Apparently working 9hrs and school for another 3hrs every day is resulting in epic fail for my posting habits. So I will endeavor to catch up.

Wings 5 – 4  We won… at the Joe…  I know the Wings have been struggling lately but give the boys their due. This was no easy task. Both Zetterberg and Datsyuk were in this game, neither of them could take over and run us like they used to. This pack is somethin else when they decide to bear down and take a game to its limits. It was gratifying to see that the boys refused to quit even after Lidstrom nailed us twice. Apparently there is no such thing as a game out of reach for these guys.

Flames 3 – 2 We won… despite a house packed with Flamers. These 1 point games are killers. But to give Calgary their due, that was one hungry team on the ice. Desperation doesn’t even describe it. We handed them their 9th straight loss. No wonder the team is getting blown up even as I type. We’ve already seen Phaneuf leave town. (Our poor Sjo got dragged with him but at least he was wanted, not sloughed off. Poor Prust, is he ever gonna find a real home?) Now its buh bye Olli and Brandon? Hello Kotalik and Chris Higgins? If Darren Dreger of TSN is right, what a weird trade but at least Calgary gets rid of 2 rumored cancers and can get back on track.

Rangers 3 -2 We won on Teppo retirement night! How awesome is that? Especially since it was the 3rd straight win in a row. Sean Avery is still a puke. (too bad we let the lil arseclown score) The creepy little feces disturber was up to his dirty deeds before the puck even dropped. (whacking Bissonnette was not the smartest thing he ever did but luckily Paul did the smart thing and ignored the pest). I sincerely hope we learn to put these things completely out of reach before one of these comes back to bite us in the butt. 3 – 0 in the 1st only to let Gabby and Creepy give the Rangers hope in the 3rd *facepalm* But its okay, AZBarbie held on through the blizzard at the end and we handed the ailing Rangers their 5th straight loss.

Stars 4 -2 We won! On Tip’s first trip back to Dallas since they stupidly gave him the boot. We have won all 3 meetings so far with Tippett’s former team. We play them 2 more times in the next 2 weeks. The game got pretty scrappy and I can’t even imagine how bad it may get, playing them so much, so close together. 4 Yotes with points and 3 of the 4 with multiple points…suhweet! Vernon Fiddler with back to back nasty blocks to help keep the Stars from gaining control of the end of the 3rd period. 4th straight win. (I wonder how many in a row we’ll have to win before TSN give us props in the power rankings? Seriously TSN? The Flames move up based on the trades?) *ESPN has moved us up from 10 to 6th…guess they’re one of the few looking under the radar?

Scottie Upshall – torn ACL, surgery imminent. Sucks in the worst way. If anyone could be termed irreplacable in this pack, it would be the Gr8Scott. How does such a little guy leave such a big hole? Well, he’s 90% heart and that is hard to replace. Even if the surgery goes well and the tear isn’t horrendous we probably won’t see Scottie for the rest of the season and maybe not even the start of the next (Most orthopedic physicians agree that a minimum of 6 months is needed before returning to competitive sports. Because of potential risks of reinjury, however, most recommend waiting 7 to 9 months.) *Jerry Rice made it back to the NFL in 3 1/2 months, only to scrag the whole knee in his first game back*…we don’t even want to contemplate something like that for our boy. Take your time Uppy, get well soon. We’ll miss you on the ice but rest assured, your boys have it covered.

Trade deadline – March 3rd is bearing down on us like a lion. What will GMDM do? With Upshall out, I am sure Don’s phones are ringing off the hook. Teams will be looking to steal from us, to capitalize off what will appear to outsiders as a desperation factor. They don’t know the Don very well if they think they can trade their junk for some of our prospects and picks. Will he stand pat? Guess it will depend on the next few games. Mueller stepped up huge in Dallas (perfect timing Petey! Show you can be the missing piece of the Lombo-combo line and give Don some more breathing room) Has GMDM already got someone in his sights? More than likely. You know the Don, value is his middle name… (we’ll take a look at the possibles on Wednesday… errr maybe Thursday) Tippett’s pack doesn’t let much throw them for long. There are 26 regular games left in the season. We need to win a little more than half of them and get to 100 points to be sure to make it to the ‘extra session games’ (we’re avoiding the P word because I am a superstitious cow who is afraid to jinx the boys). Can we do it? Hell to the yeah! One for all and all for one against a world that is still dubious about whether we’re the real deal or not.

Some food for thought

Yandle – 10-19 for 29 points AND +10! Enough said. I’m won over.

Mueller – You can say that anybody playing on a line with a red hot Doan should be able to score but it just ain’t so. (exhibit A - Olie Jokinen) Mueller manned up in Dallas and exhibited skills we haven’t seen in a month of Sundays. Give the boy his props and cross all your appendages that this isn’t a one time deal.

Blueline points – Our defense is #1 in the NHL for points! The boys in the back keep steppin up to the front. Bombs, lasers, wicked wristers, these guys have an entire arsenal back there and apparently they are not afraid to use any of it. Kudos!

Bryz – He may have faltered a bit but don’t count Beast-galov out. The Russian pillow is back! We may still see a few 3 or 4 hole issues but for the most part Bryzzie has been stellar after getting his head back together. That is one determined goalie in our net. He has proven that  he is a crunch guy (see the Duck’s Stanley Cup run for your proof if you doubt the veracity of that statement) This is as big as it gets for a #1 guy, keeping your team in the hunt is the stuff NHL dreams are made of. Focus and calm seem to be his trademarks lately. Look out Vezina, there is a new boy in the race.

Attendence – 12,725 vs Calgary on a weeknight. 16,687 vs New York on a Saturday.  Chicago is nearly sold out already for 3/20. Methinks, the general public is starting to figure out that the JobArena is the cool place to be. Alice Cooper and Muhammad Ali have made return visits, Vince Vaughn has hung out with us too. We’re the hot ticket now and things will only keep getting better as we keep battling closer to the post season.

Teppo Numminen – It was fantastic to see one of our best honored. He seemed so pleased with the whole thing. Man of few words, our RepoMan. Our ring of honor finally got its first Coyotes player! I wish I had made a better sign since it got some camera time towards the end of the ceremony. But my heart and sentiments were in the right place, Congratulations Teppo, enjoy your retirement. You definitely deserve every honor the Yotes can give you.

Captain Shane Doan with the NHL’s 1st star!

We take on the Nashville Predators tomorrow. Puck drops at 6PM. Let’s get a win for Fiddy’s return to Nashville!

Keys to the game?

Play the system! No matter what the Preds throw at us (and you better believe it will be everything they’ve got) we have to stay disciplined and play all 60 minutes. The Preds have lost 5 of their last 6 and are looking to halt their slide before they skid out of the hunt. (The Preds were tied with us before the skid, they now sit 7th place in the conference with 63 points)

The committee members have to show up. We don’t do too well at Sommet Center (haven’t won there in awhile, like 2 years?) We need to bring the heat early and often. We’re 26-2-1 when we score first. Don’t let the goalie with the funny name (Pekka Rinne) get settled. Last time Scottie Upshall pulled our collective chestnuts out of the fire. This would be a great time for our big guns to stay hot. Doan, Vrbata and Mueller can get this party started right and let the blueliners finish it off. We need to win this in regulation, don’t give the Preds anything to move them up in the standings or they could get on a tear and catch us again… no bueno! Plus with Langer out our shootout might just kill us.

Defense! Defense! Defense! Martin Erat is a dangerous man. These boys can play the scoring by committee game just as well as us. We’re going to have to be sharp, these boys really throw some rubber at the net when they face us. Positioning and heart is where our blueline has to be. Keep these guys out of the scoring areas at all costs.

Watch your back Breezy there will be rubber flyin from every angle these boys can try. This will likely be a pretty high sog game. Danger! Danger! Be sharp and give the boys the chance to score first please.

Special teams…meh… play the system and let special teams be a non-factor please.

There is a new media gurl on the Yotes beat. Be sure to check Sarah out on Twitter. She has some great insider videos to share.

As always… GO COYOTES!

What a night! We exorcised a few demons Thursday night. We got 2 points in regulation against one of the premiere teams in the league, We played the system and worked hard for an entire 60 minutes. Stupendous night! Absolutely stupendous. So much to mention, I will just hit a few highlights for now.

Peter Mueller, dude! See what happens when you shoot the puck! Whenever you get down or discouraged, think about beating one of the most amazing goalies of all time. Mano e Mano and you came out the winner. That should keep the starch in your stick for quite awhile bucko. Congratulations!

My baby boy had a hell of a night. Great game as always but getting the game winning goal on Marty Brodeur! Priceless. (Thanks Pyatt and Vrby for the screens)

Winnie, Pyatt and Fiddy! You guys rock. Strong shifts, not one ounce of give up in you three. Winnick is THE man. Paid the price and got rewarded for it finally.

Uppy and Pruuu!!! were like spider monkeys on crack… chances everywhere when those two get goin.

Second period…. lets not dwell on it. We were out of synch and let the Devils back into the game.

What really counts is halting the mini-skid in its tracks and grabbing two points to get back into our solid positioning in the standings. You do realize we’ve stayed in the top 8 of the league nearly all season long. Not like last year when we kept sliding down and climbing back up into contention. This is a whole different team. A better team and a more consistently battling team. It feels great to be able to say that.

So tonight is Shane Doan Bobblehead night. I know it may be tough to fill the seats with the Cards also playing but if you can get there, please do so. Its the Captain’s night and we need to do him proud. Game 3 against the Wild. They uused to own us but we’ve managed to get by them twice already. Let that trend continue please. What needs to happen?

Keys to the game? same as last time and the time before please.

Get the dirty goals. Gotta jump on Backie quick. Lots of bodies in front of the net getting multiple whacks at every scoring chance. The guy is good but he can be beat (we’ve already done it twice this season) St Nick hasn’t been having a good month, lets keep it that way. Plus Josh would like some more action and he’s a sweetie so we can spank Nick and maybe Josh will get the Wild’s next game? Another goalie showdown is about to go down. May ours be the last to blink!

Be aggressive and stay that way all 60 friggin minutes. Do NOT play to protect a lead!  We’ve seen how much difference a PP can make in a game, let’s keep ours rolling. Jovo is back tonight and there’s another big body to screen for the PP.

Watch the Wild’s dynamic duo, Koivu and Miettinen and for god’s sake keep an eye on Havlat. Those 3 spell trouble with a capital T! Contain Clutterbuck but don’t let him get to you, he’s a menace and will start as much trouble as he can. Stay focused on the game not the antics.

The elves must die. Lets get wild n crazy on the Wild! Bring the noise tonight people, the team really loves and appreciates it. If you need tickets you know the link by now but here it is again Ambassador’s Club Discount. code word: coyotes

********personal note to BizNasty… good running into you (literally and got a great hug out of it) You gotta get back into the line up doll. You are missed.

As always… GO COYOTES!

I was too damn mad to write last night. I wasn’t sure what would fly off my fingertips. I wouldn’t mind the refs knowing how I felt about their horrid performance but I didn’t wanna say something I might regret about the team in all that heat.

I probably shoulda just put this one out of my mind but now that I’ve cooled off a bit…

Antonio Jason Labarbera! Stay in your damn net! I am about 2 seconds away from duct taping you to the posts. You are not a good puck handler but you do have some redeeming qualities if you just friggin play to your strengths and stop shooting yourself in the skates. (GMDM, I am trying to see what you saw but after games like last night, it is just tough. I have been trying to avoid saying this… but maaan I wish we had that little Swedish Wolf back)

Daniel Winnick never gives up and never says die. Thank you for providing a ray of tenacity and maintaining the system in the face of great adversity. Too bad your team didn’t help you carry the banner.

Joe Thornton… you POS excuse for a player. I hope someone rings your bell soon. What you did to Z was stupid and totally uneccessary. I officially HATE you and hope the Sharks bomb again in the playoffs and you get traded to Carolina. And yes, your butt IS big, its not the shorts A-hole.

Thank you Vrby for not letting this game be a goose egg. Please get hot soon… you too Pruuu! and Mueller and Doaner and… well, you get the picture.

Dave Tipppett… the Sharks seem to have stolen a pair of balls from somewhere. WTH? was Paul Bissonette? Can you say Shelly, McLaren, Clowe and Murray? Never assume these guys will only play skill hockey. Paul deserved to be in this game (if he isn’t hurt) Biz ‘earned’ the right to play last night. Didn’t he spark a friggin comeback against the Isles? Didn’t he score when no one else could find a way? He might not be the biggest deterrent against arse clowning but he’s the best we got. Unless you got plans to call up Francis? What does it say about our abilities when even the Sharks decide to mess with us and no one does a thing about it? (Vandemeer? Aucoin? Pyatt? you all have reps for not taking much shit, we could sure use a bit of that about now.)

This entry reads like good cop, bad cop doesn’t it? That game apparently made me schizoid.

We didn’t follow the system. We didn’t stick up for each other. We didn’t play as a pack. We didn’t deserve to win. Bryzzie isn’t the only one who needs to reassess his game and get his act back together. Stop the madness. On any given day this team is top 10 but only if it’s all for one and one for all.

We are beat up and struggling but it is not the end of the world. This is our first 3 game L streak. We have to find a power play, teams will continue to beat up on us because we can’t fight and win and we can’t make them pay on the score board. If everyone remembers their role and does their job to the best of their ability it will be our last one. All eyes are on you, its gotta be tough knowing everyone expects you to fail. Don’t listen, don’t read, don’t pay those haterz no mind. WE BELIEVE! and we’re behind you 110%, so stand up and skate proud, skate like a pack and make yourselves and us proud.

*** personal note to the NHL… there needs to be repercussions for your officials. I know they are supposed to do their best since they are paid professionals but apparently thats not working so well. Seriously! Before this game I just chalked some of the BS down to general whining about reffing. Now I wonder what is going on at ref school and if there is a minimum eye sight requirement for your zebras. Really, it just keeps getting worse. You gotta find a way to enforce consistency and at least a modicum of understanding what the hell they are supposed to be doing. Cause it sure as hell ain’t impartially reffing hockey.

***personal note to the reffing community… many of you suck, some of you are trying to do a good job and sometimes get it wrong, some of you should be fired and tarred and feathered. I have never alternated between hate and loathing so often as this season. Every team deserves respect and at least an attempt at impartiality. Please clean up your act, there is only so much a sport can take before it becomes a joke and fans walk away. Think of it as job security.

On that note…

Martin Brodeur brings his record breakin butt to town tomorrow. It would sure be nice to mend our tattered reputations with a win against the Devils. It can be done you know. Hell WE’VE done it before.

The keys to this game?

Well I would say goalie battle! except I’m not sure how deep into the dark Bryzzie has gone. We just might be seeing AZBarbie (I will bring the duct tape just in case… I wonder how much money a flight from Russia last minute would cost? Anyone got Telly’s phone number?) Okay truly, the only way we can hope to end this one with dignity is for whoever steps between our pipes to have all the mojo they can muster. ( I will break out my lucky bingo troll just in case)

Contain Parise, Zajak and Captain America, Jamie Langenbrunner… oy vey! The neutral zone is about to become one very dangerous place but if we can hold them out there or to perimeter shots, we just might come out on top. The Devil’s are very hit or miss when it comes to offense but all it takes is one of these guys to tag up and Marty will hold the line. My solution is to just say no to the dynamic trio.

Take advantage of the few weak spots like Pandolfo or Pelley. Both are -5 and may just provide the chink in the Devil’s armor. Find some guys who may not be cookin with gas and blow through them instead of dumping and recovering. Use your speed! Use your aggression! Use your heads! Trust me on this, you guys can do this…together!

Watch out for Salvador and Peters. If you don’t want a repeat of Tuesday night, keep these guys in your sights and don’t let them punk your mates, they’ve been known to throw down and you can’t go out like that. We don’t have anough individual knuckle power to go toe to toe with anyone but if you let them know right away, mess with any of us, you mess with all and the game should proceed peacably.

If there is an ounce of pride in your bodies, do not let the phrase 0 for 7 on the power play ever be said about you again. A power play is like a gift. Try to score on one please. Let the words urgency and tenacity be your guide. (Peter, please shoot the puck, you pass like a dream but doode! please shoot the puck on the power play kthnxbai)

Just do what you do best, pack mentality! Score by committee and don’t let Brodeur’s press scare you. Everyone can be had on any given day.

Puck drops at 7pm, doors open at 6pm. Hope to see you all there. If you still need tickets, its too late to do the CircleK/Pepsi thing (24hrs advance is required) but not to late to take advantage of the Ambassador Club discount.

As always… GO COYOTES!

Can you say holy shitezky Desert Faithful? Everybody screwed up something last night… except Winnie and Bizzy. It was a night of inane errors and working harder but definitely not smarter. I might as well start with the weirdest feature of this black comedy of errors. Yotes 4, Islanders 5 SO loss, ptooey!

I sincerely wanted to strangle the refs most of the night but it wasn’t exactly ALL the boys in stripes fault. Oh my bleeding eyes Mr. Tippett. Did you really decide NOT to put a man in the box? I know most coaches don’t but doode! this is the Phoenix Coyotes, if it weren’t for bad luck, we’d have no luck at all some nights. NEVER take any chances with fate. In case you all missed it, our coach finally showed that he is not perfect. When Jovo was called for the 5 minute major and subsequent game misconduct, Tip decided not to put a player in the sin bin for the 5 minutes. In his defense, rarely is there not some type of stoppage of play in that time span. Well, the wiley veteran, Rolie the goalie made the most of that miscalculation by keeping the puck in play despite our numerous attempts to at least get an icing for stoppage. Roloson said “I heard the crowd cheer so I knew the (penalty) was up, but I knew the longer I could keep it going, the more chances we had. It was a chance that they took.” (Thanks Rolie… damn, I hate smart goalies.) We played for around 10 minutes short handed. (Ughh… Hanzal finally just slashed some idiot Isles guy to stop the madness) if not for that, we mighta played the entire 2nd period on the shorts. So we were short again and then the capper… Aucoin was called for a penalty too. The Islanders took advantage of the whole debacle with 2 goals.

Shane Doan rallied his troops and apparently showed them his angry face. In the 2nd intermission the Captain gave a rousing speech, raised the battle flag and led the guys out for the period of the season so far.

Paul ‘Biznasty’ Bissonette – took the Captain’s call to arms to heart. His main talent wasn’t needed so Bizzy found another way to help his mates. He scored. It was an ugly goal but it was a turning point to the game. He gave the boys a jump start by grabbing that first rung of the comeback ladder. Kudos to you big guy!

Daniel ‘the Tazmanian Devil’ Winnick – it wasn’t the first time that don’t-call-me-Pooh has done this to a team but it might be the most crucial and exciting time. It felt like 10 minutes as Danny circled around in the Isle’s endzone. By the end, Big Bad Dan had nearly the entire Isle’s line chasing him. Even our guys seemed in awe as they hung back thinking the puck would be stolen and outletted. You really are Dan THE Man.

Can anyone name the date… and the year we last scored 3PP goals in 1 game? Well save this date because that is exactly what we did. Biz started us off and Pyatt and Mueller each saw his goal and raised him one. All in less than a 4 minute span. (It cost Lang a few ounces of blood from a high stick but I think he’d almost agree it was worth it) According to those sitting much closer than me, the faceoff after the highstick was delayed while Langer contained the mouth full of blood long enough to get the shift started. A doff of the hat to Peter Mueller for his second goal of the season, it was pretty and timely and much appreciated.

Jason Labarbera stepped into the net and played his ass off. He stopped the Isles in their offensive tracks. They couldn’t score again until the shootout. I really thought he’d pull the guy’s buns out of the fire but alas his mojo wore off and he got bit by a couple that he woulda normally stopped. S’okay AZBarbie, you were a rock for that comeback tour de force and we did grab a point.

We all wait with bated breath to see if Mr. JovoNasty will be suspended for the hit on the next, next one, John Tavares. The crease is always going to hold an element of danger and feces happen in there. Jovo has been playing hard but not dirty (he’s an unstoppable force when he plays like that and he’s definitely a danger to the opposition everynight) Desert Warfare Jovo doesn’t try to hurt people on purpose so I hope he doesn’t pay the full price for this hit. Yes there was an elbow. Was it an intentional attempt to injure? I don’t think so. But we shall see how this plays out. We have already proven we can survive without him but life sure is easier with him patroling the back end.

Our status didn’t change a whole lot (still 4th and 6th .. kinda) but some other folks caught up to us (tied w/ CAL @57 points each) and some other folks are in striking distance if we don’t get our groove back. (VAN,COL,NSH breathin down our necks w/ 56/55 points) Tippett hockey and continuing where we left off last game will be the only thing that can stave off the slavering hoards that want our spot.

We play our uber nemesis, the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. We sit #2 behind these guys in the Pacific. They are a little out of reach at the moment (we all know how that can change in the blink of 2-3 games). These are huge points (aren’t they all in the 2nd half?) and taking 2 points here, closes the gap between us and the Fish. Even more importantly, those points put distance between us and the suddenly hot squads rising beneath us.

Get your tickets for the game early, we’re starting to be the hot ticket in town right behind the butt kicking Cardinals who managed to have the highest scoring playoff game in NFL history on Sunday night. Go Cards Go! The game on 1/16 is not only Shane Doan Bobblehead night, its a we win, you win night! The seats are almost gone so grab them quick. The Ambassador’s Club promo will be gone soon as will the Circle K Pepsi deal. Both are still available for the games in January so I’d hit them up now in order to reserve your place.

As always… GO COYOTES!

So give up the 2 points and getout. Yep, that’s what we need to tell NYI when they hit the ice. The Jobarena is OUR house! We need a new winning streak anyway so why not start with these tards.

We went on the road and survived EDM by a Doaner prayer in OT (losing not 1 but 2! two goal advantages in the process) and then got spanked by VAN and that little punk Burrows for a .500 performance. It does not bode well for the next big road trip. We’ll have to make this home stand count. Our home record (26-15-4) has been keeping us in the NHL’s upper echelon and is providing a cushion against our mediocre performances in other barns. It is time to up the ante.

NYI has been making a bit of a push. Behind the hot start of rookie John Tavares, the Isles have been hanging about the fringes of the Eastern Conference. While Tavares may have cooled off a bit, the unexpected secret weapons of Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey and Matt Moulson have gotten hot and have been making big noise for the beleagured franchise. For some reason, we always have trouble with Rolie the goalie. Dwayne Roloson is like 6-1-0 against us and it sucks. Time to find a solution for him as well.

Keys to this game?

Open a can of whup ass. Hit Rolie high and often. He’s deadly on the ground. Gotta make him move and move often. Although he’s no spring chicken, he’s still fast laterally and always plays so damn low to the ice. I’m targetting Rolie as the net minder to beat since DP is recently rehabbed, recently started and probably won’t start since they’ll be bringing him back slowly (they won’t want to risk another injury for the fragile lil guy from pushing him too hard so fast) and of the pair of backups, Rolie has the best record against us compared to Biron.

Find a damn power play! This is getting ridiculous. 0 for like 5 in the last game and we don’t even want to look at the cumulative numbers. We’ve gotta be like 28th in the league or real close to it by now.

Z and Jovo! wtf? you were -3 last game! Minus friggin 3! Don’t let it happen again mmkay? The defense has to get solid again because there will be 4 youngins gunnin for some goals.

Speaking of getting solid again.. forwards? Forwards? I know Scottie leaves a big hole but c’mon, someone needs to step up. Doan is bizzy hittin everything that moves, somebody needs to put some quality shots on the net. And please don’t forget your defensive duties. For cryin out loud, our success has been predicated on owning the neutral zone and if you guys don’t step it up the defense can’t hold the line.

IDK who gets this start since Breezy looked a lil worn and pissy last game and I’m too lazy to go look. But whoever it is better be sharp. This is home territory and we can’t afford any headcase crap tonight. All eyes will be watching carefully to see if the 2nd half jinx is alive and well. Don’t give them any fodder.

While I’m feeling pissy might I add, if anyone takes liberties feel free to drive them through the boards. You guys are supposed to be so damn close, defend each other dammitt! Fiddler had no business taking on Glass while he was still injured and hurting and Burows received zero payback for doin the nasty on Vrbata (instead you let the little rat faced puke get a hattie) NO MORE MR. NICE GUYS  play like you mean it… for all 60 minutes. Injuries be damned, if you really are a team, play like it. (COL, DET and a host of other teams can play through the key injuries, you better learn how.. and learn fast) We get beat up every night and pretty soon there won’t be much left of the pack to work with if you don’t make it clear to teams that they can’t away with that crap. Now I don’t mean go out and just do stupid, meaningless retaliation but you really need defend yourselves and your mates (Vandy! Taypye! Jovo! Biznasty! yeah I’m looking at you guys) *much love to the equally pissed off about it DTG!

Thank you to the peeps who took advantage of the Ambassador’s Club discounts! Glad to have you onboard. And remember the Circle K Pepsi deal runs til the end of January (buy pepsi and get Yotes tickets free… gotta have your voucher AND the receipt to redeem them at the box office)

So tailgating as usual in Lot J from 2 – 5pm. (peeps are bringing their Yotes memorabilia to trade if you need to fill in the gaps in your collection)Doors open at 5pm and puck drops at 6pm. Ambassador’s club meeting at 3:30pm (go in at gate 5). See you all there.

As always… GO COYOTES!

Sorry for the gaps but it has been a hell of a week. Got the new job (thanks to all my hockey family who really, really supported me through my unemployed period of hell). 14 hour days are a biyatch but at least I’m workin eh?

So the Coyotes are officially doing their Blues Brothers imitation? They are on a mission and have no intentions of being stopped. People can laugh all they want but I am getting the feeling that the boys intend to be battling for the cup… not just a spot at the table.

With Tippett and company not accepting any excuses, Coyotes players are digging down deep and finding ways to win, not finding excuses for their losses. The team is manning up in a big way. The 2 losses have been fair and square (although the home opener really pissed me off *no excuse for you either Tip! those lines sucked, if you have a group playing like these boys were on the road, don’t frack with it* )

This season’s wins over the Sharks, Pens and Bruins can’t be simply chalked up as the boys getting up for big opponents. The kids are being prepared the right way for every game. I’ve got a feeling that Steve Peters and crew are in film heaven, as all the coach’s demand training film for every training session (and its actually being used). This team exudes quiet confidence and a certain joie de vive that has not been seen in recent memory.

The staff are calmly directing traffic, correcting errors rather than punishing mistakes. The goalies have a coach with a plan that fits them as individuals ( AZBarbie had the game of his life and Breezy has regained his pre-Coyotes form). Its early days yet but all indications are that Arizona has a hockey team. A REAL HONEST TO GOD hockey team! Go Yotes!

So today’s Paw Prints is a recap of sorts, bear with me as I catch up.

Leaving Pen’s station with the W – whodathunkit? Malkin invisible, Crosby invisible, the Yotes VS the 08 cup champs and coming out on the fun end of a spanking? Un-fricking believable. Way to start shutting up the haterz boys!

Cut to the bone, those backstabbing Sabres stuck it to us. But thats ok, the Pens game made the pain a little easier to take.

Home opener – Columbus! You Party Poopers – the welcome back white out was a huge, fun success…except for the L at the end. Tailgating with the Coyotes Coalition all day and joining the other nutcases for an arena filled with noise and anticipation was awesome. We did lose but damn if it wasn’t the most fun I have ever had enduring a loss. There were soo many retro jerseys and new-to-me faces in the crowd that I completely have faith in a resurgence of hockey fans in the desert. Seriously, a few more wins, a few more above-the-fold positive stories in the Pube and the Coyotes tickets just might become the hot-to-have item in Arizona. *thank god I will now be able to fund mine instead of relying on the kindness of my friends* (thnx Teal/Missconduct and Don) to reamain part of the pack.

On the road again – Sharks 10/12/09. Wow! Just frickin WOW! Nabby VS Breezy, what is the world coming to when Breezy is hangin tough with one of the premiere goalies in the NHL? Another dbl shut out (remember Breezy VS Turco last season?) The feisty Russian is struttin his stuff. With the help of his trusty blueline, Bryz is smothering teams with his pillow imitation (pucks come in but they don’t get out). A 1 – zip shoot out win over the Pacific division’s perrennial champs is a huge statement about the defensive changes ala Tippett. Gotta love this hot start business.

Givin the Blues…the blues – former Coyotes player Tkachuk and co were no match for a Coyotes team on a mission. This was an especially sweet win after last year’s disappointing series (a sweep no less!). This was a monkey off our backs for sure and a great jumping off point to go into the Bruins game. (Good things happen when you crash the net eh Jovo?)I didn’t get to hear the Blues feed, so I missed the Panger’s take, I’m sure it was bitter sweet for him. I miss the little homer.

Boooos abounded as Bruins got taken behind the woodshed… and SPANKED! 4 – 1 final. It was great to see the trim an energetic DMO on the ice (still adore him no matter what uni he wears) and even better to join in on the booing of young Wheeler (I know he did what was best for himself but still feel betrayed so he’ll continue to get the bizzness everytime he hits Arizona ice). Poor Timmy Thomas, looked like he was groin tight all night. Slow lateral movement and stretching everytime there was any time out. We took it to one of the best of the East and it felt damn good.

Next up? 4 days off, lets hope the boys used the time wisely. Pickin up the practice pace on how to score. I don’t mind a 1 -0 W, but it would be nice to get a few more goals per game. (especially right now when the only thing critics can pick on for is low point production) And yes I remember, we only need one if we don’t let the other team score at all LOL With the PK and the EV strength game rollin tight, I’m assuming Tippett and Co will continue to hone those skills but put some extra bite into the PP and Pack scoring (less pretty passing and more sniping).

Power rankings are fun to read when you are one of the top dogs. Even ESPN can’t avoid giving us props.

Redwings arrive tomorrow! Hopefully without the unlucky-for-us #13 on the playing roster. Datsyuk is always a menace we could do without, but didn’t he do this to us last year? Hang out on the DTD list til they came to Phoenix? It will be interesting to see Holmstrom and Aucoin have some serious discussion about Holmie’s butt in Bryzzie’s face. Maybe Ozzie’s struggles in the net will be just what the scoring committe needs to get crackin on those GF stats. Looking forward to this game more than almost any other. Time to build on our Wing singe-ing techniques from last season.

It is howling time in the desert. The boys are doing their part… step up Coyotes fans, old and new. Its GAME ON ARIZONA! They are playin for you.

Great Pics from BTinAZ!

Blues

Jackets

Tailgate

As always… GO COYOTES!

Well its only 2 games into the season and the Coyotes are 2-0-0. Should I have made that font bigger? You read it right… 2 wins, no ties or losses. Yes those Coyotes. The ones mired in uncertainty, knocked for a loop by BK court and lacking any big name guys. You remember the team everyone loved to see come to their barn for the easy 2 points?

We headed into Pitt riding on a 6 – 3 win over fellow bottom feeder LAK. If you hadn’t watched the game, you might have just figured it was our normal trodding over them just to stay off the bottom of the cellar floor. (we’ve traded wins like that sometimes in the past) That win was more than that. It was the debut of the new and seriously improved system of the Desert Dawgs. That win was the warning shot over the forward bow of the 2009 season. (funny how nobody understood that we only intend to give 1 warning) We displayed attack sense, total committment to owning all 3 zones and a fearless pack mentality to keep pushing, tearing , biting right to the last buzzer. The LAK folks and the world at large dismissed this win, Doughty had a bad game, Quick hadn’t hit his stride. (funny how we’d hear these same sentiments but w/ different names attached, a few nights later)

You might have good cause to ignore the LAK win but how the hell do you dismiss shutting out the defending Stanley Cup champions? Oh wait for it…. the backup goalie wasn’t good enough (bullshit! that kid robbed Doaner from point blank range) Syd was off, Geno was off and of course, my favorite, they are struggling with cup hangover. Everyone can say what they want but good old fashioned hard work won this game. The Yotes didn’t LET the Pens catch their stride, didn’t LET these guys get focused, didn’t LET those boys take over the game. They were’nt given a damn thing. They flat out TOOK it.

Can no one give us props for what we’ve done? I’m not asking for a wholesale conversion here. But these guys have overcome one of the most bitter, degrading, contentuous off seasons ever seen in the NHL. Ridiculed and dismissed for a decade, laughingstock franchise that no one wanted to own, coaching/training deficiencies out the wahzoo and they haven’t give up. These guys take whatever comes their way and continue to give their all. They deserve better from the NHL family and the media.

Tippett’s system works. Burke’s training works. Maloney’s vision works. The proof is in the pudding and let me tell you its turning into quite the tasty dish. Just watching Hanzal shutting down the Kid and Geno…didn’t seem to matter which one was on the ice last night, they were both pretty ineffective. Bryzgalov defending his 9th shutout with authority. Sami ‘the pistol’ Lepisto stepping into the big skates of the injured Kurt Sauer seemingly seamlessly. Fiddler in the face off circles at 63%. Prucha on his back, nay! on a Penguin back, catching a rebound and putting it in the net. Jovocop, putting Malkin on the ice AND putting our PP front and center with his first of many beautiful goals. Vrby/Hanzal letting the world know all about the new Czech federation with one of the sweetest empty netters I’ve seen in a long time.

Every member of this pack is playing the system to the best of their ability. They’ve bought in, they’ve committed and they’re ready to take on all comers. I know its early, but for those of us who have followed this team through thin and thinner, who have given their hearts, souls and hard earned dollars to this team, it feels like we are finally reaping the rewards with a team that believes in themselves as much as we do. An unselfish and dedicated group of guys who are playing for us as much as themselves.

The new Phoenix Coyotes have made a committment to each other and to their fans. That is not a chip on their shoulder, thats the boulder of determination, to prove to the world that they are professionals, good, hardworking professionals, dedicated to the pursuit of the greatest trophy in the world. There will be ups and downs, there will be skids and slumps but it feels like hope around the Valley of the Sun, certainly for the first time since the move to Glendale, it feels like winning.

Tonight we take on Buffalo, a team that has been in our shoes not too long ago. These guys should remember their own mindset and beware the Pack. Lindy Ruff is nobody’s fool, he’ll be ready. Do they have the speed to keep up with the big Dawgs once they get rolling? Can Miller stop the Czech Federation? Can anybody stand up to Jovocop patrolling the blueline with big guns blazing? How many pucks will not make it past that shot blocking monster named Z? Can AZBarbie step up to the plate and get the critics off his back too? Guess we’ll all have to be glued to the TV or the radio (xtra 910 is our audio feed w/ the beloved Heeter calling the games solo) or even online to find out.

Wanna talk about it live? Try HFBoards or TheNHLArena or Five4Howling. The Twitterverse will be buzzing all game long with theYotesDiva , Mark, HKYFN and myself. Can we come home 3-0-0? We’ve already gotten 4 of 4 possible points, lets hope we can steal another 2 from BUF.

We have 4 new places buzzing about Coyotes hockey… Bob, Larry , Mark and Hendrickshockey.com will soon have some good Yotes content as well… stroll by, give them some love please.

As always…Go Coyotes!

TV: FSN-ARIZONA

Radio: XTRA 910 AM

We need to get the young guns going early… Boedker, Mueller and Hanzal will be dangerous enough, under Tippett’s new system, to be key factors in getting good scoring opportunities.

We are seriously competent 5 on 5. We are seriously at a disadvantage right now when we get PIM issues.  Apparently Scottie Upshall has been given the ’stay out of the box or you’ll sit on the bench’ talk by Tippett (and has felt the sitting punishment already in the later portion of the Kings game). I think we’ll see a much more careful Uppy this game. We do have to stay out of the box though. One of our worst areas last game was the PK. *lookin at you Kurt!* I know it is early and folks aren’t all the way up to speed yet so I won’t be pissy about this problem yet.

Hopefully Bryzzie can get some serious rebound control going, the Pens are notorious for those 3rd n 4th attempt scoring opportunities. We definitely can’t afford to leave anthing juicy around for Syd or Geno to swipe at (especially that stupid sliding on your butt highlight thing Syd practices every day to make teams look completely inept)

The keys to a Coyotes victory will be scoring by committee again (its fine for Vbrat to lead the way but every body has to contribute… one man cannot do it all). Watch for Lombo, Mueller, Uppy, Vrbata and Doan to set fire to the rubber all night. It’d be sweet to see Jovo find his scoring touch early and heat up the blueline contributions.

Another key will be the forwards continuing to harrass the crap out of everyone attempting to enter our zone. This was a big key to the Kings victory. The Pens are too dangerous to just skate around with a puck. They have their own speedsters, we’ll have to hope Tip gets his matchups so that his system can operate well. Tip stresses an aggressive forecheck and constant/consistent back pressure. Forcing turnovers and creating odd man rushes could become SOP for this new Coyotes team. Hopefully Hanzal will have a great time containing Malkin, he’s certainly made Thornton’s life a misery, may he be just as successful with Geno.

We are dangerous because we are fast and tenacious, hopefully teams continue to underestimate just how fast we are for a long time. Our improvement in the face off circles has already resulted in increased puck possession and apparently we have figured out that if we’ve got the dang biscuit, we should try stuffing it in the basket. Look for Fleury to have an aggravating night.

I’m torn… it’d be sweet to set some tongues wagging, beating the current Cup holders would certainly do that. Back to back wins against the flightless birds (and especially in their own barn)would be a bold announcement that we are here and ignoring us would be hazardous to your post season dreams. On the other hand, it could be to our advantage to continue to roll under the radar ( catching as many teams as possible unprepared, could give us a nice cushion for those lean times when we can’t buy a goal). Of course I’m all for the bold statement. It would be fun watching all those who have written us off due to the summer bedlam, try to retain their credibility while they scramble to find reasons why they always knew we could do it.

Its US against the world!

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!

Oh my Capitals, 1B team of my heart, I have neglected you woefully. I apologise for leaving you to the mercy of Lil Flower and the Kid, not mention that other guy Geno and his OT antics.

I have been watching…really I have. But due to the surprising turn of events with the 1A of my heart I have been unable to cheer you on in these humble pages. But somehow you have won through on your own. I am so proud of you guys.

Tonight’s game was a blood curdling monster. It is sooo not good for my blood pressure! But damn was it exciting. Way to go Steckel! But guy? don’t toy with your victims anymore. Take the lead and take down the black n gold with extreme prejudice.

Game 7 is going to be a hellstorm and I will be with you all the way through, I promise. I am going to ask the hockey goddess to help you thru to a thorough beat down of the Kid & Co. May Cindy and Gena’s shots be high and wide, may lil Flower’s glove  tip pucks into his own net and may Ovie, Greenie or Stecks (heck, anyone rockin the red will work) hit the Cap’s GWG in a spectacularly amazing highlight reel fashion. Ummm Varley? Doood! Let’s address your glove side issues  soon mmkay?

Sorry Pens… It is time to Rock the Red all the way to the finals. Go Caps Go!

Hooboy! Nucks killed themselves. Only US teams left in the playoffs. These post season games have held some of the most surprising games and winners ever. Upstart Blackhawks take down one of the NHL’s best. Sorry Lou. I was pullin for ya big guy.

On the Coyotes front… big news comin… maybe some early word? Remember there’s gonna be a rally on Saturday May 16th at 10 am