Hey Yotes fans its about that time of the year (thank the hockey gods!). HOCKEY IS BACK! and your Coyotes are still playing in Glendale. Over the summer we have plenty of miserable days and I guess until Judge Baum finally releases his verdict, there will still be a lot of uncertainty. But the one thing that is for sure… WE HAVE OUR TEAM FOR 2009 and its time to get on with the business of winning in the desert.With the GMDM era in full swing, its time to take a look at the boys, the staff and the conference in a preview.

The staff has under gone a severe and sweeping set of changes. The abysmal losing record of Wayne Gretzky (143wins/161losses/24OTL and zero playoff appearances) has been replaced by Dave Tippett and his winning record (492 games coached, 271 wins/156 losses/28 ties/37 OTL and 5 playoff appearances). Tip is clearly an upgrade behind the bench hands down. The replacement of Grant Fuhr with Sean Burke could mean the world of difference for Ilya Bryzgalov’s performances (maybe even a resurgence back to that crazy kid who took the Ducks on the Cup run of their lives?) Adding Dave King and his umpteen million years of hockey experience is just icing on an already tasty cake of possibilities. This staff trusts each other already, is comfortable together already, played the same way and have the same ideas about work ethic, grit, tenacity and consistency. The Coyotes of 09 will get a system, will no longer be playing duck, duck, goose to decide line changes, musical forwards will be a thing of the past, youngsters will not be thrown to the wolves nightly out of desperation… do I need to say more about the direction and firm hands on the tiller of the new Yotes boat? Former Yotes say there was no real system. Current Yotes dance around the fact that the practices lacked direction. The new staff address both those major issues.

We’ve lost some players, some will be missed (Lisin and his explosive pontential, Carcillo with his crowd pleasing pugilistic performances, Klee for his grade A+ mentoring of Yands and the dependable steady services of Steven Reinprecht ), some not so much (the never quite up to expectations performances from Hale, Kalinin, Prust and Dawes) which is par for the course. EDIT! * WOW! I forgot about Joker… didn’t we all? Such an unforgettable stint was bound to be forgotten.* But what is good about the roster changes this year is that we actually grabbed some guys for specific talents rather than strictly by what they cost and the fact that they willing to hang out in the cesspool. Fiddler, Aucoin, Vandemeer and Pyatt are all solid performers, none on the last legs of their careers, all have hard core reputations as good locker room guys with good skills in the key crap areas we were lacking (PK, PP, Face offs and of course grit). Reintroducing Vrbata to the site of his best performance ever is dicey yet ballsy. Vrbie is a streaky, enigmatic kid who can have a midas touch for weeks or be snake bit for even longer. If he can pair up with his fellow Czech Hanzal again for even 1/2 his best, this will be a steal (Vrbie was acquired for Hale & Fedoruk, 2 salaries that mitigate the 3M Vbrat commands these days) So what do these intrepid warriors gotta do in 09?

Yotes must:

Stay focused on the ice, not the circus that Moyes/Balsillie have foisted on them. Baby Yotes must start to progress now. Everyone absolutely has to realize that 20 min or 40 mins won’t get the job done. Every body absolutely, positively has to play balls to the walls hockey for 60+ minutes every single night for us to have a chance.

Netminding -

Close the gap between GF and GA – the improved blueline and Z’s continued kamakaze tendencies should help our netminders out a great deal. Expect a much better set of numbers as our goaltenders actually improve rather than implode due to mistreatment and lack of correct coaching. I have not made any bones about our goalie issues. I DO have issues with Grant. Name me one single goalie that improved under his watch? We went through Boucher, Cujo, Lenny, Morrison, Auld, Abby, Telly, all of whom had some smattering of talent when they got here, had some smattering of confidence when they got here. Most left here dispirited and desparaged and lacking what talent they used to have. None of them left here in better shape than they arrived. We are drafting tall, athletic, durable, methodical, hybrid goalies. They are being coached by a short, old school, instinct/reaction goalie coach… does this make sense?

Even Bryz came in like a lion and quickly sank into a funk. With Burke in his corner and coming off a great Worlds series, maybe the big Ruskie will have his confidence back. Looks promising. AZBarbie, I continue to have reservations about and his preseason performances have done nothing to allay those fears despite what GMDM thinks. Alvaro Montoya showed more potential and better consistent skills than Jason did. IDK when the kid is finally gonna get his shot but maybe soon if Labarbra continues to display such mediocre skills.

*** keys will be Bryzzie must play like a number 1 guy (rebound control will be his downfall or his saving grace). AZBarbie can’t carry a bucket of pucks much less a team on his prowess.

Offense -

Tippett realizes that ‘a forward is a forward and any 3 forwards should be able to play together’ does not work. Goldenbear64 had a very valid point about this when we still had to deal with Wayne. Musical forwards will cease immediately, Tip believes in pairs, if players gel they get to stick together on both offense and defense. So far this preseason we have not had to cringe our way through Ulf playing musical forwards so apparently we weren’t the only ones who hated that style. The addition of the much seasoned Dave King should ensure that we never have to play that game again as all 3 of the main coaching staff GET IT.

Lines can be anything with this many solid performers. I am gonna guess a little because seriously, we haven’t had this much decent talent on a roster in awhile, I’m outta practice.

1st line Doan – Porter/Lombardi – MacLean ( Mueller *if he’s going to play center* and the kids will definitely see time with the captain for best chance of success)
2nd line Upshall – Lombardi – Prucha – were solid and united coming in at the end of 08. (Look for Uppy and Lombo to possibly stay together while Pru gets a look in a couple of places)
3rd line Vrbata – Hanzal – Boedker    (Prucha -  Hanzal – Vrbata might be a good bet too)
4th line ? – Fiddler/Winnik – Pyatt (we’re heavy with skill on RW so my guess is anyone who can’t find chemistry w/ a center will end up here)

**keys will be how well and how quickly the youngsters can develop with a real system and experienced coaching. There is firepower here, but it will have to be spread out by committee, there is no star to carry them.

Defense -

Is anyone else hearing Beyonce singin ‘let me upgrade ya’? We kept the best and added dependability and workhorses to the mix. David Hale could hit like a train but everywhere else was a problem, Klee was solid but as an older vet wasn’t going to be able to eat minutes, DMo was having the worst seasons of his life, Kalinin was inconsistent and could brain fart almost as well as Jovo. So we get Adrian Aucoin who can eat minutes and is a big right handed shot to replace DMo on the PP second unit. We got Vandemeer who is as physical as anyone could want, can teach young Yands a thing or 3 about throwing his body with attitude and can play solid minutes.

Speaking of Yands… he has begun rollin gangsta, we’ve seen more of the body in the 09 preseason already. Young Keith certainly looks like he’s ready to take up the offensive guantlet again this season which means all 3 shifts can provide some much needed point production. Then we can add the steady shut down defense of Sauer and Michalek (who might get broken up this season to give each pairing stability, a bit of offense and better overall coverage across the shifts). The biggest IF is once again Jovo. JovoCop or Special Ed is the question of every season. We need the big guy to be mean and nasty every game, to return to 2007 offensive form and to stay healthy. Lepisto and Heshka are last minute wild cards for the squad while the Pistol has definitely made his case for 7th man, don’t count out the quiet cool of Schlem. Whichever way it plays out look for either of these 3 to make more of an impact than Hale or Jones did during their tenures in this spot.

1st pairing- Jovanovski – Michalek (sucks for Z but this is the pairing that gave JV the confidence to rock 51 points and somebody has to babysit)
2nd pairing- Sauer – Aucoin (Kurt has a shot, its just not accurate 90% of the time, AA has that angle taken care of and can lead a rush while Sweets takes care of the back end)
3rd pairing- Vandemeer – Yandle (Vandy has a mean streak that will make peeps think twice about our zone, which will give young Yands a few xtra seconds to figure out his rush path and hopefully space for some decent outlet passes)
7th man – look for Lepisto to take this one for now

*** keys will be ability to stay healthy, period… we have depth waiting in the wings but not quite ready for prime time.

So far we have only 3 babies left in camp, Schlem, Ports and Mac all of whom have been rock solid prospects. There aren’t many spots left to fight for. Schlemko is basically battling Lepisto/Heshka for 7th D. MacLean and Porter are really up against Korpokoski and Winnick respectively. (Boedker has been too solid and has an explosive potential that must be given a shot, its his spot to lose and he doesn’t look to be givin it up) Winnie is in the most danger of all the vets…again. Last season’s stints in the press box will either have made young Winnik or broken him, we shall see.

The biggest improvement of the summer is really not what we put on the ice…. its the staff we’ve put behind the bench and seeing the last of the FOGs removed gives me a feeling of relief.. The Maloney era has truly begun. His players, his staff, his way… or you just might be hittin the highway because now Don truly has the power to enforce hs decisions. GMDM has won a loyal following amongst the fans for making the hard decisions and following through on the plan of building from within, no one is secure, we don’t give away picks or core youth anymore no one gets a free pass or any free money on Don’s watch.

So that leaves the conference. Long has the west been the physical powerhouse. Games here are brutal. Any given night the outcome can come down to who has taken the worst beating. With the Redwings and the Sharks in the mix you have one of the best goal keepers and 2 of the most dangerous snipers in the league to play against for the majority of your games. Add the terrorist tactics of the Ducks and life is tough every night in the wild wild west.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1 Redwings - still deadly, still play them 2 too many friggin times. They are still the team to beat in the west (don’t listen to those Shark fans behind the curtain) HTH’s take: Got rid of the Hossa Curse, will be a contender if Ozzy can stay healthy, otherwise you have a youngster there who should get time to see if a deadline deal is necessary
2 Flames - Have done amazing things in the offseason player wise and staff changes. HTH is impressed too but warns: it will depend on if Sutter can find a way to develop chemistry with this group, the team has the talent and grit to play with anyone, but they need to come together in order to make big noise.
3 Sharks - May have huge issues getting their crap back together. The Patty captaincy dump may have big consequences. They lost a couple of key components  grabbing the Heatly deal. They will still be tuff in season but round 2 looks like a pipedream again this season. HTH is feelin the same things only worse: Color me not impressed, Heatley has awesome skill, but this team was missing heart and grit, that hasn’t changed this offseason.
4 BlackHawks - Their big foray into the postseason has matured the team beyond their collective years. No reason not to expect them to build on that unless McD pulls some crazy roster crap. Dumping Havlat for Hossa may have been the biggest mistake of their offseason. HTH says: curse of the Hossa, guess it’s Chicago’s turn to make the Stanley Cup Finals and lose. Everyone in the city will just be happy they got there… except Marian.
5 Ducks - Hiller will still be in net to pull the duck fat out of any fires. They didn’t lose anything that would derail them from their usual cup hunt. (Pronger aside, they still have those bangin, hittin monsters Perry and Getzlaf and thats where they do the most damage anyway) HTH hates them almost as much as I do: Lost Pronger, thank goodness!!!, but without a lobotomy, will still be dirty and a pain in the @ss to play against.
6 Canucks - As usual it will come down to how BobbyLou and the twins do their jobs. Move along, nothing new to see here. HTH concurs: Please no Sundin stuff this year, it’s becoming a Brett Farve thing now… nothing spectacular after the Sedins, but have Luongo to shut the door.
7 Coyotes - With a very limited budget and a circus of epic porportions behind them, the blue collar Coyotes improved just a little bit every where. Will it be enough? HTH is trying to believe, its hard though: Either the offseason crap will bring this group together and they will challenge for the playoffs, or… ugh, let’s not even go there.

8 Predators - Their net minding is solid and they do just about everything fairly well. Post season maturation and the addition of Eaves, Guite and Goc should see them in that last minute fray for a berth. HTH opines: Can they stay healthy? They play well when they’re all together, just always seem to have a piece missing
9 BlueJackets - Mason and Nash… do I have to go any further? HTH agrees: A Hitchcock team that got stronger defensively in the offseason, will be a tough matchup for anyone, especially when Mason is on his game
10 Kings - Was there a shred of young talent these guys didn’t grab? Their last minute goalie pick up may be an issue but overall after the Flames, these guys have done the best improvement wise. HTH thinks even more highly of them: Young and hungry, seem to be developing more of a rivalry with them and hopefully the two teams can push each other to the top of the division.
11 Oilers - I have no idea what to expect from these guys, one minute they are runnin with the big dogs, the next minute they are falling like a sack of rocks. HTH believes: They are talented as always, streaky as hell, need some serious team chemistry or else a coaching change, because the talent is there to succeed.
12 Wild - The loss of Lemaire is really going to upset this apple cart. 09 may be the season of adjustment where they fall out of contention again while they learn that they can actually play offensively. HTH says: Loss of  Gaborik will actually be a relief because they’re not constantly waiting for him to play, neutral lockdown time.
13 Stars - Ouch. Front office disarray and the loss of Tippett is really going to hurt these guys. Even if Turco plays out of his mind all season, this team did nothing to help itself in the offseason. Great minds think alike HTH has basically the same thoughts: Turdco and the defense can still shut things down as soon as they get a lead, so score early on them and they are beatable.
14 Blues - HTH says: Scratched their way into the playoffs last year, will be fighting for those last few playoff spots again this year, I’m not sure they have enough horses to do it again.
15 Avalanche - I think this is a throwaway year for the boys, losing Sakic is a huge blow and if there is a more injury prone set of players I sure can’t name them… all on one team. HTH thinks: they can be competitive if they can stay healthy, especially Stastny and Svatos, if those two get injured, hello lottery

So there you have it… the Hat Trick Hound and Me Preview for 2009. For all the good it will do ya LOL we know how stuff changes when you least expect it. But if there is one thing we can all agree on… its time to man up for the Coyotes. If they truly do want to stay in the desert and they truly do want to earn the right to play for the Stanley Cup, nows the time and we’re 100% behind them.

Lets fill the JobArena to the rafters w/ howling insane fans on October 10th. Grab your ticket soon because there ain’t many left.

The Coyotes are back!

Playin for YOU!

Its GAME ON ARIZONA!

We’re bringin it!

As always  … Go Coyotes!

If you don’t semi recognise that phrasing you either didn’t pass government class or are born after the 70s.

I know that most of us have pretty strong feelings about the resignation of Wayne Gretzky. We are torn between the legend, the man, the player, the owner and the coach.

I find it sad that Gretzky the coach will be judged quite harshly, that 4 years of unrewarded effort is overshadowing all the superb contributions the legend and the player have made. Wayne Gretzky the coach made some strategic mistakes. Stepping behind the bench of an NHL team should only be attempted after paying some serious dues at various minor league levels. Seriously, from player to hockey’s most valuable ambassador to minority ownership to bench boss… where in there does he actually learn to coach? Well its OJT at its  worst. The first 2 years were suckage but we made allowances that you make for any rookie. But something started happening in 07 and again in 08, we started winning, a little. We started challenging for a post season spot. Unfortunately for us all, the post season has spurned us continuously, there seems to be a wall beyond the all star break that the Great One could not help the Yotes break through. I don’t even think the coaching was that horrendous in the scheme of things. For me it was Wayne Gretzky the owner and the man in charge of ALL hockey operations that should take the majority of the knocks.

Wayne Gretzky the owner made so many mistakes I don’t know where to begin. Starting with the error of friends making good business partners? Who can forget the total debacle that was designated the FOG experiment? Friends of Gretzky had no experience at being the GM, at coaching, at scouting, hell at anything to do with running a professional hockey team and let’s not even go into the FOG players who came here in the twightlights of their careers or returned here trying to recapture glory days long gone. These are the unforgivable errors made by TGO, these things helped almost sink an already listing ship that was the Phoenix Coyotes. And even in this I can’t blame him totally. These things fall on the majority owner Jerry Moyes for giving Wayne all these responsibilities and not putting an end to them when it became apparent that they weren’t working.

Gretzky the man has his good and bad points, don’t we all?  (it isn’t easy to be husband, father, mentor, humanitarian and famous person without making mistakes along the way). How the hell DID he find a balance between the legend he built and the life and family he lived?

I don’t think anyone can say anything about Gretzky the player, the number 99 will forever be revered as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Its that simple, no need to elaborate on the records, the spotlight the game received no matter where he played nor on the fact that no matter who comes along in the future, they will always be compared to Wayne Gretzky first and foremost.

I think I will have to join the majority of hockey fans and be happy to say good bye to Mr. Wayne Gretzky. To thank him for everything he brought to the game. To wish things had worked out differently for us all but to acknowledge that in the end, he made one last classy decision to step aside for the good of the game both he and we love. To hope that he finds a niche in the hockey world that allows the game to continue to be part of his life and adds to his success.

GMDM! – The Don Maloney era officially began at 3PM yesterday. After some sleight of hand shuffling of personnel and an admirable addition to the assistant coaching ranks, GMDM played his biggest card from the deck with Dave Tippett.

There is history between the coaching staff now. They know each other, can work together towards a common goal and all have a burning desire need for success.

Tip has a proven track record of on ice success, consecutive 50 win seasons, 6 playoff appearances points to a hell of a coach. (we’re damn lucky to get him too, Dave wouldn’t have even been available except for the fact that Dallas needed a fall guy for missing the post season).

King has also had success at every level. Young Olympians and NHL teams I think this guy has done it all. He balances Tip’s lack of experience with very young rosters while bringing some serious high level coaching chops into the mix.

Sully has a rapport with the players and the ear of the GM. While still relatively new to the job and to being back in the sport, he brings new eyes to an old set of problems and this can’t hurt the situation.

Ulfie has done a mahvelous job holding the boys together during this travail. Who knew he had it in him? The guys look focused and ready to rumble thanks largely to Ulf’s preseason no nonsense approach.

Burkie replacing Fuhr puts the broom to one of the last of the FOG hirings. With Fuhr kicked upstairs for now it should get interesting seeing how much, if at all Bryzzie reutrns to form. Having a coach that gets you, gets your style, has played in the ‘new’ NHL so to speak should make a huge difference to our netminders.

The outside world is watching every move we make these days (some want us to fail again, some just love the drama we represent but we don’t really give a shit about them anyway do we?) the outside world can just bite me. Our die hard, core fans are excited and happy to have hope again. Our casual fanbase is curious and anticipatory for the first time in years. The players just want to hit the ice and compete and now they have stability and direction and a prayer of a consistent system.

Let us all hope that Tippett can do what no coach has done in Glendale and that Maloney continues to build us an organization that can establish a winning mindset. It is time to climb out of the gutter, pull ourselves up by the fight straps and show the world that the Phoenix Coyotes can be winners.

Grab your October 10th home opener tickets at the discounted pricing and get your butt in a seat, strap in cuz its going to be a wild ride.

The Coyotes are back!

Playin for YOU!

Its GAME ON ARIZONA!

We’re bringin it!

As always  … Go Coyotes!

Statement From Wayne Gretzky
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Phoenix, Ariz.)–Wayne Gretzky announced today that he is stepping down as Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations of the Phoenix Coyotes Hockey Club, effective immediately.  “This was a difficult decision that I’ve thought long and hard about,” said Gretzky. “We all hoped there would be a resolution earlier this month to the Coyotes ownership situation, but the decision is taking longer than expected.  Since both remaining bidders have made it clear that I don’t fit into their future plans, I approached General Manger Don Maloney and suggested he begin looking for someone to replace me as coach.  Don has worked hard and explored many options.  I think he has made an excellent choice, and so now it’s time for me to step aside.

“The Coyotes scouting staff has put together a great group of young and talented players who are going to improve tremendously over the next few years,” continued Gretzky.  “I’m proud of the team we’ve assembled, the organization with which I’ve been associated and the thousands of dedicated fans who have never wavered in their support of this young team.  I’m confident that the best is yet to come for hockey in Phoenix.

“I want to thank every staff member of the Phoenix Coyotes, past and present.  It was a real pleasure to work with each and every one of you.  I’ve always said that Phoenix is a great sports city and deserves nothing but the best.  I still believe that. As a young boy, I learned to play hockey in Southern Ontario, and I know what great fans they have there.  It’s my hope they too will have an NHL franchise in the not too distant future.

“I often said it was the greatest honor and privilege I could imagine to be able to play in the National Hockey League.  I feel the same way about being an NHL coach.  I’ve loved the four years I spent coaching the Coyotes.  Not a day went by when I took it for granted, and I will miss the competition of the NHL dearly.  It was an honor to hold the position, and I will always consider myself especially fortunate to have had this opportunity.” From No 99s site

Thank you Wayne, for trying. Hockey isn’t done with you yet though big guy. Looking forward to seeing how your love of the game draws you back next. Good luck and Godspeed.

Now we can all move forward with confidence, GMDM has his own staff in place (possibly with more to come… might we be seeing Tippett who has ties to the asst coaching staff? *played with Samuelsson in Hartford, played under King with Olympic team and has intimate knowledge of the western conference* ) the Judge will eventually get off his writing pad and show us the owner and then maybe we can finally get down to the business of winning hockey in Arizona.

 As Always… Go Coyotes!

So show up, you don’t even have to step up to the mic, just being there in your Yotes gear will be enough. Lets make our preferences heard!

City of Glendale, council meeting TONIGHT @ 7 pm… in council chambers at glendale ave and 59th avenue…open to the public…see you there!

Is it happening right before our eyes? Is GMDM coming of age in the desert? Will we look back on this week in the history of the Yotes and be able to see the tipping point of success on the ice?

IDK about you but take a quick look at the changes being made this week.

Dave King brought on board as assistant coach. This guy has been there and done that. From the Flames and Jackets in the NHL to the Olympics to European teams, King has pretty much coached it all. With Ulf showing unexpected accumen in the head coach spot, it is perfect that he have a veteran presence as his wingman.

Grant Fuhr kicked upstairs and Sean Burke taking the reins of the goalie training. About time we saw this change. People need to stop being blinded by the Hall of Fame and realize that the type of goalies we keep drafting will not flourish under Fuhr. We needed something different. Hopefully that difference will mean more wins or at least more cohesion between the team and their main netminder. King and Burke have a history together too… saweet! they should have no problems working together to get the boys rollin.

Rushed rookies being sent to start the season in San Antonio. Some folks may be surprised to find Teeks and KT on this list. Srsly? You have all heard GMDM say some kids were rushed and placed in positions where their chances of success were limited. We can all admit that both kids could use a little success time, a little more body strength and a good dose of confidence. GMDM is giving his boys a chance to grow and succeed out of the limelight, out of the stench of what will be a essentially a death march to the post season. We absolutely have to have a great season. Even vets will have a hard time with the pace I envision us having in 09. This doesn’t mean that the boys won’t have any time in the NHL… Porter and Spina (if they survive the next round) will have to be looking over their shoulders every minute for KT or Tiki to take their spot back.

Smells like a breath of fresh air or would I be pushing it to say… smells like team spirit? Free of the miasma of FOG it appears as if GMDM is placing his stamp firmly on the Coyotes of the future. I guess only time will tell.

For those of you wondering , nay pissed and more than willing to tell the world about it, Frankie Lessard is not being dumped into the AHL permanently. Apparenly Francis is going to be suspended for that boarding charging/unsportsmalike/elbowing, hit he leveled on Donnally last week. Possibly 5 games! So he’ll get some time down in SA but will be brought back to work off his suspension and get another shot at the brass ring *thanks to our friend Droppin the Gloves for sharing GMDM’s email with us*

Just thought I’d give you something positive to dream about before I delivered this piece of crappy news. Apparently the Judge is going to grant Jerry Moyes’ wet dream of arguing for mediation on Wednesday at 9. Moyes and PSE have been throwing money and media loose lips around, trying to sway an apparent rout by the NHL. With all the creditors backing the league, Moyes and Balsillie are pulling out all the stops to get something to go their way. SOF (the largest secured creditor) says enough already! every day this goes unresolved money is lost, get ‘er done Baum. We strongly concur. Where the hell is common ground in this dogfight? Moyes is all over the WIFM side of the house (trying to squeeze more money out of this deal anywhich way he can) PSE is like a lit loose fuse in a dynamite factory (trying to blow up everything they can come in contact with) and the NHL is holding tightly to their spot on a slippery deck (every time someone speaks to the press *Melnyk **Daly, that deck gets greasier). There is no bit of safe territory that all sides can come to agreement on. So what is the point of this little exercise in futility? IDK and at this point I don’t really care as long as the Judge doesn’t use this 30 minute emergency hearing to further stall his decision. ( I am sooo tired of room 602 and its hard benches but you know I’ll be there, look for tweets from the Yotes diva and hckyfn as usual.)

Preview of the west and a state of the Yotes for 09 coming up next…after this latest legal wrangle.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Sorry for the long absence. (apology for those who actually noticed I was gone, LOL) I went to Cali to reaffirm my family ties and celebrate (and play that stupid rice game) at a baby shower for Tiana Marie Martin who is due to arrive sometime in the next few weeks. While I was there I realized how burnt out I was from following all the crap over the summer and decided to take a mini-vaca from it all (and decide if I really want to do this again in 09). Well I am still contemplating but for now I will write.

Judge Baum holds our hearts and dreams in his hands right now and will probably rule within the next 3 – 5 days. I sincerely hope he follows his normal level headed form and rules for the NHL. I can only speculate but it seems likely that there are only 3 scenarios that can happen.

I think the Judge had made up his mind when he asked the 2 most important questions of this BK at the very beginning. Does he have the power to award the team to an owner against the wishes of the franchising body? Should he use that power if he indeed does possess it? I don’t think the PSE/Moyes team was able to change his mind. They didn’t prove their case. They wasted too much time playing that whiney they-don’t-like-Jim card. By the time Kessler joined the team and started making realistic points, I believe it was too little, too late, especially since even Kessler wasted valuable time and energy over the MLSE veto issue (which was basically a non runner unless/until the Leafs actually used it)

So onto the scenarios:

The Judge goes with his initial judgement and awards the team to the NHL. There is no precedence in all the years of BK law that fit this case. I really don’t think Judge Baum wants to be the one to set any. All the creditors are on board with the NHL’s bid. BK is all about making the creditors whole, cured and happy, everyone except Moyes and TGO seem to be all of the above, so this ruling would certainly take care of the BK mandates. The NHL has two local buyers ready to step in and purchase the team from them. Both Glendale Hockey and Ice Edge Holdings are still hanging about waiting for their shot, outside the court setting, to grab the Coyotes. With the NHL doing the dirty work of negotiating the team out of its lease and strangled revenue streams and restructuring all the debt, it would be a win-win purchase for either of the two AND the team. (The Judge is quite aware that they are sitting in the wings, even if he doesn’t allow that fact to be part of the court consideration on record) This is the most sensible ruling. It avoids the City of Glendale’s claims of irreparable harm (and the whole decision about capping those damages in order to make the purchase money stretch further). It avoids the NHL’s promise of immediate and prolonged litigation (which would tie the team and its assets up for years, during which time, no creditors get paid). If Judge Baum takes care to address the small wrinkles of Moyes contempt, the NHL’s failure to provide PSE’s experts with the facts and figures on relocation, this solution is a slam dunk.

Solution #2 would be awarding the team to PSE. Flying at the edge of the judicial envelope and setting so many types of precedence that I can barely contemplate them all. This judement would declare that the highest bid would be the best one. It would mean that the Judge has decided to cap ALL of Glendales claims and that Moyes is indeed a creditor. It would overlook PSE’s blatant attempts to bribe the City (apparently money doesn’t always talk but bullshit always walks, since the City blew JB’s palm greasing offers off). I truly don’t see this happening in any way shape or form. I believe the Judge basically let PSE get this far to ensure that every avenue of resolution was explored. JB can’t say that he wasn’t given a fair shot (too bad he used it to shoot himself in the foot, time and time again). Giving any Judge ultimatums in their own court, declaring the Judge wrong and trying to use media reports as evidence was stupid, we’ll have to see if leaking information in direct violation of court mandates will end up illegal and punishable as well. Anyway you slice this one there will be blood in the sand as the City of Glendale AND the NHL go for throats, protecting their claims and their way of life if this is Baum’s choice. (You think the summer was bad? Prepare to tell your kids the historical beginnings of this case and possibly your grandkids because thats how long this case will drag on if the Judge opens door #2.)

Behind door #3 is the dreaded no sale. The Judge reminded both sides of this knife fight, that he could rule that neither bid is acceptable. (talk about superating wounds!) That would mean that we basically start all over again. The NHL would continue to run the team here in Glendale while all sides gird up to present better bids. This is an ugly, ugly choice but I could see it happening. Both sides have so many contingencies in their bids that the Judge could easily declare them both null and void. The main issue here is the continued uncertainties. Ticket sales and sponsorships would remain stagnant, further devaluing the team and pretty much guaranteeing the Coyotes demise in the desert. No one wants the NHL to pull its hole card of contraction but if this whole train wreck starts all over again, they just might. On the other hand, it might force both sides to pretend to play nice with each other (don’t hold your breath though).

Either way, we’ll have an answer some time this week. The Judge is probably dotting the Is and crossing the final Ts even as I type. Redfield T. Baum is no one’s fool, he’ll write this up so that it passes the mustard test on appeal from any side and so that any anti trust action will find little purchase to launch from. The Judge was pretty clear that this was going to take a while “”I have to make the decision and I have to write it, and whatever it is I have to write sufficiently enough that when those of you who are unhappy with it take it up to the appellate courts, they can understand the rationale. “” I guess we’ll all just have to continue to have faith.

Where is Wayne is an increasingly familiar chant (he’s with Waldo I guess) People really love to bash folks when they are down. Wayne is between a rock and a hard place right now. He is alledgedly AWOL with the NHL’s blessing. Yeah he’s getting paid for not coaching at this point but Ulf is handling everything just fine. *I haven’t seen the boys this lively and looking this tight in a long while. They can pass, they are shooting like they are getting paid per shot, there is a real defense behind our blue line these days and our face off numbers are improved exponentially.* So leave Wayne where he is, we’re not being hurt by his absence anyway. His contract is an absolute travesty (regardless whether its a combination ownership and compensation for coaching or something less savory) I have no idea what Moyes was thinking to personally guarantee TGO that kind of cash and then foist the contract on the team coffers.

We may also see some changes of the staff as its being reported that Grant Fuhr is changing spots with Sean Burke. (about frickin time… none of our goalies have made strides or even incremental improvements under Grant’s watch, maybe these tall, athletic, combo goalie’s will get the real spiel from someone who played the same way, rather than all that old school reactionary stuff).

So GMDM will actually be able to bring in his own staff and not have to tiptoe around the minefield of FOGs and owner/coach issues. If Don hires staff like he picks players… expect a seriously experienced coach to step in asap and then we’ll see if rookies hittin walls or piss poor coaching were truly keeping us from the post season the last 2 years.

The team is here now. They have started the preseason and are looking pretty damn good. Who knew Ulf could do so well? The final roster is 21 players closer to decided as the kids have begun to be released back to their junior squads and some PTOs have been thanked for their services and packed off. A lot of the Rampage pups have been sent to their own camp and this next week will begin the real work. If you enjoy good, competitive hockey come on down to the next preseason game, you won’t be disappointed. If you wanna see some proof, stop by practice Monday from 9 – 12 at the arena. It looks like the boys have decided to spit in the faces of all naysayers and come out and play some old school hockey. Much like Jake and Elwood, these guys are on a mission and they aren’t lettin the off ice issues get in their way.

Remember we’re havin a Patio 6 Posse tailgate from 3 – 5 on September 26th in Lot J. This tailgate is in honor of Mrs. Linda and Bea, long time dedicated fans who both passed a few weeks ago. You are all invited, its a warm up for the big tailgate on October 10th which is our first home game. That one is sponsored by the Coyotes Coalition. I will remind you again when we get closer. So break out you grills and your brats and join us.

I think that covers everything I neglected over the last 2 weeks so I will STFU and hope to see you all at the JobArena soon.

As always… Go Coyotes!

It was a big day with a few interesting revelations. I absolutely could not keep up with the ‘expert’ testimony. Shep needs a new examination style, I was nearly snoring. Today was a day of all cards on the table, much of it we already knew but the Judge threw in a few twists too.

Baum shell: Baum mentions the possibility that neither the NHL or PSE would win the auction, with the chance that no sale goes through. “There’s third possibility here – no sale,” said Baum. “It’s more than theoretical. You all ought to keep that in mind.”

Didja know? It was confirmed that TGO’s deal with IEH included him taking a pay cut. From 8M to 2M. Guess he really, really wants to stay in Phoenix eh?

Neither side was super impressed with each other’s experts on relocation so far. The NHL kinda reamed Zimbalist (brought up the fact that his testimony had been thrown out in other case for using an unproven methodology that appeared to be made up specifically for that proceeding) Apparently the figures Zimbalist used for our case have not been used before and have not had a peer review either. *imagine that*

No suprise here: The City of G would have preferred either IEH or GH, LLC to buy the Yotes but since  both groups dropped out of the auction process after failing to renegotiate a new lease with the city, its better the potential devil you know than the real devil. “Given the two choices that we have, we are prepared to put our lot in with the NHL,” said Baldiga. “It’s not our preferred choice … (the NHL bid) gives us the chance to mitigate our harm. We vehemently reject the PSE bid.”

Talk about some serious coalescing. Ice Edge Holdings apparently is comprised of Anthony, Todd, Daryl and…. Breslow, Gretzky, the Argonaut boys Cynamon and Sokolowski and only the hockey gods know who else.

Day 2 hopefully will be as interesting but in more spots. Both the NHL and the City declined to examine Balsillie today (probably afraid of cooties) JB’s declaration will stand as is. But Le grande patron Bettman will be grilled ad nauseum by that loud crazy Kessler. Stay tuned but don’t expect any speedy decisions.

Metro Hockey does a good first half of the day transcription here.

The Hockey News recapped the day here.

Heather Schoeder runs the day for us here.

Check out training camp this week! Apparently TGO will finally be coming out of hiding to conduct training camp and lead the team until something is decided. Training camp roster and schedule.

The baby Yotes split the difference with the the Baby Kings. The princelings roared back with a vengeance yesterday, going 4 – 0 to whup up on the kids after they were smacked down the day before 6 – 1. Our Jlov got into a pissing match with #77 (ironically named King) and ended up with an upper body injury. Jeebus Jonas! Is this some kind of ritual for you? Stop it pllease. Hopefully Jlov will be okay and not spend the next few weeks rehabbing a shoulder or something, paving the way back to SA instead of battling for that 7th blueline position.

STHs got their new gone green ticket passes yesterday! woot! Hockey is definitely here. The single card can be swiped at the turnstyle (using less paper than the previous indivual game tickets) and you can still print them email them etc to give to friends or sell to others.

The letter read: Thank you for your purchase of Season Tickets for the 2009-10 season. Continuing with our “Go-Green” initiative and staying on the cutting edge of ticket technology, you will be receiving a ticket card in place of standard hard stock tickets. Your ticket card, parking passes, and information on the new card will be sent to you shortly. You should expect to receive these within the next 5 business days.

However, your tickets are available now on your online Account Manager:  Simply log-in with your Account Number and your password. Once you are logged-in, cancel the transfer to your Coyotes ID Card, then you may print your tickets at home, forward to friends or family, or donate tickets to Coyotes Charities. Forgot your password?

Thats all I got for now. Don’t forget to follow HCKYFN and theYotesDiva on twitter for your court updates.

As always… Go Coyotes!

It has certainly been a long time comin but D- day has arrived. No matter which way this plays out D stands for detonation… there will be some major bombs going off at the corner of Van Buren and 1st Avenue. The Coyotes Coalition has a take on the drama HERE.

The future of hockey in the state of Arizona rest in the very capable hands of  Judge Baum. So far (no matter how much we wished otherwise) the Judge has kept the entire proceeding transparent and above reproach. Oh we all might wish he had just dumped the entire BK from the giddy up when Reinsdorf was ready willing and in town to buy the team. And especially when the NHL said no way Jose to Balsillie as an owner. But the Judge was ever mindful of the problems that appeals carry and kept all the players in the game until the bitter end. ( I have hated every minute of no decision but I guess I sorta understand why) And the next 48  hours will tell the tale as court is scheduled to run from 8:30Am – 6:00PM on Thursday and 8:30am – 4:00pm on Friday.

The topics for the 2 sessions are:

The remainder of Friday will be all about the additional bidding and highest VS best offer finishing touches.

43 documents were filed over the last couple of days, some, like #921, are now irrelevant as IEH has backed away from the mess *possibly to join GH, LLC lying in wait for the NHL to deal w/ both Balsillie and the City before reentering the fray*. I recommend you take a look at #945 for the agenda in its entirety (including time limits for each subject to be argued and for the examination of all the witnesses) AND #924 which the City of G explains in terms a 5 year old can understand, why their damage claims can’t be capped and more than you ever wanted to know about leases/landlord rights and rights to specific performance. #929 is a lengthy explanation rebutting the City’s claims of cure, they want all of Glendale’s purported damages capped. #926 is basically who the bidders are and what they are bidding (even though this changes minute by minute as each side sweetens the creditor pot and changes the terms and deadlines) Moyes BK team tries to lay it all out in this one.

#922 (all 10 exhibits of it) are basically how many ways Jimmy can whine and object about the NHL’s expert witnesses on the relo issues * most of the bitching concerns the NHL not making data available to Zimbalist and chiding the court for not making them do it*. #930 is all about why Moyes thinks the NHL can’t be a bidder. In #923 Bettman addresses PSE’s claim that the NHL isn’t a qualified bidder because they can’t be both approving body and bidder in the same process and that the NHL knew they were going to bid at the time of Balsillie’s rejection. #927 is basically just the notice of auction required by law.

#928 is the NHLPA’s restatement of their position on the bidders, a lot of their filing is moot since IEH has withdrawn. #931 Moyes basically tries to defend against accusations that he was an unwilling seller and that his actions caused chilling and hindered the local bidders.#936 and 938 are basically a long winded song and dance routine from PSE on why the team can move in the 09 season even if its half way through. Lots of motions to exceed page limits, lots of motion granted docs. But I think I covered most of the newest filings.

Our thanks go out to the BMCgroup for keeping the filings up to date so quickly. For those of us on extremely limited budgets, their free service was invaluable.

In better and brighter news…

The Coyotes pups romped over the LA Princlings 6 – 1. Joel Gistedt was workin a serius shut out until the 10:50 mark of the second period (we think Vest musta said the word shut out). Apparently the rooks really know how to rock a power play as the Kings played fairly undisciplined and our boys capitalized all night. The game was not available in AZ but fear not, you can watch the second in the serios, online Thursday at 2PM.

Puck Daddy did a pretty thoughtful piece on us today. He did get Schroeds and DivaMcW ( our very own version of the Heathers) mixed up, the story interviewed Heather Schroeder of the Booster Club but the linkage and referral stuff is pure Diva and Save the Coyotes Coalition. Like I said, better coverage of the fan perspective than we’ve seen in awhile (Carrie did it better though).

We’re gearing up for a couple of tailgates. The 9/26 tailgate will be in honor of Mrs. Linda who recently lost her battle with cancer. Check back for details on time and location out at the arena. The second tailgate is in the works from our Coyotes Coalition. Check savethecoyotes.com for details as they develop. *tailgate planning really lets you know hockey is almost here*

Remember to follow our intrepid court report aces DivaMcWhorter and Lightning thumbs Larry on twitter. Keep the faith, its almost over and hopefully we can get back to howlin in the desert.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Well kiddos, there were more filings over the weekend. A bunch of them went up on the public access site last night late. I have been trying to get through them but there is mucho mucho info in there. The following is a condensed version of the important ones and a link or three that went up as people got wind of the happenings.

Firstly, the City of Glendale was going to hold an executive meeting today to talk about the Coyotes situation (probably discuss the NHL’s position and IEH’s Memorandum of Understanding), pretty sure that they will be devoting a great deal of time to PSE’s latest attempt to throw money at the issues to circumvent the rules and of course make themseves more attractive to Judge Baum. ( I wish I could tell Balsillie that Baum just doesn’t swing that way and his efforts to be the pretty one are useless.) In Doc# 919, PSE has promised to up the ante to 242M with 50M of it for the City o G…  IF the City will agree to let PSE move the team with no further impediment. The document and attachment #2 (pages 6 – 8 are particularly relevant) outline the proposal and provides a little sweetener for the Unsecured Crditors Committee too. Attachment #3 is just a listing of player contracts being picked up. Far be it from me to talk shit but apparently the bags o’ money are beginning to be tossed at problems just as we all feared.

Secondly the NHL has decided to defend itself. Doc # 911 and Doc #917 is where they finally rebutted the Zimbalist formula. Using their own brand of money mathematics, the NHL came up with relocation fee costs. The also offer blow by blow arguments against the relo, adequate protection flaws, why PSE sucks and several other retorts.

Thirdly (is that even a word?), Moyes says ‘he’s not in contempt, the NHL is just mad at me cause I went to BK on them. Yes I did some bad things but I didn’t mean to and anyways I said sorry.’ Followed by a lovely bout of ‘ IDK why they’re all mad’. Doc # 918 is basically Moyes saying that the City needs to STFU because nothing they have on him has bearing on the sale and the NHL needs to man up and fork over an additional 80M so that he gets paid and he will give them back their team gladly. In Doc#914 Moyes calls the CoG out, disputes their right to uncapped damages and defends himself against losing his creditor status (notably the argument that there is no provision to recharacterise debt in this circuit… legitimate debt into equity in this case)

RideNow is a bit miffed at being left off the important people to take care of list. (I can’t blame them for it either) Doc # 910 goes into excrutiating detail.

ICE EDGE! shame on you… get thee hence to an amendment to assume the CBA! The NHLPA will make your life miserable if you try to eff with them.  Assume the damn thing then work on the 5 games in Sasky, if indeed that is the basis for this snafu listed in Doc # 913 from the National Hockey League Players Association. If you have problems with paying Scatch and the kids that moved and such (Doc # 913-1)… well maybe you need to take a look at the building of trust… no player will want to play for owners that short sheet, injured players and guys caught in team shuffles. Get in there, take a look at your paperwork… get ‘er done!

Everything else filed over the weekend is kinda uninteresting but the media stories are amusing, infuriating or trash. The Star, FaceOff,FanHouse.

Happy reading …

As always… Go Coyotes!