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!

I’ve never done this before…always late to the party and this power ranking thing is no different. No way could I pull this off every week like our friends at Hendrickshockey and places where people actually get paid to do it. But anyway… I thought this might be a good time to try it before we concentrate on how our boys are doin in the Olympics. Good luck and much winning to the USA team, Bryzzie and his Russian scoring machine, Z and the Czech mafia and of course Finland and Sami and Niko. Without further ado… we present you with …a power ranking… of sorts.

1. Washington Capitals (41-13-8)
It couldn’t last forever but … the Blues Ovie?? Caps look a little more human as certain minds turn towards the Olympics. But maaan what a streak. These boys remain a powerhouse no matter who is in net.

2. San Jose Sharks (40-13-9)
Nothing new to see here, move along folks. Oh wait.. should they be watching over their shoulder’s for those Hawks? You better believe it.  The Sharks had better be on their toes after the break, (or not…) why not let the Hawk’s have top spot and the playoff curse that seems to go with it?

3. Chicago Blackhawks (41-15-5)
Is there anything these kids can’ t do? No need to chum the water, the Hawks are up to catching the Sharks without help. The boys from ChiTown have remained in the top of the rankings all season and that won’t change after the break.

4. Phoenix Coyotes (37-21-5)
Tired and beatup but no where near done surprising everyone. Despite losing the last 2 games, Dave Tippett has the reins firmly in his grip. If Don Maloney gets him 2 players, look out NHL! Post break slide appears to be nowhere in the picture for this season.

5. Los Angeles Kings (37-20-4)
L.A.’s team has been building up to this moment for awhile. Watch for an EPIC battle between these guys and Phoenix down the stretch. They’ll almost certainly face each other, the battle right now seems to be for home ice not for a berth.

6. Ottawa Senators (36-23-4)
Top of the division? WTH? Thank you Brian Elliott and heartfelt welcome to Matt Cullen. Can they sustain it? There’s a whole lotta firepower hitting the ice with these guys. The new addition brings a hellstorm of energy and get it done with him.

7. Vancouver Canucks (37-22-2)
On again, off again but really fairly solid. The twins and Bobby Lou have kept these boys in solid contention. If this tripod stays healthy no problem…if not…hard row to hoe to the finish…as usual

8. New Jersey Devils (37-21-3)
Brodeur should be back on track after the Olympics, they now have some help for Parise with Kovalchuk… defense is still a problem but hey!  isn’t Lemaire the King of defense?

9. Pittsburgh Penguins (36-22-4)
No Cup hangover for this crew, they are hanging around in the thick of things. Staal making big noise helps tremendously. No doubt they’ll be tough in the stretch.

10. Colorado Avalanche (35-20-6)
Can they maintain their surprising run with the very physical Pacific Division trying to beat them down in the stretch? Team full of youngsters show no signs of tiring behind the awesome performance of Mister Anderson.

11. Nashville Predators (33-23-5)
Heat applied to the east coast teams on their last swing. Showing serious signs of life into the break. Is Ellis serious? We’ll have to see.

12. Philadelphia Flyers (32-25-3)
What a performance this week. The Flyboys put a hurtin on NJ and Montreal. How the hell did Danny Carcillo remake himself into a top line guy *go Carci GO!* Guess Carter doesn’t need a change of scenery from Philly after all. And  Leighton went 4-0 with a 1.98 GAA and a .925 sv%?

13. Buffalo Sabres (33-18-9)
Still nearly a one horse team…workhorse Ryan Miller has kept this team in the thick of things. Some other people are going to have to get back their offensive production if the Sabres don’t wanna play tag for a post season berth.

14. Anaheim Ducks (30-25-7)
If it weren’t for Jonas Hiller I would have been able to write these guys off while Getzlaff was injured. I sure as hell won’t count them out depsite their awful start. Getting hot at the right times is the mark of a contender.

15. Calgary Flames (30-23-9)
Kiprusoff will have to carry these guys through the stretch unless Iggy and company can find some offense now that 2 reported cancers have been expunged (3-3-1 sincce the big trade indicates some signs of life) will it be enough to hang on?

16. Detroit Red Wings (28-21-12)
They may skid into the playoffs on a singed wing and a prayer but if the injury bug will leave them alone for 5 minutes, they will make it. They missed Holmstrom and apparenly he’s down again. But the Mule is back…look for a big push from to bring them back from the almost Ded.

17. Minnesota Wild (30-27-4)
I don’t know how they’re doing it but these guys just don’t go away. Look for a big push right after the break. St. Nick is back… hopefully his back is back too.

18. Dallas Stars (28-21-12)
A scared Turco apparently plays a hell of a mean pinball. A fire has been lit under Marty (with the acquisition of Lehtonen), he’s head butting and punching his way into keeping his job. Just like last season I don’t see them making it into the post season but they have some competition for 7/8th spot that is in just as deep doo doo…so maybe.

19. New York Rangers (28-27-7)
Despite getting some sorely needed points heading into the break, these guys are still a mess.

20. St. Louis Blues (28-25-9)
They’ve finally figured out that home ice is an advantage. Much like the Coyotes last season IDK if the break is a good thing or a bad thing for them now that they are on a roll.

21. Montreal Canadiens (29-28-6)
Not sure what to say here, they bounce from very good to very weird performances. New GM Pierre Gauthier has his job cut out for him, can he get some pieces in place before the dealine?

22. Boston Bruins (27-22-11)
Losing streak? What losing streak?  Oh THAT losing streak… fugghedaboutit, they’re ready to pahtay and if they can keep it pumped they will really challengefor those last 4-5 slots.

23. Tampa Bay Lightning (27-23-11)
A few wins, a few horrible performances, a few wins, a few stinkers. The math is going to catch these guys too…very soon.

24. Carolina Hurricanes (24-30-7)
Too late. Behind new captain Staal Carolina is 10-3. Can they pull off some more wins? Sure, but I doubt the Cardiac Canes can do much besides spoil a buncha team’s nights down the stretch.

25. Atlanta Thrashers (26-24-10)
Apparently the Thrashers can play hockey without Kovalchuk. Who knew? No more cloud of uncertainty, welcome to the south Oduya and Bergsfors, thanks for contributing right off the hop. Enjoy the surge even though the math is not in your favor.

26. Columbus Blue Jackets (25-28-10)
Playing spoiler will be easy for these guys. They’ve improved now that Hitch is gone but they are so far out there that improvement is relative. Watch your back when you play these guys down the stretch.

27. Florida Panthers (24-27-10)
The upcoming fire sale will be an improvement for these guys. Everyone is for sale. I have no idea why they suck so badly, it really wasn’t a horrible roster.

28. New York Islanders (25-29-8)
Tavares has been great for them even with his inconsistencies. Another team doomed by goalie issues from the start.

29. Toronto Maple Leafs (19-31-11)
Adding Giguere has been good for these guys but the damage is too great to recover from. Blowing this team up will be good for the Leaf Nation, at least they have a great pick to look forward to.

30. Edmonton Oilers (19-36-6)
Is there anything good to say here? Implosion doesn’t quite cover these poor guys. The lottery isn’t going to be enough to compensate their fans.

What do you think? Are we on target here or are there some teams that are going to skew the stats over the next 19 games?

As always… Go Coyotes!

Can you tell I am determined to get through all of these even if I have to go through the rest of the summer?

B-   mostly for lack of point production although his plus/minus didn’t help much.

No one can be more disappointed in his point production than Big Ed. After having a career season last year, this had to suck. I feel sorry for the big lug. I have always been a bit harsh on Ed, mostly because with his price tag and his experience. I expect more from him and just don’t quite understand why we see JovoCop one or two games, then that other guy who can barely find the ice without special instructions for a stretch.

This season he had some really decent games. We had a lot fewer wtf? moments. Ed played some serious defense, made some diving saves, put a few guys on their collective tookis’ and there were a lot fewer ‘lets-see-if-Bryzzies-awake-by-bouncin-one-off-him’ moments. The groin and stomach are holding up just fine, not too sure that kidney slice didn’t hamper him a bit though.

With a really super fine, healthy offensive season and a pretty decent defensive season behind him the last 2 years I wonder if Big Ed can combine the two and have a monster season this next year?

JovoCop grabbed a NTC to go along with his 6.5M (which is only 6M for the next 2 years) so don’t look for the big guy to go just anywhere if we get offers. Take a good long look at the contracts players with reputations are getting these days, JovoCop is a steal at today’s rates, if we have to suffer the special moments occassionally, its just the price of doing business with top talent… they all have their off nights.

Some of you might be wondering whyI’m being so sangfroid about one of the players I rode the hardest. After takin a good long look at the possible replacements (given our current situation) the alternatives are pretty bleak. If we trade Jovo w/out getting someone of comparable potential, our blueline goes back to sucking (and after GMDM has done so much to prevent our defensive Hoovering for 09) that would be a shame. The cost of that comparable player (terms n dollars) could impede the development of the plethora of bluesmen we have coming up in the ranks in the next 3 years. I don’t want that to happen, thus I throw my lot in with Jovo stickin around for the rest of his contract.

So here’s to lookin forward to an A- Jovo for 2009! (theres always room for improvement but I’m not looking for miracles, just consistency on both ends of the ice). May he put together both sides of his talent and come out with canons blazing.

Your thoughts?

As always… Go Coyotes!

Tikhnov – B 

Tiki was one of my picks from the minute the draft started. He hasn’t disappointed my faith in him. He has a whole lot to learn and some weight/strength to put on but overall he did just fine.

Quick on his feet and seriously ice aware, Tiki proved to be very good on the PK. Every minute of TOI you could see him getting better. He was willing to sacrifice (even though it cost him a broken hand), was unselfish and of all the youngsters I think Viktor retained the most identity through the long season. He seemed to be able to put mistakes behind him more quickly than most and rarely repeated the same one twice. 

This kid can finish, even when he’s just supposed to be grabbing the puck so he can go to the penalty box. You gotta admit that Teeks had one of the most memorable goals ever when he scored AND went to the penalty box on the same play.

Tiki impressed me with how fluidly he worked with almost every line he was thrown onto. He has the skating and the control, his hands may not be world class yet but he can get the puck where it needs to be under pressure. I like his instincts and his work ethic.

A little more strength (although I can’t ever see him bulling his way to the net) and he can cruise the slot without gettin killed, can hold his own better in the inevitable puck battles and hang on the half wall without becoming 2D art.

Off the ice Teeks is personable and very well mannered. He seems at ease with fans of all ages. The Coyotes really need to take advantage of his articulate and passionate speech to get to the masses, especially the youth and the the growing young female fan population.

It has to be hard for him to carry all that ‘grandson of famous’ crap around like a hovering shadow, knowing 2 country’s fan are somehow weighing him against the deeds of his family but Viktor doesn’t seem to mind at all. One day in the very near future, when people hear the name Tikhnov, it won’t immediately bring to mind past Russian glories, it will bring to mind a kid with a lil bowl haircut and a smile a mile wide who scored a crucial goal in a Stanley Cup run.

Your thoughts?

As Always… Go Coyotes!

Don’t forget!

In celebration of the anticipated 2009-2010 season here in GLENDALE, AZ and not points north, the Phoenix Coyotes are holding an open house for fans.

Jobing.com arena opens at 6pm with games, free hot dogs and drinks, and tours of the arena including the locker room. Players will be on hand to sign autographs and do a meet and greet. Scheduled to appear from 7:00pm to 8:30pm is:

Peter Mueller
Mikkel Boedker
Keith Yandle
Viktor Tikhonov

Rhino – B

Some nights he was invisible, some nights he was the sneaky conniving vet that created monster chances and passes or simply made his own chances and capitalized on them unapologetically.

Rhino was always willing to do whatever the team wanted him to do, needed him to do. There was a quiet cool to Steven Reinprecht. He was the kind of guy that led by example and was never too good to stop and lend a hand.

Online with Doan and Mueller, there was often a magic nimbus around the trio. The seemed to be able to strike invisible holes in the opponenets armor. He seemed to be the center who ‘got’ Peter Mueller and set up some of Mules sweeter moments this season.

There was no fanfare with Rhino, he was always just a guy, doing his job. ‘1st line? no problem, 3rd line? good, I’ll get more room to work with, press box? well yeah I hate it but if it helps the team, okay I’m down with whatever needs to be done.’

At trade deadline I think we were all holding our breath, can we really afford to lose the Rhino and all his lovely points? Turns out we kept him til the end but GMDM seems to have a roadmap that the journeyman center doesn’t quite fit in. With his usual eye for asset management GMDM traded Rhino’s rights to FLA for an on-the-brink player named Stefan Meyer. So the new dad will be packing up the family and heading to Florida for the 09 – 12 seasons with a great 2M per contract for 3 years. He’ll be reunited with Bally and have a hell of a shot at taking the Panthers over the hump into the post season with his sturdy presence and his 40 or so points.

We will miss him on and off the ice. But we wish him the all the best.

Any thoughts on what his absence will mean to the roster in 09?

Remember to save the date

As always… Go Coyotes!

So the week’s end has come and gone with no word on the Coyotes disposition from Judge Baum. I guess no news could be considered good news. So we’ll press on with the report cards. Up next Mikkel Boedker.

Boedker – B-

Mikkel Boekder, speed demon and super sturdy mega rookie. What an astonishing surprise this kid is. He looks like a sweet 10 year old til you see him battle for a puck. The guy has lower body strength like you wouldn’t believe.  Hard to knock off a puck  (IF you can catch him first), pretty damn durable for a rook too with 78 games under his belt in this first season.

Often referred to as the Great Dane, much was made of the fact that Boeds is one of only 4 players to make the NHL from Denmark. I can’t imagine handling my first NHL season and carrying a nation’s pride and hopes on my back at the same time. But our Dane not only made Denmark proud he has electrified us with his creativity, chalking up a respectable 28 points (including multiple point games). Mikkel is articulate and humble and very aware of his responsibility as a role model. The Coyotes should be grooming this kid to do a LOT of promotional stuff, he’s good at it.

The B-  is simply because Boeds didnt capitalise on his world class speed and unusual creativity enough. After a pretty nasty puck loss that led to a goal against us he toned his game down. Maybe too far down. At times he seemed to have lost his identity and purpose and played too conservative towards the end of the season.

There is so much potential in this kid, I fully expect next year’s report card to have a big fat A on it. I could see the drive and the passion every day at practice and ever since the first prospect camp. This is a kid on a mission and that mission seems to be to make himself one of the elite of the NHL. I think he makes it, what do you think?

As always… Go Coyotes!

At this rate we are never gonna get through report cards and into draft talk.  So while we wait for the Judge’s next move, let’s talk KT

Turris – C+

KT still needs some weight/strength to not get pushed around so much and needs to tighten his damn helmet and keep his head up knowing he is a target. As many times as we saw KT get bashed around, every time, I was scared spitless that he was gonna bust his nugget because of that damn helmet comin off.

WTH? were TPTB thinking? KT should have done his sophmore year in college. (I guess they thought they needed to have a drawing card to get fans out…what better draw than the #3 draft pick?) only it didn’t work out very well. Not for KT and not for the team. I’m sure TPTB had no idea that Boeds and Tiki would provide enough rookie spotlighting that KT could have been brought along with a little more care.

20 points is probably seen as a disappointment for one tabbed as a front-runner for the Calder. If he had been allowed to develop a little longer he just might have gotten into the top tier of that race. Kyle certainly showed some flashes of a Calder candidate but he needs just a bit more confidence. He has to be able to play without fear of making mistakes, he has to have partners who can actually teach and capitalize on the talent he brings to a line. Constantly running with the Hockey Nannies didn’t do him justice.

The kid has good hands, a sweet shot, ice awareness and creativity. Best of all he has absolutely no fear in some of the most dangerous spots on the ice. Kyle will boldly step into a crease scrum to pot a leftover puck. He will also come around the net in that ugly little area affectionately known as death valley with swagger. We’ve also seen this insane kid get hammered to the boards like a penny nail and get up to finish his shift.

Off ice, Kyle has the poise and manner that Captains are made of. Yeah I know he has a long ways to go but he’s already soaking up knowledge from the Doaner which will serve him well later in his career.

I love the kid and see him as a significant chunk of our offense in the future. I think I would loved him more if he was making his debute this next season with at least another 10 – 15 pounds on him and an extra year of experience playing mansized opponents.

Your take?

Don’t forget to write your city council members! It may seem like such an inconsequential thing but its not. The NHL cited our efforts through the Coalition and the rally as part of its case that hockey belongs in the desert, Judge Baum referenced us in court. It IS working! Keep up the good job! This is the battle of our lives and its coming down to the last hill. Keep letting the world know we’re here and we care! You guys make me so proud to be a Coyotes fan.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Winnik – B-/C+ 

The team started out with their identity from last year…the blue collar, hard hat, grind it out team, somewhere along the way they lost that identity. Winnie lost himself too… lost his ability to drive the lane and to hit the net… luckily for him he didn’t lose his ability to pin a mofo to the boards and retained that unique ability to fight off a dozen guys in enemy territory while the entire bench played musical line change at exactly the wrong time.

Many shifts, DWin glued his line together but there were many more nights that Dan couldn’t find the net with a seeing eye dog. It wasn’t that he wasn’t trying and the kid was certainly doing everything else to try to make up for his lack of production but we were desperate for points and Dwin ended up playing in the pressbox more than on the ice. It was brutal. It got to the point that fans didn’t have to wait for the healthy scratch announcement to know one of the names was going to be Winnik.

We don’t have that many big guys, we need Winnie to regain his form. We also need him to regain his ability to throw down. It seemed as if Winnie wanted no  parts of the inevitable wars that come when you mow your opponents over. Several of his pugilistic bouts looked half hearted at best and bewildered and beleagured at worst.

I have a lot of respect for DWin (well, he does need a new barber) overall the kid is truly a giver and is relentlessly tryin to get better every practice as well as leaving everything he has to give on the ice. But in order to fight off the hordes of young talent as well as Team Transplant and any free agents who may be insane enough to sign with us, Winnie is going to have to take his game to a level of consistency beyond what he has shown himself capable of so far.

I wish him luck. I like him. I like his style. I like his tenacity. Now just friggin figure out how to put the biscuit in the basket Winnie! You got everything else covered big guy!

Your call?

Doan gets an A

What didn’t he do?

He couldn’t force chemistry w/ Joker. Shit, if all it took was will power, Doan would’ve found a way. He had another career season, over 70 points! He didn’t miss a single game (iron man strong for 08). Doaner was often was the only spark of life on the team and carried the team in its darkest hours. If a single man could will us to the post season, the Captain woulda been that man.

He played mentor to the kids. He put games on his back (see SJS GWG with Blake, literally on his back!) He scored, he assisted, he hit and he left every bit of himself on the ice most nights. One the the few spots of consistency season to season. He’s the bedrock of everything Coyotes and he keeps getting better every year when most players his age are starting to taper off.

The only way he could improve is to let the brute side of his nature out more. Is there anything better than seeing power forward Doan bulling his way to the net? He isn’t the fastest thing on the ice but if he gets some room he is damn near unstoppable. The Captain was worse than a kid high on fizzy pops some nights and you know… those were the nights we won decisively. I also hope that Captain Clutch can lose the guilt trips next season though. I hate to tell the big galoot that despite being captain, our inability to play hockey in any way, shape or form for 2 months was NOT all his fault. As much as we depend on him, he can’t be an entire hockey team all by himself. During the post-ASG drought you could almost see the frustration behind that world famous grin. But he never gave up. When the reinforcements arrived at the trade deadline the Captain grabbed a spark from somewhere and helped drag the guys back from the pits of despair.

I still don’t know why Shane stayed. He couldv’e had bigger money and better linemates and a real shot at a cup run with just about any team of his choice. Whatever the reason, it is obvious that without Doaner we just aren’t the Phoenix Coyotes.

Your thoughts?

Michalek

My baby boy was phenomenal this season. Yeah, he ended up a minus but that was sooo NOT his fault.

Gotta give him an A.

Z seemed to be tireless, fearless and at times totally reckless. Was there a player in the league that he was afraid to step in front of their shot? Hell, not Souray, not Chara, not Pronger. The kid seemed to be determined to play human puck barrier for his goalies at all cost. You could see how much it cost him but he never let a little…okay a LOT, of pain stop him. I can’t decide if he is totally insane, suicidal or seriously masochistic. (you can vote for all of the above if you like)

262 BLOCKED SHOTS! and a Masterton nomination! Didn’t miss a single game. Amazing enough many would say, but that wasn’t all of my favorite pup’s game. The lil iron Czech was relentless in clearing pucks (even with enemies bearing down on him w/ intent to fold, spindle and mutilate) Z made taking a hit into an art form.

The reason there is no + after that A, is point production (although 27 points ain’t bad, he has the ability to score more) and a nasty minus 13. I think the point issue was mostly because of being part of our kick ass shut down pairing for most of the season rather than part of a duo trying to score. The minus is a result of being paired w/ anyone and every one while Sauer was out and whenever any pairing was in trouble. The remedy for the point problem is to equalize the 3 pairings into a defensive guy and an offensive guy on all 3 lines *so Z isn’t either paired w/ the awesomely defensive but offensively challenged Kurt or too busy covering someone’s ass to shoot* and maybe just a lil more PP time please.

Can anyone find cause to complain about my baby boy? ummm that was rhetorical…