Before I go there… let me give you some info that will make you laugh and then strike you with some disbelief…

The NHL is suing Jerry Moyes… yes you read that right. According to Reuters, the NHL is going after our former owner for about 61M.

“NEW YORK, March 5 (Reuters) – The National Hockey League on Friday sued former Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes, seeking to recover more than $61 million over the trucking magnate’s management of the struggling franchise.

The team filed for bankruptcy last May and was bought by the NHL for $140 million in November. That purchase followed a U.S. bankruptcy judge’s rejection of a takeover bid by Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, the co-chief executive of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. 

Earl Scudder, a lawyer for Moyes, did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday evening. Other defendants in the case are Moyes’ wife and a family trust.

The NHL filed its lawsuit with the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, where the league is based.

It accused Moyes of violating an agreement he had entered withthe league by refusing to fund the Coyotes’ obligations; secretly entering sale talks with Balsillie, who hoped to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario; andfiling a bankruptcy petition to accomplish that sale without league approval.”  READ THE REST HERE

Ok I’ve caught my breath from all the awesome things that happened on trade deadline day. Maaan, Don Maloney was busier than a 3 legged cat in a poop burying contest. Heartfelt thanks to Hat Trick Hound for updating us all with the fantastic news and links on the day… onto my thoughts or a report card of sorts on GMDMs trade day performance.

Our 2 biggest concerns were scoring and defensive depth. We have guys who CAN score but its always in spurts and they slump together alot. Our system is built on defensive strategy but we have a baby on 6th D and our 7th guy wasn’t exactly too steady on his pins. So there were 2 essentially big fish that GMDM was angling for. The man reeled them in too.

He gets an A+ for bringing back Derek Morris, just like he said he would, if he could. Mo waived his NTC for us and only for us. He has taken the time away from the desert to finish developing into a mature an all around player. He is in the prime of his playing life and may just be the icing on our defensive cake. Despite some inconsistencies at the end of his stint in Phoenix, DMo has always been a hard worker and a vocal, honest leader. I don’t know about you butthat is exactly the kind of player I want on my team. I won’t bore you with the particulars about how great a family man and fan guy he is, just realize, that GMDM got us a bonafide defensive tiger for practically mothing.

Don Maloney must have a blackmail book somewhere (how else does he convince a team that is chasing his team in the standings to trade their 2nd top scorer?) The Don get an A for bringin in Wotjek Wolski from Colorado. We gt a 47 point player… ooops, make that 48… err 50. It did cost us a little, but with Peter Mueller wanting out anyway, this trade only really cost us the ‘potential’ of Kevin Porter. (We all would have loved to see Ports develop here in the desert. Ports has moxie, leadership and the work ethic that will make him a staple in the NHL and I hope the Avalanche treat him well) Wolski had a reputation for being soft and inconsistent while with the Avs (at least to hear some of their fans tell the story) so on the surface it would seem like a wash of a trade since that was the knock on Peter too. But look at what WW has already accomplished! (72 goals in 303 NHL games) if this is what he does when unmotivated and unaccountable, I can’t wait to see what he can do while being molded by Tippett and taught by the Pack. There isn’t a + next to this A because there is a little risk involved from a locker room and possible chemistry disturbance standpoint but I am willing to bet that is a minimal concern given the strong veteran presence in our room.

Scooping up Lee Stempniak gets GMDM a strong B+. Lee on the surface appears to be a bit of a gamble. He started off well in St. Louis, was traded t Toronto where he had a lackluster time to say the least. But now he’ll be given true opportunities to excel, to start fresh and to become the successful NHLer he seems to want to be. Our PP needs all the help it can get and Lee is a special teams monster. Every great journey starts withone small step, getting Stumps to round out our motley cast of characters may just be that small step towards getting our PP off the ground. Although he is UFA at the end of the season, I think once Lee gets a taste of Pack life he will want to stay. Either way, he only cost us Matt Jones (who, like Dave Scatchard before him, is still suffering from a very horrific set of concussion symptoms, Matt isn’t playing right now) and a 4th & 7th pick which is a steal anyway you look at it.

I’m only going to give DM a C for picking up Mathieu Schneider. At 40 andat first glimpse, we all have to wonder if this was a good move. Well Don has only had one misstep so far, so I am inclined to trust the game plan behind this move is solid. PP QB extraordinaire and a guy who can provide us with a lot of experience/leadership, if he can still play at least 10 – 12 minutes per night, Matthieu could be the cherry on top of the crazy Coyotes sundae GMDM is building. Another inexpensive UFA, he appears to be worth taking a flyer on. (he has cleared waivers and is expected to join the roster within the next 10 days, I guess we’ll get to really assess this one soon)

Picking up Petteri Nokelainen rates a B for effort. despite 3 other NHL destinations, this kid doesn’t give up. Noki has a drive to succeed. He hits like a train and appears to like doing it, go figure. He probably won’t be setting the offense on fire but a big, fearless physical presence that can win battles along the boards like Winnie and hit like Mad Jovo can’t be to bad can it? We can’t lose by giving him a shot.

Picard and Miikman will not impact the main roster right now so their affect is pretty minimal except as more numbers for Phoenix’s trade day maneuvers. If one of them turns ut to have impact like Shane Doan or something, feel free to smack me around for not getting them their own paragraph.

The Don is definitely a man of his word. He is building Phoenix as the destination of choice for the smart NHLer, for the player who wants to win. When he says he’s going to do something, he does it. The NHL (our interim owner) gave Don a budget, he has worked within it to give the Coyotes what they need to continue to be successful. He promised us that he would not be mortgaging the team’s future to get better for one single season. He promised us all that he and his staff were in it for the long haul and that means winning and staying in the Cup hunts for years to come.

There are some really jealous and pissy people  out there yippin about how Phoenix can be big buyers right now but if you look at the numbers, GMDM committed to less  than 3M extra onto next season and he still made us better than we were. I gotta tell you a true story about the GM, I was sitting next to him grilling him about why he picked up Jason Labarbra instead of Craig Andersen during one of the preseason practices at All-tel Ice Den. He told me then, that he was building this team with an eye to saving as much money as he could for the trade deadline. (Andersen was asking for a bit more money anda bit more contract time than DM was willing to spend and of course also because he truly believed in AZBarbie’s ability to be a solid backup) He said he truly believed he would need that money because we were being built to go to the post season. Well he was right, he did need that money… but I was right that Craig Andersen was going to be a badass goalie. But I have to give him the props, we didn’t need Andersen to get to the post season. I guess that’s why I’m not a GM.

We are not the flashy, fancy team and we don’t need the flashy, high maintenance players. Don is building a staff and team that earns every win and every dollar the old fashioned way… with hard work, sweat equity and heart. At the end of the deadline I have to say Don Maloney is a winner and the Phoenix Coyotes are winners too.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Yesterday STHs got a chance to talk to Don Maloney, GM of the Phoenix Coyotes. How many hockey clubs do that I wonder? The Coyotes are fan friendly to the point of insanity. There is no one off limits to the fans (in a controlled way of course) but business as usual includes the ability to ask questions and receive honest (or as honest as possible depending on the topic) answers.

Some questions I didn’t get the whole verbiage for because the audience didn’t have mics or the knowledge of how to speak in an auditorium setting (either stand up and speak freakin clearly or pitch your dang voice to register to the human ear).  This time having a recorder wouldn’t have helped and we all know that I love to paraphrase but this time it just wasn’t feasible to record. But I will try to recreate the Q & A below for you.

The Don basically started the meeting off (after a serious ovation of cheers and standing happy fans) with his spiel about what he had done at trade deadline and why. Listen to GMDM talk about the trades and the moves of the last week HERE.

Q: It seems like we needed offense more than defense, what prompted the Derek Morris trade?

A: Injuries were a concern, Jovo was still nursing some bumps and bruises and we were concerned about our depth on the blue line going forward.

(my thoughts) Post season runs often become battles of attrition, sometimes the team that goes to the finals is the team with the most warriors standing. 6 beatup blueliners and a baby Dman didn’t look like the way to be one of those teams so they went and got us another warrior to hold the line. Easy decision.

Q: Why was Kevin Porter included in the Mueller trade?

A: Truthfully Kevin was a great asset but you have to give up something to get something. With the direction we are going we saw Kevin as a really good 3^rd liner or 4^th liner due to the progression of his skating.

(my thoughts) KP was a bit on the smallish side and not the fastest thing on 2 legs. He was a good player and on a team not predicated on speed and gritty work, he will be fine. The Coyotes are moving in a different direction under Tippett, we’re going to be big AND fast and edgy. Porter didn’t fit anymore and became expendable.

Q: The last new guy Schneider isn’t here yet, how long before we get him in the line up?

A: Mathieu has cleared waivers and should be ready within 7 – 10 days. He is a bit of an older player (Don actually had a bit of a joke about that but I don’t remember the whole thing just a general tone about Tippett knowing Matt since prehistoric days) but he brings experience that is tough to come by. He can QB a power play like not many players can and since he hasn’t played in a long while he will be fresh and rested for the long haul.

 (my thoughts) The old dog still must have some bite. He can not only help our poor dismal PP but he can teach young Yands and give pointers to some others on how a real QB works his magic. Just watching this guy work will be a good thing for the young defensemen (if he can keep up his pace) Tippett thought very highly of Schneids when he was an assistant coach for LAK and knows the guy’s work ethic and personality. Its is a very low risk gamble on their part.

Q: Why Nokoleinen?

A: Noko played with Korpikoski as a teen in the Swedish leagues. We hope they can find a nice chemistry together. He’s a big gritty kid who can win the small battles every shift.

(my thoughts) Again they address a need but with the best possible outcome in the dressing room. Noko and Korpi have history which makes Noko comfortable right away and gives the guys and instant rapport through the room and on the ice.

Q: What is the status of our ownership?

A: You probably know more than I do. With the Olympics and the trade deadline, the news isn’t flowing like it might during a quieter time. As far as I know everything is still being worked on. I have a very very strong feeling that we will have new ownership, that we will be staying right here in the desert. Can I guarantee that? Well no but I do think if we all keep doing our jobs, putting a winner on the ice and if you guys keep coming to see us, that everything will work out. So bring your friends! (much laughter followed)

(my thoughts) No matter what is really happening behind the scenes, Don wouldn’t lie, but he obviously can’t tell us everything. IEH keeps saying all is well, the NHL is quiet on the subject but the haters are having a field day with conspiracy theories because its taking so long to get this done. The favorite whine right now is that it didn’t take this long to get TBL sold. Well TBL wasn’t taken to BK court, wasn’t trashed down to its boards by its ownership and wasn’t sabotaged at every turn either. It takes what it takes and there is nothing that GMDM or we fans can do about that except do our jobs and have patience.

Q: Wolski seems like a whole lot for Colorado to give up for so little return, what’s the catch?

A: Wolski was a casualty of the money crunch Colorado will find itself in for next season. Their loss is our gain. They need to pay Craig Andersen for his amazing performances, they need to pay the Quincey kid and a slew of other kids whose performances have been amazing and will command generous salary upgrades. Wolski has the knock of being inconsistent and sort of became the odd man out. Peter had the same type of issues but for a lot less money and if he can become the player we all still think he can be, the Avalanche will have replaced Wolski for a bit less salary. So both sides win eventually.

(my thoughts) Both players needed a change. For whatever reasons, WW wasn’t working well within COLs structure/system despite his point production. He makes 2.8M (cap hit) and that was going to go up next season by quite a bit. Why wouldn’t COL want to shed that along with a possible problem child?

My Q: How much concern was there adding this many NHLers to the mix, especially with so few reg games left for them to gel?

A: No a lot of concern actually. We picked players that one of us (Tippett & staff or DM) knew of personally. Guys we knew were steady, experienced professionals with a will to succeed. Wolski was the only wild card but we have such veteran leadership in that room that we have no doubts that the chemistry will remain strong.

(my thoughts) It seems like a roundtable was held, everyone pitched their possible players with reasons. The players we picked up met a criteria and someone on the staff or team could vouch for them. The locker room was saved from any obvious cancers invading and the team is stronger for the changes. The last part seems like it says if WW tries to pull any shit, the vets will talk him off his ledge or smack him into compliance so no worries.

Q: There is lots of talk out there about how the Coyotes were able to be such big buyers during the trade deadline, did the NHL have problems with your buying spree?

A: The NHL is basically my boss right now. They gave me a budget at the beginning and said do your job. As long as I stayed within my budget there were no issues. I basically kept them informed about what I was doing but it was nice that they pretty much just let me do my job, which is to make the team as strong as possible, to put the best possible product on the ice and to be accountable for the finances and resources we have. There was some grumbling from other sources at the beginning because I did not spend a whole lot to get this team together. But I was saving some of that budget money because I sincerely believed that we could be in position to be buyers going into the post season. I wanted to be ready to do what we needed and fortunately it worked out that way. I am still about 1.1 M under my budget and we’re a better team, more equipped for the post season now.

(my thoughts) Whiners and haters shut up. The NHL is not looking over Don’s shoulder, the other owners are not crying about footing our bills and there is no reason to suspect that anything underhanded is happening in Phoenix. The Don had a budget and he was cagier and smarter than a lot of GMs about spending it. There is no conflict of interest because it is in the league’s best interest to get the Coyotes viable and ownable as quickly as possible. The NHL certainly isn’t going to make some gigantic profit on this team and has no reason to cheat in order for them to win. Give credit where credit is due whiney butts. And stop hatin, its showing on yer ugly faces and you just might freeze like that.

My Q: Why did you include Tippett so closely in the process? Not many GMs do that.

A: Hey, we’re partners here. Everything each of us does affects what we’re trying to build. Dave is a very smart man who has been around a long time, his input has been invaluable to this process. His knowledge of the subtle deals and the players involved were especially helpful.When something this important is being done, you take every advantage you can get.

(my thoughts) The Don is a very very smart and calculating man. He never hesitates to use every advantage he can get. We are very lucky to have this staff in Phoenix, where egos are put aside for the good of the whole and they get the job done the right way. This team can put the Coyotes on the world map and out of the red if given half a chance.

My Q: How do you feel about the players in the Olympics and the Olympic break’s affect on the season? What about for the younger players after seeing Lepisto’s performance and how he’s played afterwards, would the Olympics have been beneficial to a player like Yandle? Or would you rather they all just got a chance to rest and heal?

A: Its really hard for teams to ramp back up after that break. We all work so hard to get our compete levels into high gear, then we have 2 weeks off and have to come back and ramp up faster than before. That’s tough. But the affects of competing against the best in the world, the confidence that being chosen to do that gives a player, especially a young player is fantastic. I don’t mind those things at all. But Bryz and Z went over and did well and thankfully are home and back on the ice without injuries. Sami came back more confident and poised than when he left. It’s a great thing for young players.

(my thoughts) For good or bad the Olympic break happened. Wish Yands had gotten to go but it is what it is. The break isn’t that great for the teams in general but for the chosen few to get to step onto that international stage, it means so much in terms of confidence and experience as to be invaluable to their careers. I have usually held the opinion that the Olympics should be strictly for the best amateur athletes in the world. I don’t think I have enough reasons to change that opinion. It was great to watch the elite hockey players get to battle but it did nothing for the NHL in terms of financing (there is no shared revenue) and it is marginal whether or not the games won anyone over to watch hockey in its native form at their nearest arena.

My Q: When our we going to see some signings? Especially my boy Z and Lombo?

A: Unfortunately due to our ownership situation, all signings are on hold. As soon as we can we will start and Z is certainly a priority as well as a few others.

(my thoughts) I’m sure Don wanted to tell me to shut up and go away, this is a touchy subject. It all hinges on our ownership. Last year he could still sign and finish up the business that was already started because it was too late to kibosh things when Moyes pulled the rug out from under us. This year we are truly in limbo or NHL hell. There are things to get done if we are going to remain the Phoenix Coyotes but if we are going to be the Podunk Peahens somewhere else, then it becomes a whole nother ball of wax. Will the players stick around? Those UFAs who have a choice can choose not to wait for the drama to end and that would be very bad for us. Can other GMs swoop down on our RFAs and put in offer sheets (knowing we can’t match diddly squat without a new owner)? Our ownership has to get settled and get settled post haste or the bones of this suddenly successful carcass may not be worth picking over, much less be worth 140M.

Some random points and informational tidbits that were thrown out during the talk:

Tikhnov is expected to return to the Coyotes within a week or so. Because the roster size is not limited to the regular 23 men, there will be room to give the guy a looksee. He did great over in Russia, playing against men and they look forward to getting him on the ice to see how much he’s grown.

KT may get a look during these next weeks. Give the kid a taste of the trenches to help him going forward in his development.

Yes Kurt Sauer is done for the season. He has some inner ear, head issue that has not changed. We don’t know the prognosis so we’ll have to wait and see what happens with him.

As always… Go Coyotes!

It was officially a streak for real folks. No I ain’t talkin about some freak named Zeke, cavorting across a soccer field bare assed. I’m talking about the Phoenix Coyotes knocking off 5 opponents in a row! It was sweet. We are now 6 - 1 - 1 after we got tripped up by those pesky Kings and  the wounded but uber dangerous Ded Thangs.

W – Dallas – 5 – 2 -we beat the perennial playoff hounds. They are paarlaying loser points into another hunt for Lord Stanley but we’re denying them every chance we get and staying on the trail right with them.

W – Anaheim – 3 – 2 -we showed them the door too, another playoff monster that thrives on loser points paving their path to the post season. No soup for you only Duck soup for us!

W – Calgary 2 – 1 – scary buncha guys (Joker is still scary even when he isn’t scoring). Thought they would take us out behind the woodshed, glad we were able to not only hang with them but to show them the united pack smack down (damn you former Coyotes for giving so much more to the Flames than us).

W – Ottowa 3 – 2 – I guess having their own Michalek didn’t help. Ours may not score as much but preventing scoring apparently is even better! Go Z!

W – Minnesota 2 – 0- silly elves, this is our year dammit, don’t go away mad… just go away. (see other entry for full disclosure)

OTL – Los Angeles 3 – 2 – damn you Wayne Simmons, your dream just may come true. One of the very last teams I wanted to share points with. But gotta give the Princelings their due, just like us and Colorado, the basement kids are coming into their own finally.

W – San Jose 2 – 1 – Wow! I realize Marty owns Big Joe and Z pretty much owns Pretty Patty but can I say wow again or is that too much? Every time they play each other I have an insane urge to put on a life jacket sporting the #30. Always tough (can you say Shelley, Murray and Mclaaren?) but when faced with total discipline and determination, even the best can be beaten. I actually LOVE playin these guys this season.

L – Detroit 2 – 3 – It sucks to start out the road trip with a loss but the boys found their cojones finally and played well to almost catch up to the Ded. I guess #13 is sooo NOT Bryzzie’s number. The 13th start was ugly. Much of the night the big guy looked off kilter and slow. The blue liners didn’t look too swift either for about 45 minutes of the game. (ummm guys? when Breezy is off, you are supposed to carry the big guy til he gets his head straight. He’s carried you many a game, time to return the favor.) Ah well, we’ll get our shite together for Wednesday. Somehow Tipper always manages to rein them in and get them back on pack fairly quickly. I really just wanted 8 points out of this trip and I didn’t care if it meant grabbing loser points. It feels strange to expect to get more than half the available points on a road trip but the boys have built up my faith so much that I actually have expectations now. Too weird.

Sooo anyone have any idea what the hell is up with Doaner? Ever since Wizzer nearly decapitated him, Shane has been off. Stop grippin the stick so tight my Captain. The whole team isn’t on your back anymore. These boys can carry they ownselves big daddy. Just have fun, run over a few more people per game and let the goals fall when they may. (Is it just me or is it almost as much fun to watch Doaner steam roll people as it is to watch him score?)

Daly and Maloney were doin the talking head thing today. Much as expected not much was really said that we didn’t already expect. Everyone is happy about the potential new ownership. Not much will change (except maybe we’ll see a new addition to the team on the scoring front… and of course lose someone since it costs to get a quality scorer even with GMDM doing the buying).

Daly on NHL Live

The BoG will be meeting starting tomorrow so we’ll all be waiting with bated breath to find out if the good ol boys wanna let the whippersnappers into the club. I hope so. I actually have met a couple of them and came away impressed. I think the Coalition wrote something up on that awhile back and I haven’t seen nor heard anything to make me change my mind.

• Ice Edge Holdings – They have passion and a real desire to own the Coyotes for the business of hockey.
• They have business acumen and know how to make money.
• They understand the game (hell they’ve played it and love it).
• They are innovative and are not afraid to take on a risk, much like ourselves and Tippett, they see something in this team that they can believe in.

They have ideas…

1. how to utilize every square inch of the arena to get revenue
2. how to treat a fanbase
3. how to build a hockey club
4. how to recognize that they don’t know everything and will have to trust people to do their jobs
5. they also recognise things that aren’t working
6. and how to treat a legend, we just might see #99 again (oh don’t panic, not behind the bench) but maybe somewhere within the ownership group

I didn’t get to meet Keith but read what he has to say HERE. Whats not to like about this crew? A few games in Saskatoon? Gimme a break. Better a few games for our Northern cousins to enjoy and help the bottom line than none for us because we’re too stupid to recognise an opportunity to get on our feet or too stingy and jealous to share and welcome some more fans for the organization to thrive on. Will there be changes? Of course, there have to be in order to get out of the red ink sea. Will we like all of them? Of course not, don’t be silly, the business of hockey will not recognise our favorites and all of our preferences, but as long as they get good results and keep the team alive and kickin in Arizona… count me in. I like them, they are actually going to give it their all with no strings attached and no screwing of others to get their way. Their regular business is built on that premise. They got tired of being part of the all-about-the-benjamen crowd and started a business they could be proud of. A business with integrity. Thats their reputation in the business world and I expect no less from them in the hockey world.

Monty sighting! We saw the Big Cubano wandering the concourse last home game… in his sporty sling. Best wishes on a speedy recovery Monty.

The always obliging Kurt Sauer gave our friend DTG the skinny on his expected return to the ice (see paw print 12/13 for that news) He graced the stands with his awesomeness last game too.

Holy crap its almost midnight AGAIN! Gotta go grab some zzzzs (not him!) some sleep people, some sleep.

Quick shot reminders –

The “Leader of the Pack” award is designed to recognize the top Coyotes Season ticket holder for each month during the remainder of the season. The nominations must include a full description of how the individual has demonstrated his or her commitment to the Pack. If you know a deserving Season Ticket Holder, please nominate them for this award. (if you don’t know their full name and info, fake it, give the team as much info as you can so they know who you are voting for… they’ll count the votes right). Vote HERE for December.

Ambassador’s Club! Coyotes STHs (season ticket holders) have volunteered to help out with gettin butts in the seats. The Yotes are sinking their teeth into some guerilla marketing and have issued these volunteers their own links to help friends, family and innocent bystanders get discounted Coyotes tickets. So if you need tickets to a game feel free to use my link HERE. (promo code…Coyotes)

Round 3 of theNHLArena’s poll is up. Go vote in the final round remember to let us know what you think is good, could be better and could just be kicked to the curb.

As always … GO COYOTES!

Ice Edge and the Incredible NHL Letter of Intent. Sounds like a children’s book doesn’t it? A fairy tale ending for the Phoenix Coyotes fans? Well its no tale, fairy or otherwise. IEH has been over the river and through the woods trying to acquire the team. Much like the team they are after, its all about perseverance. People say these guys are crazy maybe certifiably. Folks like Mike ‘the mouth’ Milbury are spouting off angrily through every venue that will give them a little camera time. Well Mike and all you other peeps that can’t see beyond traditional thinking, the Phoenix Coyotes are a valuable commodity. Right where they are. For owners who are passionate and visionary this is a no brainer, once in a life time business opportunity.

The Yotes have not been taken care of properly ever, not as Jets either. (Imagine if Winnipeg had been willing to put something like Jobing.com arena together… Phoenix would never have gotten a team) Ownership who are willing to put their money where their mouths are, who have out of the box ideas to bring in revenue, who have the passion to take the risks is exactly the type of ownership the NHL needs right now. The world has changed and if the NHL remains moribund and stagnate in its approach to business, it will die. Much is made of the fact that IEH has not asked for an out clause… the sentiment is that they are stupid. Well read an NHL ownership contract people, there is a 7 year (on average) automatic ‘out clause’ of sorts built into every one. They don’t need to ask for anything special, within the next 7 years the Coyotes will either be a success or its time to hang up the skates in the desert and IEH can ask to move at that point without predjudice.

The Letter has been signed and just needs final approval. I hope the BoG will seriously kick the tires on an approval when they meet on Tuesday. The Yotes need an owner… NOW.  The boys are doing their part but as long as there is no solid ownership, no guarantee of stability, lots of fans are not coming back, not going to risk having their hearts torn out again… no matter how well the team plays.

Leader of the pack. Wow! Is it coinky dink that Keith Yandle was voted team player of the month and his biggest fan Heather McWhorter was the voted co-sth fan of the month? I think not. President of the Coyotes Coalition, one of the best sources of Twitter coverage during the BK, organizer of tailgates, all around Coyotes defender extra ordinaire and self admitted #1 Fandle (fan of Yandle), Heather M certainly represents the best of hockey fandom. Our Heather shared the first ever Leader of the Pack award with Heather Schroeder of the Coyotes Booster Club. Both of these ladies deserve our recognition and our thanks for all they do for our team. Congratulations ladies and to Yands too.

GMDM will be among the guests ( Bill Daly too) on NHL Live! on Monday, scheduled from noon-2 p.m. on NHL Network and NHL.com and broadcast on XM Radio. Watch for some good info on the state of the Yotes and future plans GMDM has up his sleeve and a sneak peek at Dalys/GMDMs thoughts on new ownership.

Kurt Alert! Apparently Sweets is about 6 weeks out from fit for ice duty. The issues have finally been pinpointed as coming from inner ear problems. Hard to hit the ice without your balance, with headaches and lord only knows what other symptoms Sauer is fighting off. He’s lookin good and chompin at the bit to get back to the guys.

Ambassador’s Club is on and poppin. Coyotes STHs (season ticket holders) have volunteered to help out with gettin butts in the seats. The Yotes are sinking their teeth into some guerilla marketing and have issued these volunteers their own links to help friends, family and innocent bystanders get discounted Coyotes tickets. So if you need tickets to a game feel free to use my link HERE. (promo code…Coyotes)

Gratuitous Z and Bryzzie shout outs! Ya gotta love these two.

I have more thoughts on IEH and what they hope to accomplish and of course that whole ***WSGD? thang but I gotta go to bed at some point in order to be worth a damn for work tomorrow so I will save that for the next entry along with the streak and our standings.

Tune in tomorrow, Monday 12/14/2009 when we play the Ded Things over at the Joe. Puck drop is at 5:30.

As always… GO COYOTES!

***what should Gretzky do?

Respect, gotta be earned. Usually the hard way. The Coyotes are doing their damndest to do just that. From their teammates, their fans and the rest of the world. There is a whooole lot of hockey to be played but if they continue to play the way they’ve started, there is no doubt in my mind that the hockey world will sit up and give credit where credit is due.

FOMs > than FOGs. GMDM has assembled a staff that knows how to do things right. (I know we all kvetched when Sulliman was brought in but apparently he’s doin just fine too) From the coaching down to the equipment handlers, everyone is on the same page, a team page, a pack page, a winning page.

We’ve been on a peak, there will be valleys. Teams still can’t believe what the standings are telling them and we’re still under the radar. But I have to tell you the weather is really fine down here in 09. I know I shouldn’t be all over the gloating thang but c’mon, it feels good to be able to point to the statistics in rebuttal to the haterz doesn’t it? And where the hell is the Canadian media? I guess now that they would have to refer to us as the Pacific leading Coyotes or the top of the league Phoenix Coyotes instead of the bankrupt Coyotes, we’re just not as much fun to write about.

So now that we’ve slapped the Stanley Cup champs, ditched Detroit, beat the Bruins, bruised the Blues, sauted the Sharks and konked the Kings maybe we can start gettin some love? Naaah, you’re right, let ‘em ignore us. We’ve got other things to think about.

Tonight we play the Kings again. The also rising Royals are quietly putting the moves on unsuspecting teams. King Kopitar, Frolov the wonder hobbit and Jonathan ‘they call me’ Quick are a sneaky band of miscreants. We can’t overlook them in our tour de force. We’ve both got 12 points (they have played a few more games than us) and we’re #2 in the conference, while they sit perched at #6 with a bullet. League wise its even tighter with us at #6 and them at #8. whodathunkit? Neither team wants to end their current winning streaks (we got 4 in a row, they are looking for a third). King Kopitar and his trusty knight Smyth are already in the double digits for points (16 & 14 respectively) while we are really spread out over the pack for ours. No matter, that may just make it easier for the Hanzal led Czech Federation to shut them down. It should be a very exciting game. We’re close in performance but with the home advantage, the coaching staff should be able to come up with some good matches.

Of course there are some sweet tickets available. You really should come out and watch. The Russian pillow they call Bryzzie (top dawg in shutouts and GAA in the league) along with firecrackers like Upshall and Prucha will definitely make it worth the price of admission.

********In other news********

I guess we’ve got court again on Monday at 1:30. A status hearing of some sort apparently. I think Moyes wants to see what the NHL has up its sleeve and the NHL needs to test the water on its bid language so they can get this over and done. Ice Edge is sitting in the wings, patiently waiting with wallets in hand (they’ve been to several games and show no signs of being scared off by the attendance issues). I won’t be in court on Monday but check Schoeder’s FB and HCKYFN on Twitter for updates as usual.

Sean Sullivan has been called up from the Rampage. Z has a wonky ankle and Sweets shows no signs of returning to the ice yet. With a road trip on the horizon, we need to take a 7th blueliner with us, just in case.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Phoenix Coyotes may have a new owner… in principal?

Not only are the Phoenix Coyotes coming home from the road with 4 of 6 possible points, they may be coming home to meet their new owners. According to Daryl Jones of Ice Edge Holdings “Ice Edge recently met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman about a potential deal. The group has also reached an agreement in principle with the city on a new arena lease and it has held almost daily discussions with city officials to work out details.”

We may be on the road to recovery off the ice as well as on the ice! Keep your fingers crossed, the future is seriously looking up in the desert.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/prospective-owners-to-take-first-hand-look-at-the-coyotes/article1318030/

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!