Whoa! WOW! Wolski! (okay sorry, I couldn’t resist) Wotjek Wolski and Lee Stempniak made Phoenix GM Don Maloney look like an evil genius…again. (there’s a reason that Coyotes fans have the mantra … In GMDM we trust. But I’ll get to that later) Poetic justice or not, this game couldn’t have worked out any better for the Coyotes. It had drama galore and back stories out the whazoo.

New boy Lee Stempniak (affectionately as of this moment called Stumps) started his tenure off on the right foot by drawing first blood. Stumps basically woke up in Toronto, hauled it off to the airport, made it to Phoenix in time to suit up for the game. That’s right, no acclimation for this boy, just jump right on in and start the party with his first Coyotes goal. Of course he had an advantage from working wit Fiddy and Winnie, they may not score that much but they sure generate a lot of chances, which can give a kid with a nose for the net plenty of opportunities. Look for a point gathering renaissance for Lee Stempniak in the coming weeks.

It is supposed to sting Petey my lad, if it hadn’t I would have given up on you as many of the Phoenix fans already have done. Peter Mueller said after the game ” It was really strange (playing against Phoenix) It happened so quickly, the last few days. It’s been surreal. This is one of the games where, not just me, but everyone, wanted to win. It stings a little right now.” The constant booing of a former Coyotes player was startling to me at first but I understand the vitriol of the fans after learning that the chronic underachiever…err lazy bum…sorry, I meant the kid asked for a trade months and months ago according to GMDM. Much like Blake ‘the flake’ Wheeler before him, it was a slap in the face to some of the loyal fans. Many felt like that answered their questions about his performance, that maybe Peter stopped giving his all in an effort to get traded and THAT is a very big no no in the eyes of any fanbase, not just Phoenix. But really people, let it go after this, its ugly and truthfully its waaay too much personalization (he didn’t abandon YOU, he had different needs and it wasn’t really that kind of relationship anyway). Think of it this way, his new team got trounced and the last give away that we scored on was directly on him, that should be enough just desserts, lets move on and wish the kid well in the future, the way we would for any former Coyotes player (just never against us thank you very much).

Speaking of poetic justice, what about Wolski with the GWG? Oh yeah, talk about having the last laugh. The big native of Zabrze, Poland sure got the knee slapper over on his former team mates on Thursday. Scoring off a beautiful feed from his new Captain and endearing himself to his new fanbase, his new team mates, his new coaching staff and giving hockey writers everywhere a cool angle to write about all day. After pissing in the skates of his old team I bet WWW went to bed smiling from ear to ear… I know I did.

We hit an empty net? Really? I rubbed my eyes twice before cheering, cuz seriously, these boys and empty nets just can’t ever seem to get together. Thank you Radim for proving 2 things… yes we can so hit an EN and we can also score more than 2 goals in a game after the break.

The return of BeastGalov was great to see, now maybe I can avoid the cost of going to Russia and beating the hell out of the Olympic goat,I meant coach, sorry. Saving 23 of 24 shots was a pretty big deal because it meant Bryzzie is coming back from the doubting place and will be able to keep the boys hanging around til they can find a way to win.

All the new kids found a way to contribute. Nokaleinin? Nokalienen? oh to hell with it, LocoNoko may not have scored but he ran around knockin the fire out of everyone he could reach. (I would love to nickname the boy AT&T for his ability to reach out and touch someone but I have a feeling LocoNoko may be sticking if he keeps playing so edgy)

Last but certainly not least, the DeMolition man has returned… finally. Despite all the hoopla at the end of his last year, we all knew he’d be back if there was a way. He seemed to have a shaky moment or two but other than a puck hopping over his stick during a power play this new Derek Morris is just fine. The hit on Mueller was sheer poetry and he got a couple of nice shots off during his 16+ minutes of TOI without even breakin a sweat. Welcome back Mo indeed.

The Coyotes took down the Avalanche 3 – 1 and it was a great time. The 12k+ fans in the building were rockin the house. Lots of signs were visible welcoming the new kids and fan favorite DMO, a wave was produced after ginormous effort from a crazy man in section 104 and folks were makin serious noise for the boys throughout the arena. 81 points! 4th in the Western conference! 4th in the NHL! Attendance going up every game (including pesky weeknight games)! National media attention…POSITIVE media attention! Holy jumpin! (yes I wish our little motor mouth, Darren Pang could be here to enjoy this, he was the biggest homer ever through some tough times) but I’ll just borrow his favorite phrase to describe this amazing turn of events.

Up next in this home stand are the Anaheim Ducks. I know everyone and their mama is expecting the Ducks to make their push for a post season spot. We better be ready to squash those plans.

Keys to the game?

Solve Jonas Hiller. Period, point blank and simple. We’ve given this team the business all season but it always comes down to Hilly. This kid is a rock in their net and doesn’t rattle easy. If we can get 2 by him and then hold on tight I would be happy.

Mind our own net. We have to give Bryz some lock down defense. That damn Bobby Ryan can make the best defense look like Swiss cheese. We have to let Bryz see what is coming in and don’t let those damn Anaheim trees set up shop in front of him. Bryzzie still knows how they shoot and always gets up for these games. No rebounds! No second chances for these guys Breezer.

The newest edition of the scoring committee can’t lay back and let the new boys do all the work. (it will be fine if LocoNoko gets the GWG though, I’m all in for another case of poetic justice against his former team) It is time for everyone to partake in the scoring drives. We have to bring all guns to bear in order to get this job done.

Discipline of course will be key tonight. These boys will eat you alive if you give them enough PP time. Just stay out of the box for your own sakes. No stupid penalties tonight please.

Watch your backs! Getzlaf and Wizniewski will be headhunting. Head on a swivel and do unto them before they do unto you should be the words of the day.

There are still some tickets left. The bandwagon is starting to fill up but don’t worry, we’ll scoot over to make room for you to join us. There will of course be a tailgate in Lot J as usual from 2ish to 5pm when the doors open. So come on by and join the party. Don Maloney is hosting a chalk talk around 3:30 ish (I hope you RSVP’d for that) Don is always a great speaker and allows lots of questions.

Don’t forget about the Coyotes Carnival on Sunday! Right here at the JobArena. Rain or shine the boys will be out for this charitable event. We’ll have a blast and you can meet the new kids. It is only a $10 donation to get into the event. Hope to see you there.

As always… Go Coyotes!

I don’t have time this mornin to go into all of yesterday’s awesome events. All I can say right now is YES! WHOO HOO! HOORAY! We have the slickest GM in the league! Don made us proud yesterday by doing what needed to be done to correct our course before anything crazy happened. Some people may think its all about adding particular players, its not. Trade time is all about adding the ‘right’ player(s), having assessed your team with a totally honest eye and removing the players that are hindering your progress (for whatever reason) and adding guys that can add the gears the team is missing. Sometimes your team just needs the spark of knowing that their organization really gives two shits and wants them to succeed. The Coyotes made THAT statement loud and clear yesterday.

Sooo welcome new Coyotes, one and all. May your time here in the desert be fun, fufilling and successful. A special welcome goes out to our DMO, the demolition man is back in the desert where he belongs!

Young Mueller wasn’t happy here? It showed. I wish him the best in te future but not tonight. Tonight, I hope his sandbagging ways backfire on him and he doesn’t score. After that, he can go forth and prosper with my heartfelt blessing. (Sorry, he’s the enemy tonight) I won’t mind as much if Kevin Porter scores… as long as the Coyotes win. Kevin Porter is a hard working sweetheart that really deserves a chance to show what he’s made of. (only one Ports, only one. You too are the enemy tonight)

We play the resourceful Colorado Avalanche tonight. These boys have been finding ways to win all season. Joe Saccho has been a miracle man with his very young squad. I have been pulling for thm all season… just not when they play us. Tonight’s game could be billed as the matchup of the discarded. With the swapped Wolski and Mueller going head to head for the first time it should be very interesting.

Keys to this game?

Special teams… we will all be watching to see if the new boys can get our flatlining PP jumpstarted. Oh I know its too early to really make a difference but seriously, we will all be looking for that.

If Bryzzie starts, he needs to really leave the Olympics behind him and come back to earth. Being in his head is never a good thing for our boy and right now I think that is a very dark and scary place…Get outta there! Positioning, flow and rebound control hve to become his friends for real tonight. These kids can throw rubber with the best of them, be ready Breezer! AzBarbie has had some nice games, if he starts this one he just needs to remember to stay the hell in his net, relax and let his reflexs work for him…no drama tonight, small movements, controlled limbs and he’ll take care of business.

Use the force scoring committee. The energy provided by the trades has usually worked in our favor. We need to keep it simple. Control the low slot whenever we get in the Av’s zone and just shell the hell out of the amazingly hot Mr. Andersen.

Defense… you were non existent last game. That better not happen tonight. Get yer poop in a group blueline. Young Yandle has been amazing when the big guys have been out. Its time to stop taking a back seat to your elders Yands. Own your shifts, stop playing so safe. You are at your best when taking those edgy risks. The rest of you sloths need to adjust and get back into the flow, vacation is over! Time to get back to being the NHL’s top scoring blueline.

Gotta go… the trip to Scottsdale takes FOREVER!

As always… Go Coyotes!

Ouch… just ouch… the boys are back but apparently they left their hockey on vacation for this stinker. Losing to the Blues 5 – 2 pissed Tippett off so badly that I think his presser was about 3 sentences long. Methinks the boys will be practicing long and hard tomorrow.

The first few shifts it looked like the boys were gonna be alright. But everyone was off tonight. Fiddie, Winnie, Muels and AZBarbie were pretty much the only ones who were ready from their first shifts and stayed on the ball the whole 60 minutes. The rest of the team only had moments… Joel Perrault teamed up with Mueller and they looked solid early. Joel even scored the first goal. Hanzal ran a few guys over and seemed to be intent on knocking people thru the boards. It would be downhill the rest of the night.

It was great to see Petr Prucha back on the ice, just as feisty and fast as he was before the infamous Neal hit.

Jovo got hit in the chops hard enough to knock his helmet off, he left the game and didn’t return. The refs of course missed this as well as several really ugly incidents. Fraser… please either stop channeling Magoo or retire to your porch and regale family about the time when you were a ‘good’ NHL referee.

Bryz! Get that screwed up Russian coach outta yer head! Regardless of how badly team Russia got spanked, it was sooo not your fault. You are back home with your NHL family and WE love you. I totally don’t get why Tip started Bryzzie tonight… the Blues should have been AZBarbie’s game, giving Bryz an extra couple of rest days. Much better to let Bryz get back his desert legs and go up against the Avalanche instead. Och, too late now I suppose but our Breezy needs to get back into Coyotes space quick.

5 unproductive power plays… left me wishing once again that we could decline those bad boys. Not that it would have made a difference against a Blues team on a mission. We were flat and busy doing a lot of things… just not the right things. The boys seemed to be looking around to see if everyone was still on the team. GMDM should just make his deals early and let the boys take a deep breath of relief and get their minds back on hockey. Trade deadline has to be very rough on their psychies.

Before everyone starts running out on their ledges, don’t panic. Lets see what the rest of this homestand looks like before we start with the meltdown crap. GMDM, this would be a perfect time for even a minor move. We all saw what kind of energy a team can get from a new face or two last year.

With Eriksson possibly on waivers, it feels like Don is about ready to make at least one move. So far most of the rumors are still swirling around Peter Mueller (he has been linked to trade talks about Cogliano:EDM and the Av’s Wolski) why the Avs would even entertain the thought of sending Wolski our way, I have no clue…unless the rumors about coaching issues are true? If Wolski doesn’t fit your system Yetis… we’ll gladly take him off your hands.

Hat Trick Hound will be monitoring the webosphere and will post up any moves our intrepid GM makes tomorrow. 3PM can’t come soon enough if you ask me… trade deadline sucks. But one thing is for certain, we need the energy that change will bring, we need an upgrade at defense, our PP needs an injection of urgency and a guy who understands the need for low slot work and we need to get this over with so that the boys aren’t in a constant state of anxiety about who is getting the plane ticket.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Congratulations to The US Men’s hockey team for their heroic performance in the 2010 Olympics! You did us proud guys! (P.S. the silver is prettier anyway) It sure was nice hearing the complimentry things being said by the commentators during the games and the local media may finally be on the band wagon too if the local NBC sport’s mentions are anything to go by. (I have even been listening to sports radio in the mornings because there has actually been hockey talk on!)

There hasn’t been as much movement of players at the trade deadline as we all probably imagined. Its a seller’s market and the prices must be pretty steep. GMDM has reminded us all about his value policy in today’s AZCentral column. So be patient, The Don is pretty damn good at hose tradin, if there is a deal that fits us, he’ll make it. If not, we’ll be workin hard like usual to make the post season but either way, we’ll get ‘er done. Have faith!

So the boys are back in town and ready to rumble. Sami Lepisto is the only one of our Olympians to bring back any hardware (Congrats to Sami for his bronze medal with Team Finland!) Lots of new items on the Coyotes web page, Strader’s preview of the game, Doan and Nash took an F-16 ride and Yotes Quotes from Z just to name a few things.

We take on the St. Louis Blues tomorrow. It is a ’should’ win game but we can never take ANY team for granted. Every team, mathematically eliminated or not, will be turning on the afterburners. Playing spoiler is sometimes the only satisfaction to be had for teams out of the running. We’ll have to be sharp to grab as many oints as we can before we go out on the road into seriously hostile territory.

The series stands at 2 -1 in favor of the Yotes. Can the student surpass the master? Bryzzie needs another victory to tie goalie coach Sean Burke’s 33 wins in one season. I know he can do it and I’m sure Burkie will be proud to have a hand in helping Bryz make franchise history.

The keys to this game?

Be very very stingy. We are a team built on defense. We’ve gotten burned in OT by these guys before. Watch the red hot TJ Oshie and that sneaky Johnson kid. The Blues have some key players out but that doesn’t mean we can coast. The back end better be solid tonight, there will be a lot of eyes watching to see if our blueline really is ALL that. With Z, Sami and Bryz coming off a tough 2 weeks in Vancouver (as well as a lot of travel) some other folks are going to have to be ready to step up big if the minutes have to be redistributed.

I am not going to preach about special teams. Our PP is what it is (29th in the league). We can’t depend on winning this one on the back of a PP performance. If we play disciplined hockey, we won’t have to do much short handed defending. We’ll have to stay out of the box and score 5 on 5 to get this one in the bag… as usual.

Offense!? Where forth art thou offense? IDK where its been the last few games before the break but lets hope it shows up for this one. Bruises are healed, nagging injuries should be a distant memory, it is time to put some points on the board. The scoring committee needs to wake up, stand up and be counted on. No excuses, the dirty areas need to be breached and 2nd and 3rd chances must be buried.

Chris Mason was hot right before the break but the layoff may have taken his edge off. We need to rattle him early and not let him get his confidence up. Lots of rubber, make him move… a lot! Backes and Johnson came home from the Olympics with a silver medal and a boatload of confidence… seriously… watch out for them.

Congratulations to all the winners of the Coyotes Coalition tickets! See you all in section 104 to celebrate the return of Phoenix Coyotes Hockey!

As usual… Go Coyotes!

I was going to look into the Coyotes wallet first but there is still a lot of research required since we have kids all over the damn place. So you get my take on rentals and buys the GM might want to kick the tires on today instead. (thanks to CoyoteQ for helping me survey the field of availability)

As we walk through the ranks of the teams that are either mathematically eliminated or real close to it, we need to keep in mind a couple of things… our PP sucks majorly and we have a real need to upgrade our 6/7 defensive positions. (Lepisto is doing the best he can but he’s still a baby  with positioning issues and Bubba has been a scratch waay too long… is he still not 100% or is he not what Tippett wants on his bench?). So it would seem that what we are looking for is 2 players minimum that can eat minutes, have at least a modicum of offensive prowess (to replace Upshall’s lost scoring), are defensively responsible (to fit into Tippett’s defense first system) and of course any jump start for our hideous PP and/or playoff experience is a bonus. Pretty tall order eh?

Offensive Rentals:

Atlanta’s Maxim Afinogenov could fit the bill pretty well (while not a defensive giant) he is a major point grabber this season with over 44 points so far this season (so what if he’s 30 years old, we’ve seen that he can still fly) and he is on his best behavior to get back into the good graces of the NHL family. He seems to be fairing very well out of the spotlights. (5) PP goals

Carolina’s Ray Whitney is another great rental possibility. With Kovalchuk finally out of the picture, Whitney’s value skyrockets, even by trade deadline overpayment standards. The guy can score, has underdog experience, has Cup experience and is defensively sound. At age 37 this old dog is still playing good minutes and has 41 points on a hinky Canes team. (6) PP goals

Toronto’s Alexei Ponikarovsky is also a name we hear frequently as a premiere pickup. He’s been pretty good lately, on pace for 54 points and is currently a +5. A 29 year old, 6′ 4″  rental doesn’t sound too bad if TOR will just not wanna take a pint of blood back for him in return. (4) PP goals

Columbus’ Raffi Torres has been placed on waivers. The 28 year old LW has been a solid NHLer throughout his career. He has 26 points so far this season. This is a gritty guy with decent defense and good energy. One of those guys you don’t really like to play against but sure don’t mind having on your squad. (this is the kind of value player the Don likes) (7) PP goals

Florida’s dynamic duo is supposedly also part of their fire sale. Either of them would be prize pickups for us. They know how to operate in untraditional markets and how to get scoring against all odds.

Nathan Horton (rumored to be targeted by BUF) will be returning from his broken leg within the next couple of weeks. At only 24 years old, Horton is a gem. He’s got a startling 46 points and while not the grittiest guy on the block, he often forgets himself and goes for points in the ugly areas. (6) PP goals

The 26 year old Stephen Weiss just may be the scoring touch that we need with 45 points under his belt (all done with very little help all season). Weiss is probably the Florida player getting his tires kicked the most by teams looking to buy. Some of FLA’s fans call him a soft player but anyone who can grab that many points on the lackluster Panthers must be doing something right. (8) PP goals

Defensive Rentals:

Is Florida’s Dennis Seidenbergh worth repatriating? 22 points and a minor -1. He wasn’t horrible before and seems to have learned consistency down in the southeast. He’s worth a looksee since he has grown a bunch since his stint here in Phoenix. (1) PP goal

Tampa Bay has a kid named Kurtis Foster that I wouldn’t mind getting my mitts on. He is a defensive staple with 28 points. He is 6′ 5″ and only 28 years old… prime age for a blueliner. (it would be a plus to sign him after but not a total bummer if we can’t since we do have help on the blueline in the form of Goncharov possibly arriving next season from Russia) (3) PP goals

Florida’s Bryan McCabe – Has a few years on him at 34 but remember we’re talking rental not marriage. On pace for about 34 points and a plus 1 right now, the former all-star and vet blueliner has some semi-recent playoff experience and knows his way around a rink. He’s still pretty sturdy and doesn’t miss a lot of games. (3) PP goals

would anyone mind cornering the market on Czechs?

How about Pavel Kubina? – This is one big Czech at 245lbs. On pace for 45 points and holding a +6 we can definitely put this one on the acquisitions list. 32 years old and still has a few miles left on him (despite a possibly bummy right knee), has some playoff experience and would probably be fairly cheap to grab (last trade he and Stapleton went for Excelby and Stuart) (2) PP goals

I doubt the Minnesota Wild will be looking to sell anything from their defensive stable (especially within the conference) but Mareck Zidlicky could be worth inquiring after (since the Wild have just upgraded their blueline with Cam Barker, maybe Zidlicky could be their odd man? ) The guy has very recent playoff experience, is on pace for 47 points and is a paltry – 1. (2) PP goals

Offensive Purchases:

I hate to keep raiding Atlanta’s cupboards but they got a lot of nice pieces down there, like the 27 year old Rich Peverly and his 42 points. He’s a great steal if a deal could be done. No matter where he’s played, this guy has been quietly killin it on secondary points. (7) PP goals

The other jewel in the offensive market would have to be Tomas Plakanec. The guy has over 55 points this season and shows no sign of slowing down. Can he be pried away from the original 6 team? Pricey to say the least and dicey at best. It would be a huge change from Montreal to here and he might not like the change much. (which could affect the locker room adversely) (3) PP goals

And then there is a GMDM blue light special in Jonathan Cheechoo. Cheechoo has been waivered… and cleared! He’s hanging around the the bus in the AHL already. That is a travesty. I know he’s 29 but the kid has got to have some juice left. 4 years ago he was the Richard trophy winner, 3 years ago he was an allstar. He’s had some knee and neck issues but what the hell else is going on that caused him to sink so fast? I hate his -13 and the fact that he was only on pace for 17 points but I betcha he’d get his shit together for another shot at the NHL unless he’s got some physical issue no one knows about. Imagine Tippett pulling a 2006-ish performance out of him?

Former Coyotes Steven Reinprecht is available (at firesale prices). Dumped before Tippett got here, the Rhino was 3rd in points on an inept Coyotes team. He isn’t the fastest guy on 2 skates but he’s crafty, works hard, has Cup experience and can face off fairly well. No long term committment here (a year isn’t a killer), could he be worth the investment of say… a low potential prospect or a low end pick? (2) PP goals

Defensive Purchase:

Atlanta’s young defenseman Tobias Enstrom flashes before my greedy eyes when talking about purchasing a defenseman. The 25 year old blueliner just keeps getting better every year. He has 42 points this season and plays with heart every shift. The little Swede (only 5′10″ 180lbs) is  a +7 on the quirky Thrashers team, think Z with more of a shooters mentality. (2) PP goals

Anaheim won’t be looking to do us any more favors and I’m sure it wouldn’t take too much time for Phoenix fan’s to forgive him for his nasty hit on our Captain but how about I throw James Wizniewski’s name into the ring? He’s RFA and the Hawks have been sniffing around the idea of bringing him back into their fold (which might make him a little expensive to take a run at) but maybe the Duck’s scouts have seen something on our shared AHL roster that might soften Anaheim up for a little inter-division dealing. (2) PP goals

Speaking of Anaheim, they just waived Nick Boynton. The 31 year old has been here before and might be a decent 6th/7th. Adds to team toughness (who can forget Nick pulling Miettenen off his bench wall for a beat down that he royally deserved?). He only has 7 points and is a +1 but he plays capable defense even if he won’t be setting the world on fire at this stage of his career. Decent deal at 1.5M and can always be packaged in the offseason. Could be had for very little cost. (1) PP goal

How about a shot at RFA Anton Stralman from Columbus? He’s not doing too bad with 29 points (that -11 seems to be the result of a bad team more than a lack of defense on his part). 23 years old and 200lbs, he’s young enough to teach and big enough to hang tough in the pack. (4) PP goals

How about enforcement/team toughness and goaltending upgrades? How bout we do that in a mini-part II because there may be more to say on that front than I can squeeze into 2 paragraphs.

Okay tired now… it is very hard to think like a GM with a limited budget. Gotta pass by the obvious additions that will cost an arm and a leg (or at least one of your first rounders). So what do you think? Anyone on this list look good to you? Or would you rather make a case for Ballard or Streit? Perhaps Stempniak, Brunette or Vermette are more your cup of tea? Is there anyone I missed that could help the Coyotes through the next few weeks or make them stronger for a  deeper push into the post season? Is there a team out there on the fence between buyer and seller that might be willing to do a little business with the Don? Let me know, I always enjoy hearing your takes on subjects like this.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Well whatdayaknow, another first for us here at the Check… to rent or not to rent? I have never had to ask that question. We have been sellers or non-participants so often that I find myself at a loss. Attempting to discern GMDM’s choices is a tough one. Do we need help to get over the post Olympic break hump and into the post season for the first time in well, forever? And then when we do get there and everyone has all these extra gears and role players becoming saviors, are we strong enough for this battle as is?

We are all nail bitingly aware of the issues that the Yotes have faced in the past, dealing with walls or with post-break killing slumps. This year is already different. the mix of young talent and vets is different, we have more wins 3/4 of the way than we had all season before, the system is different, and the coaching style is different… all in a very good way.

No longer do the Coyotes battle day in and day out from the first puck drop, to maintain a hold on 7th or 8th or pushing up from 9th or 10th position. These new Coyotes clawed their way up to 4th in the conference and have chewed and maimed to stay there, fending off the likes of a newly grown up LAK and a miracle on ice young COL team as well.

The Maloney-era Coyotes look lean, mean and ready to make some noise in the post season. Under the respected leadership of Dave Tippett and his soon to be legendary coaching staff, the Coyotes have already surpassed all expectations, hell, they’ve surpassed many of our wildest dreams. (yes soon to be legendary, what else can you call a staff that can achieve this much with such a beleaguered team?)

The Phoenix Coyotes were mired in red ink and nearly bled out, we were hampered by ownership that didn’t want us and had no clue how to run us (they hadn’t spent a half way intelligent dime since they signed Jovo). We were flailing about in BK court like a gaffed fish and suffering through a negative media blitz of EPIC  proportions, just to name a few of the problems Tippett and staff faced this season.

Sooo, look ahead to March 3rd 2010, the new era Coyotes, or should that be the Maloney/Tippett era Coyotes will have 19 games to survive in order to get to the post season for the first time in… seems like forever. Can they do it without the services of Scottie Upshall? The team just needs to win about 15 points to secure a berth. Can the rest of the scoring committee find another setting on the heat scale and hold the team on course or are they going to need some help?

With the highest scoring defense in the NHL, it would seem like the Yotes would be in great shape. Behind the front end talents like Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata, Mathew Lombardi and … uh oh… there is no and. Only 3 true consistent offensive scorers? Oy! Even Coach Tippett appears to be tired of waiting for Peter Mueller to return to form and get hot, so don’t blame me for not listing him here. Seems like having only 3 dependable scoring forwards answers the question about standing pat heading into the final sprint portion of the season.

Since we don’t have ‘real’ ownership in place to give the Don a budget, this whole thing might just be a moot point. But for shits n giggles lets pretend that the NHL wants to make as much money as possible off their investment and recoup some of that lost revenue they spent in BK court and funding the team through this season. That would mean that Bettman and Daly were telling the truth when they said GMDM would have funds to do what needs to be done for the team.

So we need to make a move, agreed? Do we rent? If so then the question becomes who to rent and how much to pay. If we want to purchase instead, for maximum value (and you know how GMDM loooves his value players)  then who to buy and again… how much to pay? Payment doesn’t mean actual dollars… we have enough cap space to buy Kovalchuck and Ovie… the real payment comes in the form of players in return, picks to give up and of course prospects that others covet… (our future roster members).

Guess we better take a look in our figurative wallets and see how much we got in the way of trade bait, picks and prospects. Keep in mind we’ll have to give up something decent to get back something good in return. At trade deadline, good can often cost a LOT more than you want to pay. So let’s have at it shall we? let’s take a look at who is available from the herd and what we have available to pay to make them part of the pack.

Part II tomorrow: What the Coyotes wallet has available in roster bait, picks and prospects.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Get well Petr Prucha! We adore you.

We lost for a second time to Dallas. We went 8 – 3 in the last 11.  It was just a loss, we’ll bounce back. It is what the Coyotes do, bounce back, stronger and harder every time. Keep in mind that while other leading teams (BUFF, SJS, CHI et al) have been slipping and sliding around these last few games, teams like (PHO, CAR, ATL) have been turning on the afterburners and getting hot at just the right time. This may well be one of the tightest races to the cup berths in a long while.

On the Neal hit, it will be interesting to see what hapens. TSN’s McKenzie doesn’t think there will be any punishment. I guess it depends on the views of the hit you watched. When it first happened I was kinda on the fence but after getting home and watching the replays I wasn’t quite so ambivilent. It is high, there appeared to be contact to the head area, I thought that it warranted a review and an explanation from the NHL. Coach Tippett has been so mum on the refs all year but he really lost his cookies over this one and pretty much called the refs and the league out for accountability on this one. From Tip’s press conference (listen to the whole presser on phoenixcoyotes.com - 

“The league, all I’ve heard for months is how we’re bearing down on head shots,” Tippett said. “Well, that’s a clear head shot. . . . It’s a hit to the head, and you have a guy that’s basically knocked out cold. Again, it just baffles me. When you have referees looking right at it, and they tell you that’s not a bad hit, and you’ve got a guy laying on the ice unconscious. That just baffles me.” -

The 210lb Neal caught the 170lb Prucha vulnerable, no Neal’s shoulder isn’t high but the elbow does come up, there wasn’t any serious speed behind the hit but it is deliberate. Neal has been suspended once this year for his hit on CLS’ Derrick Dorsett. Will he be carrying the repeat offender tag after this one? I certainly hope so.

Coach Crawford should keep his mouth shut, his first sentences make him sound like a completely callous creep - 

“It was to me, it really was nothing,” he said. “Nobody likes to see anybody get hurt. It’s terrible when a guy hits his head on the glass, but he took him out. You watch the play, and he doesn’t even finish his check. It was all his head hitting the glass. It’s tough. (Loui) Eriksson got a tougher hit (from Doan) at the end of the game, and he’s got the face to show it right now. We hope Petr’s OK. You hate to see anybody get hurt.”

I would be all over giving Turco props for getting back on track except he seems to have lost his mind (the deliberate head butt last game and the punches to Doan as he was falling across the paint last night were not only uncalled for but very un-Dallas like) I lost a lot of respect for Marty with these actions. One of the solidly Dallas fans in the stands took off her Turco jersey after the punches and has disavowed him. (She was staunchly in his corner for years) Playing hard and playing with attitude are great things… why does the cheap and ugly suddenly have to enter the picture?

Props to Bissonnette and Hanzal for standing up for their team mates.

Anyway, the Stars did exactly what they were supposed to do, get a lead and make a tired, legless team chase the game. Intentional or not, the injury to Prucha helped the Stars to keep the Yotes off their game and mentally screwed up. Does this game matter in the scheme of things? We’re still 3 – 2 in this series. I guess it only matters if you are wearing the green and gold. (Dallas remains in 9th tied with DET and 14th in the league.)Dallas is still fighting for their playoff lives, we on the other hand didn’t lose anything, still 4th in the league and in the conference. (although LAK and COL have snuck a little closer, we’ll have to put some serious distance between us when we return from the break) 

Come playoffs, the Yotes will have to shake these things loose and continue to play their system if they want to progress. Not forgive of course, but forget long enough to get the job done. First priority is to get the win, revenge is a dish best served cold, from a big silver cup that finally has our name on it.

Darryl Jones of Ice Edge was at the game last night. Good to see that they are keeping a sharp eye on their future investment. Too bad we lost but he did get to see a team of heart put out a good effort after a brutal travel schedule and a team that stands up for itself and its mates. If you haven’t been watching Goldwater’s attempts to interfere in our business, the Judge pretty much told the GWI to butt out. The court says there are no new documents for them to root around over and to get lost because they didn’t present enough evidence to contradict the City of Glendale and Ice Edge.

So enjoy this break Yotes fans, devote time to the family and the dog and the yard. Watch the Olympics and cheer for our kids playing for their countries and of course root for the USA to win a bunch of gold. We’ll all be really busy watching the Yotes make the mad sprint into their long awaited post season berth after this haiatus. A healthy and well rested Coyotes team will be hunting points and howling their way through the NHL ranks. THIS is the year of the Coyotes!

As always… Go Coyotes!

There are 20 games left including tonight’s tilt against the Dallas Stars. That is 40 points, sitting there, begging to be brought home. Now of course we can’t bring them all home but I’m sure our record can accommodate 21 or more of the little critters.

Looking back and being honest, who can say they saw this coming? We had hopes of course and most of us said we’d skid into the post season on a smoking wing and a prayer. But who saw THIS? This team that won’t quit, that hasn’t lost more than 3 in a row all season. This Coyotes squad that never gives up, even when they’re 2 goals or 3 goals behind. Who saw these guys becoming a family, a unit, a force of nature?

That force is back in Glendale tonight after burning the Oil,  sweeping the Wild for the first time ever! and just missing beating the Avs to 2 points. (we just left too many chances on the table last night. Totally winnable but I’m not totally disappointed. Just gotta say… there are nights when I really hate zebras) But the boys scratched, clawed and as Tippett says, hung around til they could find a way to win for the most part. We grabbed 4 more of those coveted little points to bring our total to a whopping 79! *we’re 3 points ahead of LAK and within shouting distance of Chicago’s 83*

Tonight is one of those nasty back-to-back nights with a bit of travel slipped in to make it more interesting. (the NHL scheduler really hates us apparently, because we just did this… against Dallas no less!) Well the Stars can forget about facing a lifeless, legless team again this time. They’re home and we’ll be providing them with some energy to help them along tonight on home ice.

So, keys to this game?

Screw Marty Turco. Literally and figuratively. Make him a non factor. Don’t dump anything too close or he’ll go all 3rd defenseman on us. *putting it out far enuff that he’s tempted to go out front would be fine and then strip him and put it in the net!* that works quite well.

Watch out for the rejuvenated Ratboy, Ribbie is back in the lineup and ready to sneak a few goals if he can. Don’t let them get any good chances, they had a good game against CAL the other night.

Play physical not tentative. (just because the refs in COL blew some calls at the end, doesn’t mean we’ll get jobbed again) We have to play these guys physically and hard all 60 minutes. No space allowed.

Discipline as always will have to be tight. No matter what any Star does, let HIM get the penalty… or take that clown to the box with you. (we don’t have to worry about Otter, he’s out with his appendix)

Scoring committee and their new left wing Lombardi need to come out firing all the heavy artillery tonight. We need to go into the break with a good victory.

Puck drops at 6pm. Tailgate is from 2pm til 5pm in parking lot J. Hope to see you all there! It is we win/you win night so don’t forget to keep your ticket AND the voucher for free tickets after we win. Booster Club 50/50 bring your extra 2 bucks to get in on the chance to win some dough.

******************NHL Olympic Roster Freeze is on

Some juicy pieces cleared waivers  Like Jonathan Cheechoo… an interesting player,  we should at least kick the tires on that

As always… Go Coyotes!

Records?! We don’t need no steenking records!  But we sure love smashing them. From Bryzzie’s phenomenal career high wins & shutouts to our amazing 10 game home streak to our most wins the fastest in the franchise’s history, we’re knocking down all preconceptions faster than anyone ever dreamed. Not to mention the weird and often too knuckle twisting ways we are finding to win.

We took on Nashville and never scored a goal…and still won! Talk about a fantastic game of defense and guts. The Preds are like a mirror image of our own team. (It was like twin brothers battling each other) Both sides showed no weaknesses. And the 10 round shootout at the end was a gut buster of EPIC porportions. Who would have ever predicted Adrian Aucoin as the shoot out savior? Oakie was brilliant (sooo glad he participates in the shootout tourneys at practice) A 1 – 0 win in a tight almost playoff type game is good practice for the real thing. Aucoin is very funny, he says he was just trying to put the goalie to sleep with his speed, we think that the wiley vet has been watchin these things pretty closely and knows exactly what he is doin out there.

We just love the shoot out apparently because we battled Chicago to a standstill behind the amazing game of AZBarbie. Last season we all cringed everytime the name ‘Blackhawks’ came up in conversation. They schooled us and ruled us all season long. Well, that is no more. We took it to the Chi-town boys 3 -1 in our first contest on home ice and then last night we won again on the crazy success of Adrian Aucoin’s sudden shootout prowess. Oaks says this about his second one “Now I’m nervous,” Aucoin said. “The first one was luck. Now it’s actually a streak.” 2 – 1 W, Yotes! Simply amazing as we got our 6th straight victory.

A tired yet elated team rolled into Dallas around 2 am to try to sleep in yet another set of strange and uncomfortable beds. Then the boys dragged into American Airlines Center to face a desperate Marty Turco (who is facing a serious challenge for his job from TBA – tall, bald & Auld). We’ll talk about goalies facing the possibility of being put on the trading block in another post. (along with rumors about possible pickups for the trade deadline… Wisniewski? really?)

We seem to have a very obstinate attitude towards making anything 7 right now. Our 6 game winning streak came to an abrupt end on Saturday night. The desperate Stars came to play and jumped on us from the first puck drop til the last buzzer. I won’t sugar coat it, it was bad all night. A short handed goal was scored on us, the PP went 0 – 6, a rookie scored twice in less than 5 minutes and Marty Turco denied every good old college try that we could muster. The only good thing about the night was Biznasty dropping the hammer on Barch, which was thoroughly enjoyable even though I wished it had been Steve Ott. Yeah we lost and lost badly (okay, we got shut out 4 – 0) but you have to keep everything in perspective. We are 7-3-0 in our last 10! We’re sitting pretty with 75 points (35-19-5), we’ve got 23 games left to get the other 25 points to break 100 and secure a post season berth. We have no severe injuries (except Uppy and Sweets) *knock on wood, lets keep it that way* We just need to break even on this last week before the break and then we get to rest for the sprint portion of the season.

So don’t be disheartened folks. I know we have gotten so caught up in having a competitive team that is spoiling us by finding ways to win no matter what, but the reality is that the boys are going to falter now and then and we just have to hang in there and keep supporting and believing. This Coyotes squad is the real deal and even though there will be a few more bumps and roadblocks, they are going to stay in the hunt for Lord Stanley’s Cup into April and beyond.

It sure is irritating, yet so very cool, to call for tickets and find out there aren’t many left for quite a few games. If you are planning to see the Hawks game on 3/20, you better call quick. That game was close to sold out last week.

So anyways, we play the Oil tonight. Those boys have been having a rough go of it all season. (18-33-6) and (2-7-1) in their last 10. I hate to kick a team when they are down but we need these 2 points. Besides, its not like they didn’t wreck us more than their share last season.

The keys to this game?

Get a good rest and come out raging. Don’t think about the fact that you got smacked in Dallas or the fact that you gotta hit the road again for another nasty road trip. Think only about containing Dustin Penner and Gagne (if he’s well enough to play). Think about taking advantage of Staios, Horcoff and O’Sullivan (the worst +/- holders on the team). These guys are struggling, run through them or over them as often as possible on your way to see Deslauriers about a goal or 5. (The kid owes us for lettin him have his 1st shutout, doesn’t he?) The scoring committee should really ramp themselves up for a bunch of shots on goal, we’ve had too many nights lately where the sogs were horribly lacking, in quality if not in quantity.

Defense and discipline. It has been our ability to execute these two things that has saved our bacon lately. Let’s keep that going. The goalies have gotten used to having help, lets give them a break tonight and limit the amount of rubber they have to fend off. Don’t let their losses fool you, these boys from EDM are sneaky, they have been right on the verge of winning quite a few of these games. Do NOT let them have PP time or we will give them the break they’ve been waiting for to get some confidence and possibly go on a tear.

Maaan Bryz, hang tight. I know there is all kinds of craziness running through your mind right now. Bearing the weight of your country for the Olympics is never easy (especially when that country is Russia) and knowing you are one of the lynchpins for the success of an entire franchise has got to be quite the heavy load. You only have 3 more weeks of double duty big guy. Hold fast, we believe in you. Come out scrappin tonight, you got this!

Sorry this one is so brief but I am crunched for time. Lets just get to the game tonight and let our boys know how much we care. BRING THE NOISE!

See you all at the game, puck drops late on this one folks 7:30 start time. See you all there.

As always… Go Coyotes!

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!