Tonight was the Young Stars and Skills Competition at the NHL All-Star game.

I had the TV on for all the events but didn’t watch all of them.

The star of the Young Stars game was Boston’s Blake Wheeler. He was drafted by Phoenix but because he fell under the old CBA, he basically chose to become a FA this summer. At the time, he said some things that pissed me off. I still don’t like the kid, but I am glad to see that he has done well for himself. I don’t think he would have had the same chance in Phoenix as he has had with Boston. Although, I still can’t wait for Boston to come here so we can show him that Phoenix has real hockey fans.

My boy Bods also had a nifty move, lovely toe drag with shot which the rebound lead to a goal by Steven Stamkos of Tampa Bay. Bods was definitely one of the fastest youngsters out there. The rookies looked hesitant to hit or really dig in corners but that didn’t stop them from lighting Carey Price up. Final score: 9-5 Rookies. Nice.

Ovenchicken won the Breakaway Challenge with about 42% of the vote. I voted for him but was so close to voting for Stamkos. I loved the fall down and flip it in with my hand move he did. But you can’t beat Ovie going over to Malkin and getting sunglasses and a fishing hat with a Canadian flag on it, going two sticks to the net. OMG, hilarious stuff.

And last but certainly not least, my boy Doaner won the Elimination Shoot Out. He should have had it a round sooner but Tim Thomas went easy on his teammate, Marc Savard who was providing some great feedback to the announcers. (I am now a Marc Savard fan btw.) When Doan first got up for the first round, I thought, “he is going to win this” (why Gretz never uses him in the shoot out anymore is beyond me) but I didn’t want to say it out loud or tell anyone for fear I would jinx Doan!

Coyotes players representing us well. Way to go boys!!!

Tomorrow night is the “big game”. I will attempt to watch all of it and report back.
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On a side note, I think the NHL should really use Ovie to market to non-fans. He may not be the best looking, but he has this charisma that just makes you love him. He is funny, he is energetic, he has skills, he’s not afraid to hit and he’s a clean player. He doesn’t do any of those cheap shots like Crosby. I would much rather see Ovie promoting the NHL than Crosby. What can I say? In the great Crosby vs. Ovie debate, I am 100% Ovenchicken! I just think he could really get non-fans into hockey. His commercial a few years ago was classic. I vote for Ovechkin as NHL’s new ambassador. Screw Crosby, give me more Ovie!!!!!! He is endearing, even with his missing tooth. And you can tell he loves the spotlight. Hey NHL, wake up and use the Russian to market the sport!

New Assistant Coach Hired and Blake Wheeler is a Douche

A couple of new articles I want to comment on have been brought to my attention.
First:
http://coyotes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=368188

The coyotes have hired a new assistant coach, Doug Sulliman. He was an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils from 1990-1993. Between then and now, he spent his days on Wall Street. He also happens to be the brother-in-law to Mr. Don Maloney. Ok, a couple of interesting things there… First off, I am a little worried that they guy hasn’t coached since 1993. A lot of rules (and the game) has changed. He has been out of it for so long, is he really ready for this? Secondly, he is Don Maloney’s brother-in-law. That is a little suspicious. Family hiring can sometimes work out very well and other times can blow up in your face. I am reminded of the FOG era. Are we ready for that again? I am going to reserve further judgment until the season starts and I can see how this all works out.

I would have liked to have Toc around for a full season, but going to Tampa Bay might be a better opportunity for him to reach a head coach position. I wish him all the luck with the hodge-podge of players they picked up! Seriously, they have to have reached cap a long time ago and must be damn close to having 50 players under contract. They went crazy this off-season!

I have lost my respect for Blake Wheeler after reading this:
http://www.patriotledger.com/sports/x1816440476/Signs-pointed-Wheeler-out-of-the-desert-and-up-to-Boston

I had high hopes for the kid. I liked the kid. Then he chose to go to UFA and signed with Boston. I still liked him and wished him well as I didn’t know the reason behind his choosing to not sign with Phoenix. Now that I’ve read the article that basically says fans in Boston are awesome and know hockey and it’s a great hockey market blah blah blah (and then by default fans in Phoenix know jack shit and suck). I can’t respect that. Not one bit. So I am done with Blake Wheeler, spoiled little Minnesotan brat. Peter Mueller and Keith Ballard seem to love it here. I’m sorry you thought you are so much better than Phoenix but you’re not. I no longer wish you luck in your career but I will not wish harm on you like other Coyotes fans. Coyote’s fans, at least the ones I know, are very passionate and knowledgeable about hockey. If you are on our team, we will support you (even if we hated you previously) because you are one of OUR boys. Mess with our team and you mess with all of us! So Blake, you were wrong. Your loyal fans would have supported you and cheered you on like no other. We had faith in you, you believed in you, we were patient waiting for you. So have fun in Boston with fans that have no loyalty to you.