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!

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!

Speaking of going away mad as hell, was that not a corker of a way to end the Wild game? Did Yandle really unload on OhNo? Did Fiddy really pull that poor putz Sheppard outta that elf pile and put the smack down? OH WAIT silly me…that was last game. We need to click forward to last night, same result, a win, different ways and means to get there.

Can we get a damn whistle? If this ref can see a puck in there, I’m Halle Berry. Obligatory ref bitching … first you blow whistles like you get paid by the tweet, then you act like the whistle is somewhere unmentionable and you can’t get it out in mixed company. Consistency zebras, consistency! Ok, all done, back to the game.

40 effin minutes!  The boys still have to learn the main lesson of success in the NHL.

The boys started off the first period hot behind Pruuu!!! Under 8 minutes in, Petr struck with the wrister. Then 3 minutes later Doaner would benefit from the line change with another wrister (he got everything on it from the high slot and it was beautiful). We may have to call the line of Doaner,Fiddy and Winnie, the bull in a china shop line. Those boys all play a similar style, mostly slash and burn run ‘em over ‘em or run through ‘em hockey. Whatever you call them, they clicked well last night.

The second period, the Wild showed a little gumption and Lantendresse was able to put the only marker of the period on the board with a serious persoanl effort and a nice wrister of his own. We let our foot off the gas a little in this period and paid for it. We also failed to capitalize on the 2 power plays and we’re damn lucky that lil fail didn’t bite us in the butt later.

The 3rd period was where all the action was. 5 penalties and 4 special team goals between the teams as the action became more wide open. Aucoin, Prucha and Fiddler would all light the lamp in the first 10 minutes seeming to put this game out of the Elves reach at 5 -1. But never count a Christmas elf down before the final buzzer. As soon as we started coasting again, Lantandresse would again ramp up the volume with a PP goal, followed by Owen Nolan’s PP goal (the trips to the box nearly burned us good) and one more from Lantandresse for good measure at even strength for the hattie. Whoa wha happened to our 4 goal lead? The Wild pulled within 1 and were going for broke when Vrbata took the wind ot from under their sleigh with his goal 1 minute before the final buzzer.

Tippett was very unhappy leaving the ice. As a coach I don’t blame him, that game really shoulda ended 6 -1 but we got sloppy/lazy and nearly got slapped. Moral of this story? Play all 60 minutes! The first period 100% effort. The second period bump it up a notch to 110% if you aint gettin the job done. Third period, play like your life depends on it and if you don’t have that gear… maybe you shouldn’t be playin this game.

Notable player in this game? Big Ed Jovanovski and his 4 assists. Who is this madman with the career high assist contribution? Well, I think its the guy we all have been waiting for since TGO & Barney showed up at his doorstep to offer him 6million per year and an NTC. 4 assists, +4 and 2 blocked shots, now THATS a hell of a night for the big guy on his return from suspension. Being branded a repeat offender doesn’t sit well with BigE, there were no hits last night but he certainly made his presence felt in spite of that.

Ouchies – Uppy had one of those PMS kinda nights. Going full Gr8-Scott-out all night earned him a few penalties he’d rather not have garnered at the end. When you are playin this game balls out sometimes shite happens. I hope he doesn’t get more than a stern talking to this time, we really need him in these games.

Pruuuu!!! Is there anything better than PetrPuck on a tear? Renney must be so proud pissed. After doing so much to tear this kid down, it must be galling to see him doing so well in the desert. Keep on giving him the ultimate finger Petr…successfully proving you are a hell of an asset. Funniest part of the night came on the last goal which looked like a Pru hattie. Hats were raining down all over the ice… Pru was on the bench laughin his ass off and pointing to Vrby. Turned out that last goal wasn’t Petr’s, it was Vrby’s. Showed great emotion on the part of the crowd and just how much they wanted the kid to have that honor. Ah well, he got 2 big goals and provided awesome entertainment.

Vern? Is that you Vern? 65% in the dots, an assist and the GWG…shorthanded no less. Now that right there is a complete player. Is there anyone on this team that isn’t underrated? Fiddy has been rock solid all season and tonight was no exception. But tonight was a case of Fiddling while Backstrum got burned for the 3rd time.

Hit of the night? None other than Marty Hanzal on one of our least favorite elves Cal Clutterbuck.

Big Czech!

Although Pyatt on Zanon was also pretty sweet. (Zanon should try glare-away for those wayward helmet moments)

Fair crowd (around 12k) for a night when just about every other sport in town was available (ummm the Suns and Cards lost miserably). Those 12k were vocal as all get out. On their feet alot and even some pockets of fans bowing to the force of nature they call Breezy. Talk about a Russian cold front! Ilya Bryzgalov was putting the freeze on the opposition but you could see a couple of spots he still has to work on for when the boys break down (notably the fat juicy rebound to Nolan as an example). Z, Jovo and Winnie all took a turn at playin street sweeper for the big guy in this game but for the most part Breezy did his fair share, especially on the Brunette almost goal.

THIS is the team I always wanted to see, scoring seemingly at will while playing smart defensively. Hope we see them often… ummm, without the 10 -15 minute lag times. Even sweeter, they won, we won so there were reward tickets for all in attendance. You might wanna use those to watch Thursday’s game against the Predators. (It looks like a hell storm may break out in that one with NSH tied with us for 4th in conference and 6th in league BIG POINTS to be had that night)

But lets not get ahead of ourselves. We face the extremely hot Buffalo Sabres on Monday. Puck drops early (5pm for the MLK holiday).

EDIT*** just got word that Todd Walsh has some tickets to give away for the We Win, You Win game on 2/13… he does good tweets too so go follow him at  @walshtodd for your shot at tickets for 2/13 AND great Coyotes news.

**photos from Norm Hall and the AP feeds

As always … GO COYOTES!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As always… GO COYOTES!

WE DID IT! We got 10 straight home wins to set a franchise record. What an amazing night.

We stole a point in San Jose Monday night (we almost took 2 but just couldn’t come all the way back) Battling the #1 team in our division is always tough since SJ has so much talent. It was great to keep within striking distance of the leader.

The big story is our home ice performance though. Feels like nothing can stop us on our own ice. Everyone is starting to notice and say nice things about us. We got plenty of room on the bandwagon, even for the former haterz. Can you believe even Gambo is giving us props. I wish our opponent’s fans would be as classy as Canuck’s Coach Alain Vignault who said we were the hardest working team they’ve faced. Canuck fans are making excuses but lets face it, they were outplayed by a team that went head to head with the Sharks the night before…all the way to shoot out. The Nucks got to sit around and watch us battle, they shoulda been able to put us away but couldn’t. Deal with it Canuckleheads, you got Korpedoed by the lowly Coyotes.

We started AZBarbie for this second game of the back to back. I was totally not expecting anything from him but Jason stepped up and snatched this win from the Canuckleheads. I will still be nervous when JB starts but tonight went a long way towards believing in him. Going head to head against Luongo is no picnic but Barbie outplayed one of the league’s top tenders tonight. At this rate of play, AZBarbie just might become a term of endearment. JLB is 3 – 3 – 0 for his starts which is acceptable considering he has rather large layoffs in between. He really needs to stay in his net before he gives me heart failure but other than a bit of a shaky start with big dramatic movements that take him out of position, he did a good job. Gotta give him props for his shootout prowess too.

The return of JovoNasty was spectacular! If your name was Sedin or Erhoff you ended up calling him MR. Jovonasty. All night Jovo was upending Canucks like a dump truck. Haven’t seen him grin like that in awhile. (He sure likes plowin through people) Also haven’t seen him that pissed in awhile (he should always play mad) but I thought the refs were gonna toss the big guy for arguing their stoopid calls. Totally loving this rendition of Ed Jovanovski. Poor Canucks, must hurt to go up against that many players you rejected and get beat. (Jovo, Babs and Pyatt)

13k in attendance watched our historic moment. You may have noticed googahs of mini hockey teams around the arena. The Coyotes Cup was held in Scottsdale and teams from all over( including the cute group in my section from Alaska) came to battle for supremacy. They got an extra present of seeing the Coyotes play the Canucks and win. Congratulations to Murph! The Squirt A Phoenix Polar Bears won the Coyote Cup.

Count the night a success. We haven’t had a record this good since 2002 when Bob Francis’ team went 12 over 500 (took them nearly the whole season to get there). In the 30 years of the franchise’s existence as Jets and now Coyotes, we’ve never strung together 10 straight home wins. Every game just keeps getting better, this one had it all too. I think we have actually found another gear. Thank god because we’re gonna need it to finish the second half of the season successfully.

Well we’re still chasing that #1 spot in the Pacific. The Sharks ate Washington like a bucket of their favorite chum tonight. So hopefully they’ll either be tired as hell or too high to concentrate. I’d love a delivery of sushi from the boys for New Years, wouldn’t you?

So what do we gotta do to serve up home win number 11?

Well 11 is a good start, Marty Hanzal has to keep doing his spectacular job of corraling Thornton. Z has to keep playing second goalie. Jovo could plaster a few Sharks to the boards for shits n giggles and Bryzzie needs to look sharp and watch out for that damn red hot Pavelski.

Goalie Battle! Is that our newest redundant statement? (Besides pack mentality and committee scoring) It seems to always come down to whoever blinks last with these two goalies. In Bryz we trust. (some nights I swear he could take teams on alone… if he could score, he just might).

Grit and discipline will be the watchwords of the night. Staying out of the box should be a little easier after what we put up with from the Canucks. The Sharks are hard hitting but mostly not cheap shot artistes (like that little bastard Burrows). We know they’ll get their chances but if we can keep them to low percentage chances and screw up their entry through the neutral all night, we should be fine… give the PKers a break guys.

*************OLYMPIANS!************

Z and Sami have been added to the list of Yotes that will be heading to the Olympics. Breezy was announced for Russia earlier in the month. The Michaleks will hit the ice together and give the Czechs a serious chance at a medal. (May be our only chance to see the boys play together) Lepisto will join the Finns along with former Yotes Kapanen and Jokinen. (Good luck Niko! I still adore that little guy, he is all heart). My heart goes out to Doaner, Jovo and Ryan Smyth who were not chosen for the Canadian squad. You know they really wanted to be there. Doan has led Canadian teams to sweet victory before, I think they may regret not grabbing our Captain when all is said and done. The guys stayed classy in the face of disappointment, declaring that they will be with the team in spirit and wishing them golden success. Team USA has not been announced yet, might we see our very own Yands get the nod? (good chances there for the Boston boy who has matured beyond belief this season)

Hope to see you tomorrow night for Coyotes Howlin Good New Year’s Eve game and party at Westgate. Puck drop early peeps. 5 pm start with Westgate going from 7pm – 2am. Remember designated drivers! Be safe out there please.

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!

Holy jumpin! (its sad that I miss that silly saying, but there it is) We, the Phoenix Coyotes, are ‘officially’ on a winning streak. We captured our 4th straight victory last night against the Ottowa Senators. Man that feels good to say.

I sat in the stands Saturday night in coat, hat, 2 shirts and gloves (I been sick so I really feel the cold) and so did the Sens for about 20 minutes of 60 as the Yotes tore into them like a blizzard on crack. It was amazing. I shoulda been home with my antibiotics and Kleenex but dedicated idiot that I am, no way was I missin the Michalek brothers reunion and a team we barely see once in a blue moon.

The return of Jovocop was a beautiful thing. He announced his presence by drawing first blood on the seemingly hapless Brian Elliot within the first 4 minutes of the game. Beautiful wrister with eyes. WTG JV!

I was almost starting to feel sorry for Elliott as the crowd started chanting his name in a Turco-esque fashion after Taylor Pyatt slapped him with another unassisted goal less than 5 minutes later. (TaterPy looked like a man on a mission, I thought he’d run right through Elliott with the speed he was carrying through the Sens zone). 2 – 0 and the Sens were reeling.

Prucha apparently likes the feeling he gets from scoring, both he and Pyatt have 2 in last 2 games. Pru!!! made it 3 – 0 and it looked like the game was in the bag. But of course it can never be that easy can it? The Sens would not just go away. Elliott stopped fighting the puck and started playing the top of his crease like a real goalie and we started to play protective hockey rather than slash n burn hockey. The Sens popped us twice due to our total lack of intensity. (Bryz fought them off valiantly but when the opponent can whack multiple times at a crazily hopping puck right in your blue paint, whats a goalie to do?)

The final tally 3 – 2 didn’t tell the tale of decent play for 56 minutes. 10 minutes of great aggressive play, 46 minutes of basically decent play and 4 minutes of  desperate play to try to protect a game.

The Good? – We played tough as nails for about 1/2 the game. Dominating the neutral, laying out serious hits and passing like demons. We jumped on an ailing team with killer instincts on full throttle early and often.

Daniel (don’t call me Pooh dammitt) Winnick was slammin! That kid hit like a freight train, created chances that would impress any coach not named Gretzky and didn’t stop playing until the final horn. He kept his cool when that stupid Canker Carkner jumped him from behind and gave us a man advantage (that we totally failed to capitalize on) but the important thing is that he held his ground without being drawn into stupidity.

Jovo was back with a vengeance! It was good to see the big 55 still has his edge and has apparently resolved both halves of his nature, the offensive juggernaut and defensive monster were both visible tonight and that special Ed guy was nowhere to be found.

Pyatt and Prucha seem to have figured out where the back of the net is AND how to get a puck in there. After long dry spells, these two are hot and seemingly unstoppable when they decide to score. By any means neccessary could be their new mantra.

Ilya Bryzglaov! OMG do I absolutely adore my big Russian. More every game. THIS is the Bryzzie I knew was inside there. This guy has truly been the backbone of our resurgence. You Breezy haters better recognize! Without the big guy’s stellar performances we would be in the cellar and on our way out of town by now. Quietly cool and nearly unflappable, there is a reason he’s the #1 goalie. From setting the tenor of the team to keeping their asses out of the fire to giving them a chance to win every single night. Whats not to love? What does he gotta do to get some respect? Score?

The bad?

We stopped playing and decided to protect Ilya’s shutout. You all know how I feel about playing to tie and playing to protect a lead, this game turned into the same thing. Playing to protect anything in the NHL is like committing suidui, wait its more like hari kari (painful and seems to take forever) but either way it usually leads to death. It almost did last night too.

Loss of the killer instinct is disturbing. Apparently it disturbed Tip too. We need to learn to play better with a lead. (not something we have a lot of experience with yet) but it will come with more time spent in the lead… I hope.

Giving rookie goalies confidence and hope… thats just gotta stop. You could visibly see young Elliott pick up confidence and get comfortable as the game wore on and every time we couldn’t finish beautiful chances. The Sens should thank us, the game in ANA tonight will probably be their only win for the road trip since we pumped up their goalie. EDIT: Shootout victory for the Sens… guess they really need to thank us.

We’ll take the 2 points, Bryzzie deserves them. We’re learning… quickly. Its important to realize that every game we learn another thing about how to be winners. Not half bad for the team projected to be in the cellar all season eh?

Up next Minnesota Wild on Monday 12/7/2009 – These two teams are riding great W streaks (Minny w/ 5 and Yotes w/ 4) Last contest, the Yotes took the W 3 – 2 but the Wild have been horribly difficult to knock off in the past. The uber capable Backstrum has given us fits since he first joined the team.

Keys to this one?

Get the dirty goals. Gotta jump on Backie quick. Lots of bodies in front of the net getting multiple whacks at every scoring chance. The guy is good but he can be beat (we’ve already done it once this season)

Be aggressive and stay that way all 60 friggin minutes. Do NOT play to protect a lead!  Coyotes can’t roll like that yo.

Watch the Wild’s new dynamic duo, Koivu and Miettinen, them boys are on a serious mission. And Brunette has 9 points in his last 5 games. Those 3 spell trouble with a capital T! Contain Clutterbuck (if the flu lets him play) he’s a menace and will start as much trouble as he can. Stay focused on the game not the antics.

Another goalie showdown is about to go down. May ours be the last to blink!

Coyotes are looking to reward their biggest fans…

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.

We have extended the deadline for the November nominations to Monday, December 7th.  To nominate a Leader of the Pack for the month of November, click here.

I voted for Heather McWhorter and I hope you will do the same. Seriously, who did more this season to keep hope alive, to bring the news to us, attended the court sessions and Tweeted them to us, got the Coalition started, held a rally, runs a blog, is the GM of a Coyotes section on a discussion board all to generate interest in and love of her beloved Coyotes. It has been an honor and a joy to be friends and seatmates with Heather. I can think of a lot of people who are great Coyotes season ticket holders but none sweeter and more sincere than her.

I guess the Tikhnov story has more chapters to it than anyone thought. Teeks is on loan to the KHL according to all reports but apparently everything wasn’t as sweetness and well wishes as reported. But the good thing is that Teeks had his first game and got 2 goals! Go Tiki Go! And of course don’t forget us and come home for next season bucko.

Round 2 of the Coyotes poll is on and poppin. Go vote for your favorite blog and let us bloggers know what you like… or don’t like.

See you tomorrow night for Yotes VS Wild.

As always… Go Coyotes!