decision is the question of who actually owns the team. The answer to that one will be the lynchpin for all the rest of this mess.

If Moyes wins that battle, this becomes one of the hairiest monsters the sports world has ever seen. The fight will extend into the anti trust arena as the NHL will have to battle to retain their rights to govern their entire enterprise by their own rules. This has a ripple effect through every sport, as baseball, football and basketball hold these same proprietary rights as sovereign.

If the NHL wins, pretty much everything gets tabled long enough for each sport to close up any loopholes pertaining to this kind of  ‘end run’ to be tried ever again. A different battle would begin. The Coyotes would once again be front and center as new ownership and debt restructuring would become the big battles they should’ve been in the first place.

But these aren’t the only 2 outcomes. There are so many ways this can play out. Depending on Judge Baum’s take. He could decide to set precendence himself and declare Moyes the owner and that the NHL cannot deny Balsillie right of ownership with the right to move anywhere he wants. Of course this would fly directly in the face of decisions rendered previously (most notably by Judge Markowitz in Pittsburgh’s battle) and would set in motion a HUGE blow to major league sports’ ability to control their businesses. The judge could also decide to go with some type of compromise. He could grant Moyes ownership but take a look at ways for the team to be purchased without Balsillie’s conditional offer. Judge Baum could also just decide the NHL owns the team and every one should just go home and work this shit out to get the debt restructured and the team back on track. Or any combination of about a dozen other scenarios.

Anyway this goes, the Coyotes aren’t out of the woods by any means. After a disaster, the hardest part is the clean up. Getting back up and going forward takes a lot of effort and a lot of will. We fans will survive and be stronger for the experience no matter th outcome.

I strongly believe we will retain our beloved team. Don’t believe the bull and the hype. Have faith. We will be following the court both on theYotesDiva’s Twitter and here with updates to this entry for those who don’t have tweet capability. The Facebook grup will also be updated but due to a very sad circumstance I don’t think we will be able to keep up-to-the-minute there today.

Our thoughts and our prayers go out to our very own Jordon who had a death in the family and understandably won’t have his heart on this matter. We love you man.

So look for HTH to keep you informed (a play by play if you will) on today’s events right here and of course later today, C13, Odie, Fanster and I will all post some type of synopsis of the days proceedings at our sites and on savethecoyotes.com.

As always… Go Coyotes!

UPDATES BELOW as they happen******************

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12:20pm AZ time — HTH here w/your updates… Onyx, TheYotesDiva and company are already at the courthouse.. got Channel 12 news crew setting up and some fashionably challenged individuals from the north have already made their appearance. Things will be updated here as nuggets become available, you can of course follow the “play-by-play” on twitter via TheYotesDiva if you wish.

1:00pm AZ time — (in a 12 days of Christmas melody) 8 Canadian news vultures, Yote staff peeps, and a Dougie Moss si-i-i-ighting. … (As a side note, this much interest would lead me in the direction of league expansion to more Canadian markets, obviously the people up there are craving it… but what do I know).

1:15pm AZ time — Ok, updates may not come as readily this time around. Thanks to Heather from the booster club, found out the crew is in the courtroom, but because of all the people, might get bumped to the overflow room this time (had a sign up last time, but everyone fit in the one courtroom). The executives are sitting directly in front of them and they all had to turn their phones off (like really off, not like how they were “off” but updating everyone last time around). They’ll be making updates whenever they can, so stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed! … Heck, fingers, toes, eyes (except when you’re reading an update of course)… whatever will make this day go well for us.

…. Oh yeah, Onyx says that this time around they aren’t handing out the motion sheets, so anyone that knows or feels like starting the online search for the 5 additional motions on the docket, go for it!

2:00pm AZ time — Still no word yet from our undercover crew, hang tight and when there is something new to report, we’ll have it up here ASAP.

Live Updates — Go to the Coyotes Live Chat via the Arizona Republic, reporting live from inside the courtroom.

– Also some live updating from inside the courthouse via the National Post. Some different details coming out between the two sites. One thing is certain though, no ruling from the bench today.

ROFLMAO okay it was the Native New Yorker … in Glendale Arizona… but that was a cool headline wasn’t it? Almost like the real news.

Holy Guacamole! I am soo proud of you guys. Seriously. On May 5th we got the shock of our lives. Our team owner was filing bankruptcy AND selling the team out from under us in one fell swoop! We spent 3 days in abject denial, watching every news feed, E-paper and Twitter we could find for information nay! for contradiction! On the 8th it hit us, after attending the trial…this is real…OMG! we could actually lose our team!

There was nothing coming out of Jobing.cam arena, nothing coming from Gretzky and nothing coming out of the City of Glendale. (like most prudent business people, they kept their mouths shut to avoid creating any iota of drama for the opposition to exploit), no matter what the newsies say, they are smart to avoid the court of public opinion and to stay out of the us VS them battle. But of course nature abhors a vacumn and Balsillie and Moyes certainly stepped forward to fill that void. We heard nothing but innuendos and Canadian superiority taunts.

C13, Odie and myself reached out to everyone we could find, Fanster, the Coyotes Booster club, Facebook fans and every blogger that was even marginally friendly to the Yotes. Individuals, businesses and hockey discussion boards were also approached. We got some real love back. We got some awesome help. We got a coalition of  people who wanted to fight for the team to stay.

The savethecoyotes.com web site was a combination of Odie’s quick grab of the domain name and the Fanster.com staff’s fast technology genius. The Facebook groups were the brainchild of a CALGARY Coyotes fan (You rock Jordon!). The idea to hold a rally was born soon after. We got some non monetary sponsorship from Native New Yorker (owner Cathy was glad to help out by hosting the event) Wildflower Bread Company (donated several hundred bottles of water, thank you Jennifer!)

Heritage Graphics donated several hundred posters. The Coyotes Booster Club created Tshirts and bracelets to raise money towards the Coyotes’  Tickets for Kids program. Local ice rinks like the AllTel Ice Den in Scottsdale placed posters around their rink to help raise awarenesss. Local radio station theFan1060 got a crew and equipment together to broadcast live from the rally. (we love you Roc!)

I call it a success. There were approx 500 people there, half of whom stood out in the heat for the better part of 2 hours, the other half of the crowd was  inside

listening to our now favorite radio jocks, interview past Yotes personalities and fans. (if you doubt my word on attendance, I’ve got petition sign up sheets to back my claim and not every one signed in so I could be off by another couple hundred, as people popped in, grabbed support materials and headed to work etc)

The fans were fired up and were finally able to speak their minds. I do believe they relished that fact. There were no shortage of  rally goers to step up and be heard. From the youngest (about 5 months old) to the oldest (no that wasn’t me!) there was a pretty universal theme to the day, don’t take my team, the community and fans will suffer in too many ways to count. We Coyotes fans are pretty diverse (from lawyers to firefighters to mothers to students and even the unemployed) but today was about US!, not Balsillie, not Canada, not history and not numbers. We were Coyotes fans and we were there to be heard.

For a short notice first effort, we weren’t half bad. I just want to say thank you so very much to all who were in attendance, to those who worked so tirelessly over this past week to make this rally happen. To everyone who donated time, sweat and effort. To those who could only be there in spirit due to work, distance or illness.  I salute you all and am proud to be a part of your Coyotes family.

Hopefully this will be only the first of the Coalitions efforts to engage Arizona in the NHL experience. Depending on what happens Tuesday. Maybe the Coalition can turn their efforts towards bringing focus to hockey in the desert, maybe we’ll be holding more rallies and maybe we’ll just be hangin out with the masses, waiting for the first puck to drop in 09… I really don’t know where this battle will take us. But check in frequently as all plans will be announced here. We’re not done yet people. If we keep our Yotes, it will be time to grow the team support into numbers so big, no one will dare turn covetous eyes towards us again.

Look for the Facebook group to post coverage of Tuesday’s events and of course you can also follow theYotesDiva on Twitter (I recommend a PG -13 rating on those. If she has any encounters with the G & M or a certain phone dude, it could go from sugar to shit in a hurry LOL)

Thank you BTinAZ for the marvelous photos

More photos from C13