First Half Report Card from the Desert

Damn its been awhile... thought I'd better stop by and update on my boys...

We’re 40+ games into the season but looking as fresh and productive as we did at 30. GMDM has given a mini state of the Coyotes interview to Dave Vest. So I guess its time to take a good hard look… not completely at where we’ve been (although our rearview window shows a trail of teams looking for a few easy points and getting turned into road kill instead), nope, instead we’re gonna look at where we need to go and how we need to get there. We can start from the net out, which is how I like my teams built.

GOAL TENDING - A+

In Bryz we trust is not just a slogan on one of my posters. It is the base for our pack mentality. The boys trust Breezy to give them a chance to win every single night. He’s become a 29 team wrecking ball and like that iron ball, shows no signs of wear. He has to continue that stellar play for this team to get where we need to be. Smart practice schedule to preserve his mental acuity while giving him just enough of a workout to keep sharp is paying off handsomely. The Olympic appearance shouldn’t do much harm since you can expect Nabokov to be the real workhorse for the Russian squad.

Back up Jason Labarbera is doing well (he’d do better if he remembers he’s a huge guy and doesn’t need such big dramatic movements to get the job done). He’s currently 3 and 3 for starts which isn’t going to set the world on fire but won’t hurt us much if Bryz needs a little more rest down the stretch and for that horrendous road schedule in March. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I think there may be better solutions out there but I don’t want to give up anything to get one of them, so its, continue dancing with the one who brought you at this point.

Defense - A

Bryzzie isn’t doing all this by himself. The offseason acquisitions of Aucoin and Vandemeer cured one of our biggest issues, which was defensive depth and grit. Last season our season turned ugly on the lynchpin of a broken foot. Kurt Sauer’s injury sent us into a tailspin of epic fail. There were other injuries that didn’t help but the loss of Sweets shuffled our line up too much and made us too dependent on players who weren’t quite ready for prime time like Hale and Yandle. When Sweets comes back we need to avoid the usual acclimation period that most teams have when a long term IR guy gets back in the lineup.

This season tells the tale. We lost Kurt after one game but didn’t miss a step in the rise. Keith Yandle became a man almost overnight and when we lost Z and Jovo, the young rookie manned up and could be counted on like a veteran. Young Sami Lepisto and noobie David Schlemko proved to be admirable fill-ins for the lighter work and the blue line remained stable. That same blue line has to continue to progress. They have meshed well and can be shuffled without worrying too much about specific pairings (this season there is no real ’shut down’ pairing, everyone has to play defense AND take care of their ancillary scoring chances).

It is wonderful to see that the neutral zone has become a battlefield. With the forwards actually doing their job and harrying the opposition, the Dmen can hold the line better and limit who gets to go see Bryz for a slap down. This also has to be stepped up. The nights that we battle way harder than we need to, are the nights when the forwards forget about the pack mentality and their ‘other’ responsibilities in the pack.

Offense - B+

It only takes 1 more goal than your opponent. Under Dave Tippet’s system it is a rare night when the opposing team gets the chance to score much. Thank the hockey gods for Tip and staff’s defensive teachings, because the pack has not gotten up to speed in scoring yet.

The Czech Federation of Hanzal, Prucha and Vrbata have been leading the way too often. They are not supposed to be the top line, yet they have been pulling our chestnuts out of the fire more often than not. Marty has continued to contain every top center in the NHL. He’s also becoming the King of flukey goals (I don’t care how he gets them, I just love to see him get on the board). Vrbie has been shooting his ass off. He’s in the top of the NHL for attempts. (He’s starting to get hot again and we all know what that kid can do on a streak.) Prucha has been the imp of this group. His amazing puck handling and seemingly crazy romps through the opponent’s slot have been bringing the crowds to their feet as much as the exciting Upshall. (We need to see Pruuu!!! in the shoot out more. He used to save NYR’s butts on a regular basis)

Apparently Doan’s quick offensive starts of the past 2 seasons were an aberration and we’re only just now seeing the Captain getting back into a point grabbing groove. We have found our top line again. The Lombo combo of Doan, Lombardi and Upshall have clicked finally. They have to remain solid and finish their excellent chances more often as the season goes forward. There will be even more close games as other teams start eyeing us like the threats we are. These guys will undoubtedly be the make or break difference for the team going forward.

Our 3rd and 4th lines have been deliciously interchangeable. Winnick and Pyatt have been simply fantastic for grit and determination. (It seems like our Winnie plays better when given specific tasks and a set role… apparently TGO couldn’t fathom that little gem but thankfully Tip is playing that card for all its worth.) Anyone who thought Fiddler was just a grunt has had their eyes opened through his face offs and the occasional goalie robbery. Robert Lang may not be as good as he once was but often enough, he is as good once, as he ever was. We may have to give the elderstatesman a break in TOI when we play tough back to back 65 -70 minute games (sometimes Lang seems to have issues with endurance… I could be wrong but resting the guy now and then on ugly scheduling can’t hurt). Mueller is slowly finding his confidence. PM is going to have to start giving that uncanny release of his a few more outings per game. (He’s going to have to ‘want’ the puck and take those shots with confidence rather than continue to dish the passes.)

As every team digs down to find that extra gear, to find ways to win at all costs, we may be ahead of the curve, since our entire game plan is predicated and planned and practiced for exactly that. We will probably not become some offensive juggernaut but we will need to find a way to get all 4 lines to finish their chances more often and preferably in some of the same games as each other.

We all take peeks at the players who are looking available before March 3rd and I am sure GMDM is looking the hardest. I doubt he falls for the rental player trap (the man cares too much about long term value for that). We all admit that a successful scoring forward would be the ideal grab. We also all remember how well Jokinen worked out for us. I do see Don kicking the tires on a few players to add to our firepower. I don’t see him bringing in a rental and possibly jeopardizing our pack’s pecking order and chemistry. GMDM will be looking for a player he already knows, a player who has at least a year left on his contract and a player whose personality and attitude will mesh with the boys and whose skillset will compliment Tippett’s system. We’ve got quite a few bargaining chips to play with for a good acquisition. We still won’t sell the farm (our youthful potential) but there are some 1st and 2nd round extra picks laying about that would be good starting points for discussions and bargaining. (We’ll talk more about that soon.)

Special teams - B

The PK is carrying the PP at this point and has since last season, otherwise this woulda been a C at best. This has to stop. Maintaining discipline will remain a crucial and pivotal part of our success. We can’t wear our best defensive players out while continually staving off the opposition’s PP crews. Our Pkers are in the top 10 in the league which is a beautiful thing. We need to stop giving them so much work. (How many ways must I say this?) Z as usual has been phenomenal in this respect but the other components have done well too. We need to continue doing the little things to keep our kill ratios high going forward… so let it be written, so let it be done.

The PP HAS to arrive. Bottom 10 of the league is pathetic with the skill we have on the ice. This is not optional. We will need the calvary when facing playoff experienced teams. The games will get tighter and tighter and without a fairly solid power play, Bryz will be fighting for his life every game and we can’t do that to the big guy. Relying on 5 on 5 scoring is fine for the first part of the regular season. The second half of the season is a brutal war that can leave you up or down a man continuously. We have to be ready to capitalize on those oppotunties when they come. Aucoin and Jovo have to step up here. Yandle has been relatively solid in getting the most out of his PP opportunities, its time for the big guns to follow suit. Pucks to the net, pucks with eyes, pucks that can be put away on 2nd and 3rd tries are severely needed going forward.

Coaching - A

So far the coaching staff has been stellar. Not to say they can’t improve with a little judicious tweaking of TOI for some players and a continued cattle prod for others. But they are all on the same page with 1 lead dawg and their skills complimenting each other very well. They think outside the box a lot and seem to be bringing solutions to whatever ails us on a daily basis.

We succeed as a pack, through grit and determination. The coaching staff need to continue to find ways to motivate the boys. We’re battling on our own tempo most nights but games like the New Year’s tilt against the Sharks can really hurt us. We came out all hungry and energized but let them lull us to match their low energy and when push came to shove, we just couldn’t get our rhthym back. (like frogs in a pot of warm water, when the Sharks turned the heat back up we didn’t realize it until too late and we got cooked) We need to be able to control the tempo and the tenor of the games better going forward.

They can’t let up on the guys about the distractions even as those distractions change from the BK and ownership issues to too much praise and media attention as we pull closer to a playoff chance. They have been phenomenal! From Ulf during the preseason ramp up to Tip and crew now. This has to continue, we appeared to be easily distracted over the last couple of years and we certainly can’t afford that again this year.

Believe it or not the Olympic break scheduling may help us. We’ll play 3/4 of the 82 games before taking a break. This means that a strong January performance will actually be the hump we need to get over. After the break it will be all about maintnence of our spot. So I guess we’ll just have to kick ass all of January then find a road game system to maintain through March. (Our road record is just this side of respectable… barely) A strong January will help negate any damage a barely .500 road record can do through March.

Operations - A

Don Maloney aka GMDM aka We Salute You, Mr. Super Bargain Hunting General Manager Guy (sorry that commercial just slipped into my head) has worked miracles. We haven’t given up a damn thing this year but we got some of the best pieces available. The only reason GMDM didn’t get a plus is that Craig Andersen was still available when we grabbed AZBarbie. (Can you imagine a goalie tandem of Andersen and Bryzgalov!) But no matter… the Don still done real good.

Shoring up our face off figures, repairing our blueline and grabbing us a real-honest-to-god-coach with chops in Dave Tippett, are all in and of themselves monumental A’s for the guy and we are all thankful for those. Now going forward, if Don can just grab us a scoring forward with playoff experience and grit, he’ll get that plus sign and my undying gratitude. We already know he is patient and value minded so we needn’t worry that he’ll give up anything we’re gonna need to keep this team in future hunts for the cup. (well, not without a plan in place to upgrade that give away)

Since the BK was finished, we’ve seen the Coyotes organization step up the advertising. There are billboards all over town, there are commercials on primetime TV (even CSI, NCIS and the Biggest Loser had Yotes ads in them!) We’ve seen partnerships like Pepsi/Circle K (buy Pepsi and get Yotes tickets) We’ve seen guerilla marketing (Ambassadors club discounts so the STH’s can pimp the team). These are fantastic ways to get Arizona aware of the team and get butts for our seats. This needs to continue going forward, its working. We will be pimping the Coyotes Carnival alongside the organization because there is nothing like meeting our boys to give potential STHs a sense of the wonderful people they are and help the potentials become invested in the guys.

The other thing that needs to happen sooner rather than later is the ownership question getting solved. The NHL and the CoG needs to get this done! Remove that potential distraction before it starts nagging at the team and the fanbase that is slowly starting to come back to the fold. I know the NHL keeps trying to keep it out of sight by saying they have til the end of the season to comlete a deal but seriously? This needs to be worked out way before that so that the fence sitters can committ and the haterz can go find other teams to harrass.

So where does that leave us? We’re sitting pretty in the standings. We’re finding ways to win. We have an experienced coaching staff that shows no signs of weakness. We need a scorer to get us over the hump but don’t need to spend unwisely to get him nor take just any old cancer from someone else’s locker room. We’ve got a system that works and our fanbase is trickling back every game. We’ve got new ownership on the horizon. I’d say that we look pretty damn good at 40+ and have plenty of spring in our step for the next leg of the journey.

So just keep the faith, come out and enjoy the second half of the season. It will be worth every penny, worth every emotional coin spent too. The Phoenix is rising, make sure you are part of it. The Year of the Yoties is happening now Arizona! GAME ON!

As always… GO COYOTES
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Phoenix - It Sure FEELS Personal

I am dismayed and appalled to find my team once more embroiled in controversy, financial and otherwise. Whatever happened to that quiet little team plugging away at gettin better in the desert?

Money happened... or is that lack of? Since the team got here back in 1996 it seems like we have been unable to find ourselves some firm footing.We've been the bastard children of the NHL since we arrived in Phoenix. It seems like pretty much the entire world has been holding its collective breath waiting for our demise. And now with the impending bankruptcy filing, everyone can't wait to express their joy and say 'I told you so, Phoenix sucks'.


It hurts. As a pretty die hard fan I can't seem to accept that this is business, not personal. It feels personal. The jabs about a lame fanbase. The snide asides about my chosen city. The overt disdain about the franchise's operation, players, history and overall game. There are a LOT of petty people in the world. I am shocked by the amount of vitriol being shovelled our way though. Hockey fans are some of the kindest and most loyal folks on the planet usually. But apparently not with regards to the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Yotes have suffered through some of the worst ownership, one of the worst arenas, one of the worst scouting teams, some of the worst personnel decisions and probably some of the most apathetic media in all the NHL. Yet we still persevere.

We are growing the sport at the local level like wildfire (a model that has made Dallas a very successful group). We are giving youth a prominent chance (a model that has paid off handsomely for Chicago). We have built an arena that is as state of the art as any in the league. We have award winning marketing. We have upgraded our prospect pool to the point of envy. We have maintained an average attendance of more than 14,000 + per game (although I admit that we do need to raise our prices a bit so that these numbers do more for our bottom line contribution to the league). What more can we do to get a little respect?

Win? You say that like we haven't been building towards that very thing over the last 4 years. It would be a damn shame if all that hard work culminates into success somewhere else although.I'm pretty sure those same mean spirited people would point to the success and say 'see! told you it was all Phoenix's fault'. This makes me sad to contemplate.

I just want to say thank you to those kind souls (many of them here at HLOG) who have sent caring and supportive thoughts our way. Many of you have even signed up to help us save the team. Special thanks to the Predator fans who have gone through this agony most recently and are amongst my brightest moments in this ugly battle.

I should do more writing on this whole battle for HLOG but right now most of my wordsmithing is going towards trying to get information out to my fanbase and rallying the troops to fight this move to the hopefully, triumphant end. I will try to get an entry or two up in the coming weeks as the bankruptcy filing hearing and Save the Coyotes rally get closer to fruition.

I hope you will all keep us in your hearts as we battle, we can use all the friends we can get.

PS if anyone has been on the planning end of a rally, I could suuure use advice/suggestions etc.

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VERSUS AllStar Confab w/ Doc & Eddie

Woot woot! HLOG has scored a sweet ASG exclusive from VERSUS. As part of the Hockey Blogger Insider's participation group, the Ladies received the following transcript of a conference call w/ ASG telecasters Doc Emrick and Eddie Olczyk. Hope you enjoy...

NHL ALL-STAR CONFERENCE CALL

Moderator: Katie Bradshaw, VERSUS
January 21, 2009
12:00 pm CT


Operator: Good afternoon my name is (Marlisha) and I will be your conference operator today. At this time I would like to welcome everyone to the NHL All-Star Game conference call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise.

After the speakers remarks there will be a question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question during this time simply press star and the number one on your telephone keypad. If you would like to withdrawal your question press the pound key. Thank you Miss Bradshaw you may begin your call now.

Katie Bradshaw: Thank you. Hello everyone I’m Katie Bradshaw from the Versus PR department. I’d like to welcome everyone to the call. On Saturday January 24th at 7 pm Versus will televise the Honda NHL Super Skills Competition and on Sunday January 25th at 6 pm Easter Standard Time the network will air the 57th annual NHL All-Star Game.

Following the All-Star game on Sunday Versus will air a brand new episode of Sports Soup at 9 and our first live World Extreme Cage Fighting event of the year at 9:30.

On today’s call we have our on-air announce team for the All-Star weekend telecast, Doc Emrick the lead play by play announcer for Versus and Eddie Olczyk a former NHL player and coach who is also Versus lead analyst. We also have Marc Fein the Executive Vice President of Programming Production and Business Operations for Versus.

Marc, Doc, and Eddie will start off by giving a brief introduction and then we’ll open up to Q and A. Marc do you want to start?

Marc Fein: Sure thanks (Katie). You know we’re excited to be covering our third consecutive All-Star weekend coming up this weekend. We think it’s going to be a lot of fun up in Montreal with the history of their hundredth year anniversary, great place to hold it this year and really it’s come at a great time momentum wise for Versus and the NHL.

The NHL coming off a hugely successful winter classic we think is just terrific and with Versus our ratings are up in viewership almost 20% and overall last year Versus garnered the largest viewership gain overall among all cable sports networks in terms of households, viewers and key male demographics.

So with Hockey and everything else in the network really on the upswing with the winter classic and NHL it’s just a good time for the All-Star game to hit and as Katie mentioned we’re going to make a huge night on Sunday night out of it. In addition to the All-Star game showcasing one of our new shows Sport Soup which launched a few months ago and then a big WEC fight that night.

So just an overall great weekend for NHL All-Star and Versus and with that I’ll turn it over to Doc and Eddie.

Doc Emrick: I think the exciting thing about this and I think the one thing that will draw attention from around hockey is the fact that this is in Montreal and as Marc mentioned it’s the one-hundredth anniversary.

But it’s the notion of how Montreal does everything. They do it with class and appreciation for the history of the game and I can’t wait to see what they’re going to do just before the game starts. I don’t know what the presentation of the anthem will be like I’m sure it will be dramatic. But I know one thing there will be 21,273 there, which will set a record for attendance for an All-Star game.

In the past we’ve had some games that have been really high scoring. But as recently as Minnesota there were 10 goals, in Florida there were 11 and I’m not so sure that the score is ever that big a thing with us because we recognize that the game itself is highly offensive and is there to showcase the skills of the players.

I think the other thing that we enjoy about it so much is that every year we see these players in a role in which it’s different from the regular season and that the intensity is down to where they can converse without pressure, their families come in, they have a wonderful time spending the weekend on this and the show that they put on is a pretty entertaining one.

I’m looking forward to Scoop Super Skills in particular the slap shooting competition because we may actually have the record broken which was established in Montreal by Al Iafrate and probably my favorite quote from an All-Star weekend was Al Iafrate who came to Montreal.

That weekend he broke the record and he only brought three sticks with him and when asked why he would only bring three sticks to a whole weekend when you’re competing in the slap shot competition he said, “The sticks get jealous sometimes so you should only take three.” I hear Eddie Olczyk on the line I’m sure you have some thought too.

Eddie Olczyk: Thanks Doc. For me it’s a great thrill again to work with the Hall of Famer Doc Emrick and to be in center stage in Montreal and our staff and our leadership at Versus is really put in a 120% effort over the last couple of years and with Marc’s leadership and of course our coordinating producer Mike Baker at the helm of the people the men that work behind the camera and down on the truck really make this event go.

And Doc and I are lucky enough to work together and do these games and they really put everything over the air and I think they deserve a lot of credit and I know this year will be high expectations after last year and being in a place like Montreal you know one of the few hockey meccas there are in all the world and document how the (Montreal-cadians) have a way of putting on a show. And it’s an event and we have some of the greatest players in our game and some of the greatest players that have played in this sport for a long, long time will be at center ice in Montreal.

So it’s a great weekend, a great event and I know that the people at Versus are very proud to have this opportunity and for me it’s a great thrill to be able to work with Doc on these great events and as a player I was never lucky enough to play in an All-Star game I guess that’s probably for debate on players that should be there, could be there, might be there because of injuries but I’m really looking forward to being a very small part of a great night and a great weekend in Montreal.

Katie Bradshaw: Thanks so much. Operator we can open it up to Q and A now.

Operator: At this time I would like to remind everyone if you would like to ask a question please press star and the number one on your telephone keypad. We will pause for a moment to compile the Q and A roster.

Your first question comes from (Bill Dole) from - your line is now open.

(Bill Dole): Yes I wanted to ask you if you guys - what your take was on the Boston Bruins. Why they were so successful in the first half of the season and you think how tough will it be for them to keep it up in the second half with all their injuries.

Eddie Olczyk: (Bill) this is Eddie Olczyk. You know the Bruins you know for the longest time you know just playing a stingy defense, getting contributions from a lot of different players, the depth, the young players stepping in. You know you hear about the Savards and the Kessels you know but the way that Blake Wheeler has played, David Krejci has played.

You know the back end support that they have had back there you know even though with the injuries they’ve had for a long period of time with Andy Ference and Aaron Ward.

You know they‘ve had players step in there and do the job. I’m mean you have Chara and Wideman have played really well, the goal-tending tandem. You know as of late now you know they’ve hit a little bit of a stretch here where they’ve had some injuries and it’s tough to replace guys that are important guys in specialty teams.

And you know when you start getting out of line rotations I think (Quad) has done a tremendous job with staff there to get them to you know be at the very top for the majority of this season.

And consistency is such a thing that it is tough to - consistency you find a comfort zone and when you start playing within your system and you have contributions from a lot of different people, I don’t want to say it becomes easy but you become confident and consistent at the same time.

And I think the Boston Bruins have - to me is not a surprise because just to see how well they played last year but I think just to me the thing is the depth all season long and when they get healthy they are going to be a very tough team.

So I think yes they will be a team that will continue tough to go at a torrid pace that they’ve gone for such a long time especially in Boston but somewhere along the line you know that kind of stuff catches up with you with the schedule, with injuries but the Bruins are a dangerous team and I would expect them to continue to be where they have been all season long and that’s at the top of the eastern conference.

Doc Emrick: And I don’t sense despite their shoot out loss to St. Louis I really don’t sense their goal tending weakening at all and that I think has been the main feature in addition to what Eddie was saying about the guys that have just come out of Providence or elsewhere and have played a couple of years of professional hockey now and are really taking to this team in a big way.

I’m glad that we get to see Milan Lucic. He’s going to be in the rookie sophomore game as a sophomore. He was a first year player last year but one of the great character guys that I think I have met in the sport and he’s only a young guy and is you know just getting his second chance to really be under the spotlights at an All-Star game and both times it’s been as one of these guys.

But in the future we’ll expect to see him in the highlight game on Sunday night rather than in the prelude to it.

(Bill Dole): What’s your five on Tim Thomas not being on the All-Star ballot?

Doc Emrick: There’s only room for so many and Tim Thomas I thought would belong there and I was sort of surprised that he was not and he certainly lived up to - he certainly lived up to the pressure that might have been placed on the selection committee by the way that he’s played this year.

I think another reason that I would miss him you know being on the ballot was that gosh almighty are we going to have an All-Star game without somebody like this that we can chat with the day before because there isn’t anyone that comes away from speaking with Tim Thomas that thinks gee I had a dull time there. Goaltenders are that way I think.

Eddie Olczyk: Yeah. Hey (Bill) this is Eddie Olczyk again. You know it’s interesting what you know what Doc had said you know just about the answer to you know Tim Thomas not being on the ballot per se and obviously he’s earned his opportunity of being there with his - you know with his performance.

And you know to me this game is an event, it is for the fans and you know there are always going to be players that are going to be left off the ballots, that are going to be left off. I mean you know you can start with the guy like Phil Kessel or maybe Duncan Keith in Chicago.

I mean Markov was finally added after the injuries that happened in Detroit and to me you know is there a perfect remedy for this, no I don’t believe that there is. It is for the fans and I would like to see the league consider to expand the rosters going into a 25 man roster.

And when it comes to the voting aspect of it as I would like to see the fans be able to vote for one forward, one D and one goal tender and then you have your committee and you have your people involved with making these decisions and then you know you will get the guys there that you know maybe there is a team that has five or six guys because they deserve with how they performed this year.

It is about this year. It isn’t about what has happened in the past and I know in certain situations teams have struggled and it’s a decision that is very difficult but I really believe - I mean there is no perfect way but it is for the fans, it is about selling the greatest athletes and the greatest players in the world.

And if you can open it up I think a little more and get more of the great players in the league to the All-Star games I think it would be an even greater event even though the intensity isn’t to where we all see it to be in a regular season game or most importantly in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

(Bill Dole): Thank you.

Operator: Thank you your next question comes from John McGorty your line is now open.

John McGorty: Ed and Doc I was wondering about this aspect of broadcasting an All-Star game when fans are watching and they see the shooting and skating skills of an Alexander Ovechkin or the passing skills of Marc Savard, Chara carrying someone away from the opposing goal.

Those kind of things they can see, you guys can interpret but how do you make the case for somebody being an All-Star goalie when he’s given up three or four goals a period because he’s got matador defense going in front of him and it’s not the same as a regular NHL game.

Eddie Olczyk: John this is Eddie. I feel bad for the goalies. I feel bad, I do. You know I don’t know what other way we can help them out I guess so to speak because there is that you know guys making four and five passes and defenseman jumping into the play and I’m sure that you know the league has kicked it around and Doc has seen many an All-Star games and it’s - I feel personally I feel sorry.

I feel great shame for our goal tenders when they have to be in this game and you know in the events where they’re really not properly warmed up and get enough shots and guys are coming in there and making moves.

John McGorty: Thanks Ed.

Doc Emrick: I remember Marty Broder saying a couple of years ago because we usually have a goal tender mic'ed or sometimes two of them Marty was saying that he had the earpiece on and eventually it actually came out of his helmet but he was able to listen for part of the period.

I’m not sure how much he cared to listen to me but he said, "At one point I heard you say oh here’s (Bill Gerrin) up the right wing" and he said, “ I didn’t know where the puck was and that help me find him.” But of course he let go with on of his patented scorching shots so I’m not sure how much I - could really be helped by that.

But the goal tenders I think have had a sense of humor about this and the ones that haven’t had are the ones that usually don’t wind up here. They realize that this is it.

Now there was one occasion I know where the late Pelle Lindbergh got lit up in the third period of a game at Long Island and it was a bit of a mental stress for him within the month that followed there. He did rebound and help the Philadelphia Flyers a lot but there was that one time in January and Wayne Gretsky had a lot to do with that as he did with a lot of goaltenders.

There are those occasions where a guy that’s very sensitive could probably be brought down by an experience in an All-Star game but by and large they go in with a pretty good sense of humor because they realize yeah they are sort of left out there.

John McGorty: Thanks Doc, thanks Ed.

Operator: Thank you your next question comes from John Shipley your line is now open.

John Shipley: Hey guys. I was wondering if I think you’ve had a good opportunity to see the Wild play this year and I was wondering what you guys could tell me about your thoughts on Nicholas Backstrom his first appearance this year and what kind of year he’s having.

Eddie Olczyk: John this is Eddie I just got a chance to see him the other night in Chicago where you know he played very well. I think he had 40 plus shots. I would say that was - I wouldn’t say that was - if you were to look at the box score the next day and you would think that there was domination there.

I mean a lot of those shots were from the outside but he made an unbelievable save - one of the better saves all season long on Patrick Cain in the second period. You know Nicholas Backstrom’s an aggressive goal tender from just watching him and the great, great opportunity that Doc and I get on a daily basis is when we are doing these games and I always enjoy going up to St. Paul and seeing the Wild play and the great facility that they have there.

We’re able to see these guys in practice and see how they you know how they do you know they practice and how they you know communicate with you know their goal tending coach there Bobby Mason and just see how they just kind of practice and how they go under their goal crease or whoever it might be but he is just a super quick goal tender. He is a very aggressive goal tender and that to me is very impressive because he doesn’t you know vary.

If he has the opportunity to get out on top of that crease he’s going to be really aggressive and he has that ability that if he does over commit that he has the ability because he is so quick and agile he can move side to side and you know he played very well in a game that I was in there earlier in the year I think it was Chicago and the Wild on Versus and he is a very good goal tender and a great feather in his cap.

And to me you know you talk about guys I mean Miko Koivu was another guy that should be there on Sunday night representing the Wild as well but he - you know you have one of the top goal tenders in the league. He’s got three of his five shut outs I believe are on the road this year so you know what you’re going to get from Nicholas Backstrom but he is a real pleasure to watch play on a nightly basis.

John Shipley: Can you imagine you know he’s going - he’s due to be a free agent. Can you imagine if he gets that far that he wouldn’t be - I mean I can think of five teams off the top of my head that would probably really love a guy like that. I mean he’s got to be really one of those...

((Crosstalk))

Eddie Olczyk: You could probably multiply that. As far as I’m concerned you know there is no doubt in my head and you know again it’s that you know you look at players and how they play you know with goal tenders it numbers and shots and save percentage and you know everything that goes into it and the type of team you know that he plays in back of so to speak in system.

But the one thing about him is he is durable. I mean he plays and plays a lot and gets the job done so to me if it gets to that point you know I would imagine there would be a bunch of hands going up and many of hockey cities about the possibility because as Doc knows when you have goal tending it camouflages a lot of issues and it disguises a lot of problems and when you have a good one it breeds confidence and players play on their toes instead of their heels.

Nicholas Backstrom is certainly one of those guys that you know that players have a lot of confidence in and when that happens his players can - they can - you know they don’t have to think twice about what is going on on the ice and you know hey if I pinch up or if I’m aggressive here and I get burned well there’s a good chance that the guy in the goal is going to stop the puck.

Doc Emrick: Eddie was just pointing out the rarity I guess of opportunities. I know the very first part of your statement you were talking about a game in which you know he didn’t have that many tough ones to face the style of Wild plays really helps in that regard but he is going to have five to ten that he is going to have to make in with a 2.14 goals against average he’s doing pretty well with those.

John Shipley: Thanks guys.

Eddie Olczyk: You’re welcome.

Operator: Thank you. Again if you would like to ask a question please press star and the number one on your telephone keypad. Your next question comes from (Bill Getts).

(Bill Getts): Doc how painful was it for you to miss that winter classic as - and are you kind of that much more jazzed up for special events like this because you missed that one?

Doc Emrick: Yeah I - missing any game is hard but when you wind up - I’m not sure if you have caught what a lot of people have and what I did this winter it was just one of those that seemed to settle in my vocal cords and I went through two cards of antibiotics five days a piece before I finally got rid of it. It just held on.

But it was difficult. I did get to Chicago on the 30th and had a nice room looking out on Lake Michigan and I knew about six blocks west of Lake Michigan was Wrigley Field and Eddie Olczyk was there almost ready to recreate his singing the 7th inning stretch song from this past August and all of those things but the morning of the 31st I realized I just wasn’t going to be strong enough and they don’t hire in closers in our line of work.

So Lou Piniella and Sam Flood do not share the notion of coming to the mound and pointing to someone else to come in and help you. I was just not strong enough to do it and I regretted that but Dave Strader came in and did a magnificent job. With one days notice he was outstanding and hopefully I’ll be healthy enough should they have one of these next year.

(Bill Getts): That doesn’t make you that much more looking forward to something like this weekend.

Doc Emrick: Oh yeah I think any league wide event is very important and I love being a part of the day to day schedule in the league and also events when the league just pauses and celebrates hockey and if I can be around that and as I always tell journalism classes, “you get in free and you get a really good seat for the game, there’s nothing wrong with it.”

(Bill Getts): Thank you.

Operator: Thank you. You have a follow up question from John McGorty. Your line is now open.

John McGorty: Eddie and Doc I was wondering one of the elected forwards Alex Kovalev when you look back at the record Kovalev has been in this game for so long including his Russian play. He’s won the Olympics, he’s won world championships. I was wondering if you’re going to be doing anything special focusing on Kovalev?

Doc Emrick: He was a part of one of the greatest teams I have ever seen and that was the 92 Unified Team that Victor Tikhonov coached. It was after the Soviet Union was gone but they pieced these guys together and boy did they ever piece a team together.

I mean 15 of them came across later and played in the NHL but it was (Casper Ritis) and (Malakov) and you know the collection of guys - Nikolai Khabibulin was the third goal tender and he never got to pay and for a while he never got a medal until (Salva Vasitoff) took over the Russian Athletic System and made sure that he got a medal because Victor took it.

Coaches aren’t supposed to have medals but anyway that was one of the finest team I ever saw and whenever I get a chance to ask Alex why he always remembers his line mates and he always remembers specific games from it.

So there’s a great career there and he’s a part of a wonderful team right now. They’ve won what six of their last eight games I think so there coming in as not only the home team but they’ve gotten four starters which means that I guess the Montreal fans have pretty quick thumbs.

John McGorty: Thanks Doc.

Operator: Thank you there are no further questions at this time.

Katie Bradshaw: Great I then guess we can conclude the call. I just want to thank everybody for calling in and thank you to Marc, Doc and Eddie and look forward to a great weekend of hockey this weekend.

Doc Emrick: Thank you very much.

Marc Fein: Thanks everybody.

Eddie Olczyk: Thank you.

Operator: This concludes today’s conference you may now disconnect.

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Outrageous Gifts for the Coyotes - the Z list edition

They've all been as good as could be and deserve good prezzies, unfortunately I'm broke and have no pull with Santa

Fedoruk - Please Santa, get the Fridge his front teeth… and some side ones too… or at least a reminder device to tell him to take them with him for interviews?

Boedker -Boedy could use some ProActive solution. I hate to be mean… but the NHL has not been good to that gorgeous lil rookie’s complexion (srsly he’s got everything else hockey-wise)

Mueller - Muels apparently could use a new hip flexor and a lucky charm to take the sophmore jinx off his back

Turris - to “REALLY” weigh 180! my friend Virg says he should get one of those shirts with the fake musles built in. or a McDs gift card so he can haz cheese burger everyday…

Jokinen - Joker could sure use some Rogaine for eyebrows

Bryzgalov - Breezy needs a home hot dog cart (I’ve never seen anyone who actually LIKED hot dogs as much)

Lisin - a sweet lil red race car bed, so he can go fast, even when he sleeps. vrrooom vrrrooommm snore snore snore

Yandle - a professional photo session, so he and his family can have 1 non mug-shot photo,(with a barber on standby to shave him between takes)… that 5 oclock shadow thingy is a 5 minute shadow on him

Hanzal - a ritual burning of ALL copies of Zoolander so he can stop hearing how hot he is right now (even though he is)

Doan - sheesh what do u get the captain who has everything? 3 hats… in lieu of the real thing, since I can’t seem to will him an NHL hat trick (and neither can he apparently)

Jovanovski - JoVo gets a better tryke, one where all the wheels work? or a longer bus? or maybe we upgrade him to a big wheel… a big boy ride! since he has decided to be more Jovocop than Special Ed lately and both Santa and I appreciate that

Tikhnov - Teeks needs a Russian accent (cuz the Nor-Cal one sure confuses the hell out of interviewers) add the banishment of the words dude and awesome from his conciousness

Michalek - Z could sure use an auto block for his puck-over-glass moments and some seriously kevlared shin pads since he seems determined to go full-metal-kamikaze in front of every puck this season

Morris - DMo gets a new contract, early…please Santa, convince Mo Cheeks to re-sign (ok this was really a gift for me but hey…its MY list)

Porter - Puddin gets a line mate who understands his mental signals to go to the front of the net (or for Kolarick to make the team and show the other kids how it works)

Tellqvist - Telly sure could use a few less breaks between starts, the Swedish Wolf deserves better than 10 - 15 a year anyway

Carcillo - Wild Thang gets a muzzle or a taser button on his balls (TGO can press it to shut him up when needed) although the ability to grow a REAL mustache would also be nice, so DC can stop looking like a 12 year old trying to look like Erroll Flynn playing a porn star

Winnik - The Beast could use some skate brakes so he can actually stop n shoot in the opposing crease and save his career (aka get out of Gretzky’s doghouse)

Reinprecht - Rhino could use some R.E.S.P.E.C.T. the guy should NOT be on another trade-him list for 2008, he just gets no love and he should

Lindstrom - Lucky Lindy needs 2 of the kids on permanent status for linemates, Lindy Hop could really throw down if he had some stability

Hale - OhHell needs a modicum of defensive wisdom… he can hit and pass a little but deciding when to do what could use a little boost

Sauer - Sig needs a goal, a pretteh, puck handling, honest to goodness goal scorers GWG (he does nearly everything else so well, this would really be a gift)

Klee - Ksquared needs a stronger constitution so he won’t have to rest so often which opens the door for Hale storms

Thanks Odie, Virg and Teal for the input, hopefully Santa reads this blog… or maybe not since I would prolly end up on the naughty list for some of them

!!!!MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all!!!!

xposted to Z4's

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Weekly Challenge: Gretzky - The Bench Boss Edition

Every team has a coach, and we want to get to know yours. Tell us how much you love/hate the way they do their job. If you could fire your coach, would you? If so, who would you hire?

You've heard the saying LOVE/HATE relationship? or the old saw about loving someone but not liking them sometimes? Well that would be how I feel about my coach on occasions.

I kinda feel like I've already done this topic back in January 08. But I still wouldn't fire Wayne Gretzky at this juncture. He is just getting his house in order. I honestly can't think of another NHL coach who could handle all the variables Phoenix has going on w/ a continuously positive impact.

House in order:

1) The old guard of hard headed veteran retirees are gone. We are no longer dependant on the patchworked, blue collar role players. The Roenicks are gone but the Kapanens and Tjarnqvists have sadly had to move on too. The vets who remain have not only bought into the Gretzky system. He has made them believe. They are committed to not only making themselves and the team better every game, they are committed to helping their rookie counterparts reach their full potential too. With GMDM constantly on the look out and procuring his now famous "VALUE" deal players, Wayne doesn't have to try to turn sows ears into successful players.

2) The new kids are arriving w/ a vengeance. The revamped scouting staff are giving him 'real' talent to work with. Boedker, Turris, Porter and Tikhnov are joining supers sophmores Mueller, Hanzal and Winnik. Wayne never expects more of them than they can deliver. He puts them into situations where they can succeed. He sees them so clearly and sets them to tasks that so totally match their talents, that they often excel beyond even what they themselves dream of achieving. The kids are breathing in every syllable that falls from the Great One's lips and performing like the future superstars that they are.

3)TGO has finally committed to this team. No distractions. Whole heartedly. No holds barred. Just like when he played the game, Wayne is now using his magnificent game vision and amazingly creative thought processes to give this team as much of an advantage as possible.

Yes there are still days in which I would like to just smack TGO upside his head. When he 'appears' to be playing favorites and drives us fans up the proverbial wall. When he appears to be juggling lines w/ no rhyme nor reason, like a friggin circus clown on crack and making me tear out my hair (I am starting to look like I have mange because of his juggling). When he mumbles like a stroke victim, fidgets and generally scratches like a flea circus has infested his suit during press conferences.

But just like "his" team, Wayne Gretzky is still learning.

Just like "his" team, there is no quit in Wayne Gretzky.

Wayne Gretzky continues to get better and better, game by game and so does "his" team... finally he is taking ownership and making it work.

How can I not like Wayne Gretzky - Bench Boss?

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Creative Challenge: Coyotes Cards

Thank goodness my partner in crime BleedinTealinAZ has more creative bones in her body than I do... so I'm cheatin... I came up with this idea for prospect camp and she created a whole line of rookie cards to get our kiddie Yotes autographs on.

Fast as hell, a shot that was the scourge of the OHL, slicker than greased snake snot, cute as a button and has an accent that can melt the hardest of hearts. We don't need no stinking stats. Mikkel Boedker on the front is the perfect rookie card w/ or without all the trimmings.

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Coyotes: Franchise Player? Where?!

Gotta have a franchise before you can have a franchise player.... or maybe its like the chicken and the egg theory. In Phoenix, we'll definitely know which came first... it ain't the franchise.

Seriously, can we even call the Coyotes a franchise until lately? Its more like a motley collection of fairly good players who battle their hearts out every single night and get no love, no recognition and close, but no cigar for postseason aspirations.

Now Tracey may attempt to beat up on me for saying this... Shane Doan is not a franchise player. Not in the old school definition of the phrase. He's a great captain w/ the heart of a lion and a really decent skill set. But he really doesn't qualify as a 'franchise player'. Sure he's the last of the Jets and the oldest current Coyotes but is that ALL it takes to be a franchise player? A core player? sure. A skill player? sure. But not the guy you build a team around. The dumbasses running the team into the ground in the past brought in players like...Hull, Amonte, Handzus and a host of others were brought in to form a nucleus around Donor... didn't really work to make a viable franchise.

To me, the franchise player was that guy who you could throw on line w/ a pile of rocks and a blind iguana and he could lead your team to victory. A guy like Super Mario or Gretzky.

But maybe the definition is changing. Iginla and Ovie and Crosby and Malkin and Lecavalier, no matter how talented, can't do it all by themselves but they are the faces and fortunes of their franchises. But they are the guys that give their team an identity. Whether that ID is speedy and score hungry, defense and stamina or just plain old hard hat wearin, blue collar, 100% effort kinda team *Coyotes!* cough, cough*

hmmm maybe Shane Doan IS our franchise player. Just a new school definition of the word. The player that sets the tone and direction of the team. Sometimes the franchise player of today doesn't even wear a letter on his chest (Datsyuk comes to mind here). The guy that lays it all on the line night in and night out, making it impossible for anyone else to shirk or loaf and still call themselves a hockey player.

Fortunately for Phoenix, we have a couple of franchise contenders hitting the ice soon in Kyle Turris and Peter Mueller. Either one may earn that old school honoriffic in the near future. Our franchise is coming. *you think I kid?* Its coming in on the back of our interpid captain by example and by way of mentorship of the young, talented gunners. I guess our franchise is being built with oldschool ways (build it and earn it) but with a newschool flavor.

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Will Wheels Sign?

Blake Wheeler is still a Coyotes prospect. He hasn't decided what to do with his career yet. With all the talent pouring into the desert lately I really don't think it should be this much of a 'thang'.

AZCentral Article



I don’t think its as simple as Wheels not wanting to come to Phoenix. The kid was still in high school when drafted, he is a prelockout draftee so he has lots more to consider.

If he returns to school he will be the captain of the squad and have his degree at the end as well as another full year to equalize his age and the chance of success.

If he goes pro with the Yotes he will seriously be fighting a whooole bunch of talent for a spot on a team that doesn’t have a whole lot more room for more rookies (ratio of rookies to vets has to be maintained for success). He is also most likely lookin at offers from DMGM of the new rookie max plus bonuses which is not as much as he could get elsewhere.

If he goes pro and doesn’t sign with the Yotes some other team would likely pick him up and since he would be UFA (prelockout rules/CBA) he could command more $$$ from another team. I don’t think he is limited to going back into the draft pool.

The good news is that either way he decides … the Yotes win!

If he doesn’t come to us, we get a 2nd round, 5th or so place pick to add to our other 6 picks in the first 3 rounds! So then we can trade a pick or two to move up in the draft without really impacting our cupboard stocking.

Or we could use a few picks to grab something sweet from another team in an off season trade, again without really impacting our ability to get some more talent for the future.

WIN WIN!

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Preseason Hockey

If you have high speed internet, you too can have hockey right now! LOL I dunno if anyone has already spread this love or not so her goes my first 'real' post.

http://www.nhl.tv/team/console go to the center ice tab and choose the game of your choice. Its free right now.

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