Warning! Long post. I will give you a cookie if you get through it all!

Sometimes I wonder if our rookies would have done better on another team. I mean Kane and Toews weren’t much bigger than Turris when they went to Chi-town and they excelled. Turris struggled, did well, struggled and eventually was sent down to the AHL. What is the difference? Turris has just as much talent as those two but he couldn’t get it together here. If he had went to Chicago, would he have done well or the same?

This has been on my mind lately as I heard the Rangers fired their head coach this week (I think this makes four so far this season?) and the Suns fired their coach after half a season (immediately after that firing the team went on to have three 140+ point games). Sometimes all a team needs is some shake up in the coaching staff to get in shape because despite what people think, coaches really do affect how the guys (even professionals) play on the ice/field/court/whatever. Why do you think professionals have coaches? Everyone needs pointers, motivation, organization, training etc.. If the coach didn’t play a role in how the guys played, they wouldn’t spend the money on them.

People say Gretzky works well with the rookies, but is he getting the results we need? I would say no. I have seen the rookies struggle and I knew they would struggle a bit but then I look around the league and see other rookies absolutely excelling and it makes me wonder…is Gretzky really the best guy for this team? Look at rookies such as Mason and Clutterbuck. They are doing amazing. There is talks about them winning trophies. There was some talk about Bods at the start of the season, but not anymore. Why? Because his production has dropped off. Why? I can’t say for sure but I have a feeling it’s the coaching.

I say we try a coach-swap. Send Gretzky and his band of misfits, oh I mean All-Stars/HOFers, to SA and bring up their coaching staff. I know SA started off rough but they have really turned that team around (now that at least one of their goalies isn’t playing like crap). They also did really well with the guys last season, leading them into the playoffs. They lost in the first round but at least they made the playoffs.

How come when players come here they get worse (with the exception of Hale but I can’t really say he got better, he just finally got some goals. They would have come eventually no matter where he was) and when they leave, they become amazing for their new teams? I would say this is a direct result of the coaching staffs. I know in some cases it could be the fact that the player just doesn’t get along with someone in the organization, but for it to happen consistently it has to be part of our organization, most likely the coaches.

My other gripe is still the assistant coach. What is he doing for the team? The practices I go to, he just drops the puck for the face offs. I remember one time, Doan was showing Turris how to use his leverage and the Coach was just standing there. I said it when we hired him, it could go either way. And now I see it’s going the wrong way. When Toc was here, he really got in there and forced the guys to do the drill and do it right. He would stop a drill and show them proper positioning (especially in front of the net). Our current coaches don’t do that. They let the drill run and then just talk to the guys. It’s always easier to learn something when someone shows (and places) you in the proper position.

I am not saying fire Gretzky because I know that will not happen. But what about the new assistant coach? He’s not helping that much. What about Ulf? He is the defense coach and well our defense hasn’t always been the best. What about Fuhr? Has he really helped Bryz become the number one goalie we hoped he would be? There are a lot of things that could be done that does not involve firing Gretzky. I do think that the coaching staff needs to not be friends of fill-in-the-blank. That hasn’t worked for the Coyotes in the past, why would you think it works now?

I used to teach dance and the best way to get a person to do it properly was to literally walk over and move their body into the correct position. Also, you needed to repeat the steps over and over again until you get it absolutely perfect. People learn best with hands on and repetition, none of which I am seeing with our coaching staff consistently.
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In other news, Dane Crawley was called up to the Aeros (thanks for the scoop ms. Conduct!). The RoadRunners will miss him. He was a great asset to the blue line. He could score, defend the blue line and he wasn’t afraid to be physical. You got to love that in a dman!
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And finally the Coyotes lost 2-1 to the Blues. Yah, don’t really want to talk about that. The coyotes decided not to show up for the second and third period.

It appeared that the only person to really show up tonight was Carcillo. He even got them a 4 minute PP and what happens? A turnover that leads to the Blues winning goal a few seconds into the PP.

We need a special teams coach. Can someone bring us one? Tooth fairy? Easter bunny? SOMEONE? ANYONE!?!?!

I missed the first period (as I went to the gym) but I guess Doan scored his 250th career goal. Congrats to him. It was our only goal of the game.

Wow, I really don’t have much to say about this game. I think I have already blocked this out of my mind. It didn’t happen. There was a hockey game tonight? Huh.. Must have missed that.
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Up next is Thursday night at Nashville. Then Saturday night the Blues come to Phoenix. I will miss these two games, unless someone knows of a sports bar in DC that will be playing them!!!
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And finally Sunday… I get to see my Ballard!!!!! And Ovie. I am so stoked. I am going to probably get my bum kicked as I will cheer like a mad woman for my Ballard, especially if he unleashes one of his hipchecks!

Two wins in a row. I am in awe. With the win over the Kings, we have moved back into the playoff race. We still have a long way to go but these last two games have given us hope. The players are back to playing how they were before the ASG break.

The line of Carcillo-Jokinen-Goertzen has been fantabulous. It has made Jokinen wake up. He got a hat trick against the Kings. I think it’s because he is playing with the two toughest guys and that way he doesn’t need to challenge anyone.

David Hale started off the scoring. Yes you read that right…David Hale. He never had an NHL goal until joining the Coyotes and now he has three. If only he was a better defensemen because apparently we have sparked his offensive side. I mean, he tries really hard and we love him for it but he just doesn’t seem to quite have it.

Overall, it was a very solid effort by the Coyotes. The Kings did attempt some come backs but we were able to hold them off. The final score was 6-3. I can’t tell you how good that felt to get two wins in a row.

My goalie, Jon Quick, was in net for the Kings. I really do like him as a goalie. He has really good movement. He is still young and learning but I can see him going far in the NHL. I had a hard time not cheering for him when he made some amazing saves. He was by far the better goalie on the ice. Bryz just looked uninterested and didn’t challenge the Kings.
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In other news, the Sundogs wore black and Coyote red unis yesterday. They were designed to resemble the Coyotes third unis and they do. They look very sharp. They have the Sundogs “S” instead of the flying ferret on it. I like it. I think they should think of making that a permanent part of their team. Oh well, at least they are auctioning them off for charity.
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Last night I went to the RoadRunners game. Ashton Rome was back from the AHL and ready to reek some havoc on the Alaska Aces. The RoadRunners won 5-2. It was a great game.

Rome actually got popped by an Ace while celebrating a goal. Talk about a cheap shot! Goalie Kyle Jones really stepped up since Kowalski was loaned out to Norfolk Admirals of the AHL.

There must have been a lot of tension between these two teams as it was a very physical game and the Aces were always doing things after the whistle. We got a nice little line brawl going, sending 3 Aces and 2 RoadRunners to the sin bin. Sisca (I love this kid, he’s listed at 5’9 and is just so feisty!) got 2 min for roughing and Crowley (love him too!) got 5 for fighting. Everyone on the ice was involved. I even thought the goalie might get into it but unfortunately he didn’t.

The best part was the Aces’ jerseys. They had sponsors. On their butts. It was hilarious. We were joking about calling up and asking how much it would cost to get our names on their butts. Classic.
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I won’t see a home game until March 14. OMG. That is such a long time for me. I will miss the home game on 2/28 against the Blues. I will be living it up in Washington DC for the Panthers at Caps game.

Anyway, I digress. The next game is Tuesday night at St. Louis Blues. The boys need to keep working hard and not sit back. Every game is going to be a challenge from here on out. We need all the points we can get now, if we still want to make the playoffs. We can’t depend on the other teams in the race losing. We need to win. We need to play hard.

I will probably miss the first period. The game starts at 6:30, AZ time. I am going to go to the gym after work and won’t get home until about 7, unless I can get of work earlier but I doubt it.
Until then… Enjoy the rest of this beautiful Sunday!!

I almost forgot...

The RoadRunners have lost two of their best players. Both Ashton Rome and Craig Kowalski (aka Goalie!) have been called up to the AHL. A big congrats to those two, although they will be missed. They were definitely the most entertaining to watch!

RAWR

RAWR

Clickee the linkee if you want to see Dan DaSilva and Kyle Jones topless. That is correct, topless. The Roadrunners totally need to make this a full calendar and sell it. I would so buy one. Although Mr. Jones has his jersey over his shoulder which covers him up more. But he is a goalie and for that I heart him. Mr. DaSilva is totally rocking the faux hawk. Yup, gotta love it.

In other RR news...Goalie! aka Craig Kowalski was named ECHL goalie of the week. Congrats Goalie! We heart you too.

Happy New Year!!

The Coyotes rung in the new year with a win over Colorado.

For the team, I want them to resolve to become better on the power play this new year. We are still lacking on that. At least in the win last night, we kept the puck in Colorado’s zone for almost the whole power play.

Last night I got to sit in a suite. It was a pretty good view and the seats were really comfortable. The food wasn’t really worth the price though. I would definitely sit in a suite again if given the opportunity but I think I would say no food.

Tiki was back in the line-up and he definitely made a difference. The PK was so much better with him out there. He was making some good moves. Even if he doesn’t ever get a lot of goals, he is going to be in the league for a long time.

Telly was in goal tonight and he played amazing. He even got an assist on one of the goals. We love you Telly Monster!!!!

The boys started off slow but woke up after Colorado got on the board first.

Mueller seems to have woken up. He got two goals last night.

Scratches were Winnik, Carcillo and Yandle. Bryz is out with a sore back. Tordjman was here on an emergency call up.
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In other news, the ECHL has had two teams fold mid-season.
I found this link:
http://community.adn.com/node/135853 which talks mostly about the fold of the Fresno Falcons.

The ECHL's Pacific Division-leading Fresno Falcons ceased operations today, becoming the league's second team to fold this season -- the Augusta Lynx bagged it earlier.

Fresno officials cited the poor economy for a massive drop in attendance, fewer season tickets sold and reduced sponsorships. The Falcons (18-10-2) were averaging 3,284 fans per home game, down a staggering 1,751 per game from last season's average of 5,035.

According to the article the players have become UFA and will join other teams around the league.

I just wish the players that were dispersed find a team and can start to play again. I wish them the best of luck. Sometimes things happen for a reason. They may seem bad at that time but in the long run it could be the best thing that ever happens to them.

It's just sad that these two teams couldn’t even make it to the end of the season. I guess this is a very sore subject for me because of all the rumors swirling about the Coyotes moving and everything. I hate to see hockey disappear from anywhere in America. We love the sport here and we don’t want it to go anywhere.

In looking at the RoadRunners schedule, it looks like we were supposed to play Fresno six more times this year, including January 2nd and 3rd. I guess the boys won’t be making that trip. I didn’t see Augusta Lynx on the schedule.
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I also found this article on my new favorite goalie:
http://www.echl.com/cgi-bin/mpublic.cgi?action=show_news2&cat=1&id=17369

It appears Quick enjoys sleeping in. He also had some issues when sent to the ECHL, kind of ala Emery…no wonder I love the kid.

“He wasn't staying out all night. He was just a heavy sleeper and slept through his alarms.”

If you like goalies, I highly recommend that you read the full article. It’s really good and makes me love Quick even more. Such a goalie crush. Oi. With LaBarbera traded to Vancouver, look for Quick to stay up when Ersberg comes back.
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And I also found this on another one of my goalies:
http://www.echl.com/cgi-bin/mpublic.cgi?action=show_news&cat=1&id=17380
It’s just a little blurb from the ECHL website that talks about Tordjman’s call up and his stats from his RoadRunners days, nothing too exciting.
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Winter Classic is on today at 1 ET (11 my time) and I will be watching it. Last year I loved watching the Winter Classic and I could cheer for Buffalo but this year I cannot bring myself to cheer for either the Red Wings or the ‘Hawks. I want both of them to lose. Is that even possible? There is a 30% chance of snow in Chicago and it is a balmy high of 33 degrees. Currently it is 25 degrees and feels like 11. (weather info courtesy of weather.com)

Hooters on Ice

I got quite a chuckle earlier this week when the RoadRunners announced their “Hooters on Ice” promotion for Tuesday nights game.

I guess they are having a bikini contest and crowning the first ever Ms. RoadRunner Hooters girl. There is also a “special on ice talent” contest. I am not sure what they mean by that. Does that mean skating or is it doing their talent (singing, dancing, playing a musical instrument etc) on ice?

This event does not bother me. I actually think it sounds hilarious and would go if I could. Mostly I am interested in seeing what the talent portion will be like. I would also like to know if these women know anything about hockey as I think for a hockey teams Ms contest, they should know something about the sport.

What makes it even more funny is all the people that complain(ed) about the Coyotes “pack” and how they wear nothing at games (pants and crop tops mostly) and that hockey is supposed to be a family friendly event blah blah blah. I also heard a lot of people saying they would start going to RoadRunners games because they were more family friendly and now they are doing this. HILARIOUS.

Oh I love it. Good luck finding a sporting event that doesn’t have hot chicks (or something there about) in skimpy clothes. They are at all sports, at all levels. It doesn’t make the event any less family friendly. It’s part of life and parents should be able to talk with their kids about what the girls are doing (supporting the team and trying to get the crowd going) and how they are wearing a uniform/costume.

Friday Night Fun Times with Hockey!

Last night was bitter sweet. I went to Cooperstown after work (had horrible service btw) to watch the first two periods of the Coyotes game. Carolina quickly went up 2-0 but the Coyotes were able to fight back and tie it up. Unfortunately Bryz did not play his best game. He looked slow and wasn’t quick to respond. He could have easily stopped some of those goals. I will blame the D when they deserve it, but this was all Bryz. He was looking sloppy at the end of the Blackhawks game (that shoot out was bad) and they should have rested him and played Telly. If Telly doesn’t play tonight, I am going to really wonder what Gretzky is thinking (or is he not thinking..?).

Staal got the hat trick and the Hurricanes ended up winning 5-2. We need to get our forwards to start scoring. Carcillo is trying. He is shooting that puck but he just can’t get it to go in the net. It will come, he just needs to relax. I don’t have too much more to say about the Coyotes game. They certainly didn’t play their best but it wasn’t their worst effort either. I still can’t believe Bryz was in.

Tonight the Coyotes take on the Flyers (yah, I still have a special place in my heart for that team). I hope they put Telly in, especially after that performance from Bryz. The flyers haven’t been doing that well this season and dirty Danny is still out (at least from what I saw last night during the game). I am not going to say this should be an easy win, because that means we will lose. I just hope the boys skate fast, hit hard and score some goals.

Last night I also went to the roadrunners game. It wasn’t looking so good to start. We got a new goalie from the AHL, Kyle Jones, who was awful. He let in 4 goals in the first period. Luckily the coaches were smart enough to pull him and play Goalie! in the second and third. This gave the guys a chance to come back, which they quickly did.

The roadrunners finally pulled ahead making it 6-5 with about 1 minute to go. It looked like they were going to win it but somehow the Condors found the back of the net, tying the game.

We went to OT and it was looking like a shoot out was going to happen but new Dman Dane Crowley scored with about 5 seconds left! This was an awesome game and made me forget about the Coyotes lost. I am so glad I went to this. There were some big hits and the refs really seemed to let the guys play. There were times when there should have been calls, but what can you do (besides the Hey Ref! You Suck! Cheer).

I must say, I did not like the Condors uniforms. On their numbers, they had Carl’s Jr. stars. It looked absolutely ridiculous. Well, they are part of the Anaheim Ducks/Iowa Chops family…that might explain some of it. :P

And finally, a picture of Goalie! So you can all see how he wears his socks. :)

not my best effort..

This past Saturday, the Florida Panthers rolled into town bringing two former Coyotes with them. Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton made their first trip as Panthers to the job and both played a solid game against their former team. Unfortunately it was not enough as the Panthers continued their losing streak. Final score: 4-1.

Ballard was having a grand old time. He was riding Bods like a pony the whole night. He also made some hits on Doan and Carcillo but left Rhino alone. On one of the faceoffs, him and Rhino were having a friendly conversation. Carcillo also gave Ballard a playful hipcheck when they were both on the way to their benches. Ballard also had some fun playing goalie. I loved seeing him get in there and play goalie. I was deprived of the hipcheck. :)

Boynton got a penalty and he looked so sad to be in the box. I think he misses being in Phoenix. He was actually paired with Ballard and they were awesome together. Actually, the Panthers have some really good dmen, they just couldn’t get the offense going (and that could be because they traded their best offensive players for more D when they have like 20 guys listed as D on their roster).

I did notice that Jovo doesn’t seem to play as hard or smart when he is paired with Z. It is like he knows Z will cover his ass and so he slacks off.

On Sunday, the Sharks came to town and it looked like we were going to lose as Carcillo got two penalties early (the second was complete crap) and we got down 2-0. But we were able to battle back and win 4-2. The second penalty was closing the hand type deal and a shark player did it about 30 seconds later and nothing (it did get the whole arena standing, pointing and screaming at the refs). Carcillo got a couple of other crap calls later in the game.

Tiki got his first NHL goal in this game! WAY TO GO TIKI! I love that kid; he works so hard out there every night. He totally deserved that goal.

At the end of the game, we did get some payback. The sharks were getting penalty after penalty. At one point there were four sharks in the box. They all tried to sit at first, but one was on the other guys laps, so one ended up standing. It was quite hilarious to see.

By the third, Bryz was looking quite tired and was slow to react but he was able to hold it together to get us the win. I am thinking it might be time to put Telly in for a game or two. Bryz has played quite a few games now.

I am still not overly impressed with Jokinen. He was really pissing me off at the end of the game. He kept passing when he should have shot. He was doing circles on the ice, he was waiting too long to shoot. He had some great opportunities to shoot and he either waited too long or passed the puck. I know we were up, but a few more goals are always nice.

What was nice to see was the crowd was really into this game. They were loud and proud. We were cheering on the coyotes, yelling at the refs and taunting the sharks. Overall, it was probably the loudest it has been in the job.

Tuesday I was able to go to the Coyotes practice (thanks to all the vets that have served this country). While there we decided to check out the Road Runners practice, as it was after the coyotes.

The coyotes were looking pretty good at practice. They did the usual drills but at the end Turris, Winnik and Porter worked with the skate coach. Porter and Winnik did some crazy drills. They had to walk on their tippy toes (in their skates) while pulling the coach. They looked like really bad ballerinas! Then they had to pull him while doing that to the side. Turris just had to skate while pulling the coach. I think they were working on building his strength as he is a really good skater.

Also, Porter went after McGrattan at the end of practice and they got into a “fight”. It was really cute. Porter went up to McGrattan and pushed him with his stick. They then got into a little hugging match and then McGrattan was able to clear an arm and threw these baby punches on Porter’s visor. They were both cracking up.

When we went over the RR practice, they seemed really excited to have people watch them. They kept staring at us.

The RR were really into the practice. They were celebrating their goals like it was an actual game. They were also very verbal.

I felt sorry for Goalie. The guys were skating to the bench for instruction and Rome was playing with a puck and shot it toward the boards and it hit Goalie in the head. He went down to the ice. He also kind of yelled at Rome but I don’t think he realized it was an accident.

Tomorrow night, the coyotes play in Columbus. It is radio only and starts at 5. I won’t be listening to it, so I won’t blog about it.

Thursday night the Coyotes will be in Minnesota. This one I will be watching. :)

Thursday and Friday Night Games

On Thursday night, the Coyotes beat the Penguins 4-1. Congrats go out to Kevin Porter, as he got his first NHL goal (and a special shout out to Boedker who went over and collected the puck for Porter).

The refs seemed to be leaning toward the Penguins. There was an obvious hooking on Bods, but nothing was called. And then they called a boarding call on Carcillo that was so not boarding. Never the less, the Coyotes were able to overcome the non-calls and bad calls to win the game.

Rhino had an impressive return. He was all over the ice and making some smooth moves. He also had a couple of assists and was really setting the guys up nicely. Maybe we need to sit Rhino more often… he comes back with a vengeance!

Overall, the boys played well. They held the Pens scoreless in the first and answered the Pens first goal quickly. They did slump a little bit in the second but not as much as they did against the Flames and thye came back strong in the third. They were hitting hard and taking hits. They were fast and kept their feet moving. When they lose, they aren’t doing all of the above.

On a side note… I am very disappointed in Sidney Crosby. I didn’t like him much before (too much whining) but I can’t believe what he did Saturday. He left after the second for an “injury” (probably thanks to the hit from Doan, yah, he was DOANED!). He later said he would have to watch the tape to see how he was injured (ok, how do you NOT know what you injured?) and that he couldn’t have done much in the third anyway. Ummmm, you were down 2-1 in the third. There was plenty you could have done. Wow, what a great captain. I guess I am spoiled having Doan as our captain. He is the type to play with a broken hand for over a month (and was the best player in the NHL for that month) and the fans didn’t even know until after his hand was healed. That is a captain. That is a leader. In my opinion, Sidney Crosby is not a leader. What kind of leader leaves his team for an unknown injury (unknown by the player…yah still don’t believe that) and then says there was nothing he could have done?

Thanks to the woman behind me I am losing my hearing. She is very loud and when she screams, it is very high pitched. I am thinking they are season ticket holders, as they have been there the last couple of games. I literally cringe whenever she yells. I am pretty sure she doesn’t know much about hockey, as some of the things that come out of her mouth are just plain stupid (Goal it, wtf?). Also, Saturdays are worse, as they drink, a lot. I also overheard them say they didn’t know who to cheer for when another team comes to town (I believe it was Vancouver) but other than that they are Coyotes fans. Ugh. I hate people like that. You live here now; this should be your team. I don’t care if you cheer for whatever team when they are not playing the Coyotes, but when you are a Coyotes STH, you need to cheer for them even when they play your other team.

Last night we went to the Road Runners game. It was a pretty good game, even though they lost. It took overtime for the Reign to win. Everytime the Reign scored, the Road Runners would answer quickly with a goal. I did notice that the Road Runners weren’t hitting and fighting as much as they usually do. They picked up the hits a little bit in the second and third.

My goalie did an awesome job, even though he let in 3 goals. He doesn’t make me nervous in net like Bryz does for the Coyotes. Speaking of Bryz, I am starting to think he really isn’t starting goalie material. I think we need to go with the tandem. Bryz for like 2-3 games and then Telly for a game or two.

Thursday-Coyotes, Friday-Roadrunners

Thursday night the Washington Capitals were in town to take on the Coyotes. I was seeing a lot of #8 jerseys, looking brand-spanking new. I have decided the Caps have a bunch of bandwagon fans here in the Valley. Washington has a lot of great players, not just Ovechkin (I know, he is amazing though) but I doubt those people notice the rest of the team. I have a soft spot for Mike Green, Brooks Laich, David Steckl and Jeff Schultz. Last season, I actually thought we should trade our 55 for their 55. :)

We went down to watch the Coyotes warm-up and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Yandle was rocking out to his rap song. Carcillo was doing his guitar impression to one song. At one point, McGrattan and Sauer collided and Sauer hit the ice but they were both laughing. All in all, our guys were looking good and having fun.

Telly was given the start. I (and a few other people) was happy to hear this. He was spot on, even earned himself the first star of the game. There were times, if it had been Bryz in the net that I would have been scared to death of that puck going in. I think Gretzky needs to do more of a 1A and 1B tandem with Bryz. It just doesn’t seem he is quite up to the starter job yet or maybe now that he has his big contract, he doesn’t have to work as hard? I’m not sure but I think he needs to be challenged. Telly can’t be a starter, but he could sure give Bryz a run for his money. The coyotes need to use that and make it more of a competition for Bryz, make him EARN the starting role.

McGrattan earned his first start on Thursday also. On his first shift, he had his first shot on goal. I was surprised that Jose “the open door” Theodore was able to stop it (and all the other shots we made), must have been a good night for him. McGrattan seemed to be having words with Brashear. McGrattan looked like he was ready to go but Brashear didn’t seem willing (even though he was pissing off all our guys).

The boys fell apart a bit in the second period. Tiki was injured in the first and of course Gretzky couldn’t just make a small adjustment, he had to change ALL the lines. The boys were running into each other, passing to the Caps and just seemed to lack communication skills. Fortunately, they were able to hold the Caps (and Ovechkin) off and come back much stronger in the third.
Caps got on the board first and thankfully, we held them there. Boedker scored to tie the game (his third goal of the season) and Mueller got the game winner. They were a couple of sweet goals.

Carcillo seems to back to his old self (for the most part). He started laying out some bigger, harder hits. He was shooting like a mad man. I believe his leash has been loosened a little bit but he’s still not playing his game at 100%.

Dmo was awesome Thursday. He was on Ovechkin all night. He slammed him into the boards so hard at one point. It was amazing. We also saw angry Dmo. He was about ready to kill one of the caps. He was yapping at him all the way to the bench. He tried to go after him again, but the refs stopped him. He was ready to throw down, but the refs were letting that happen.

Also, it was great. Ovechkin totally fanned on a shot from the point (and he was going to smack it hard too) and totally fell on his ass. It totally cracked me up. Also, Doan split a puck in two. I have never seen a puck split.

Tonight the Flames are in town. This should be a good game. Iginla is a great player and we can always count on Dion to try to start something. Based on what I saw in morning skate, I am thinking Lisin and Rhino will be the scratches tonight, as the skating coach was putting them through some drills and really working them. Also, Tiki should be back. He was on the ice for morning skate and looking good.

Friday night I went to the RoadRunners game. They played the Idaho Steelheads (Dallas affiliate) and won 2-1. My goalie was in net again and just keeps showing me why he deserves to be on my goalie list. He is just so much fun to watch and he can stop the puck pretty damn well.

My favorite dman, Andrew Andricopoulos, was having words with one of the Steelheads and it looked like they were going to throw down. Then at the last second, the steelhead just turns and skates to the bench. Who does that? The refs weren’t even anywhere near by to stop it.

My other favorite dman, Rory Rawlyk, did not play as he was injured pretty badly in Wednesday’s game. He was missed because he is not afraid to jump in and help the goalie out. Plus he isn’t afraid to check and push and talk smack. He is one tough player.

Brett Thurston did get into a fight (and won) with one of the Steelheads. Ashton Rome didn’t seem like his normal self, no fights and not a lot of big hits. We were thinking he might be a little bit hurt.

We will be attending the next home game on Friday. They will be playing the Ontario Reign (Kings affiliate). Apparently I also need to learn how to skate by January, which means I also need to buy skates. We will see how that goes.

Saturday the Coyotes lost to Montreal. I only really saw the first period. I kind of saw/heard the second period and completely missed the third. It wasn’t the best Coyotes game but Doan was able to score on his cousin. I am not sure why Gretzky didn’t play McGrattan. We could have used him in the lineup. Sauer laid a hit on Andrei K. and it may have been a bit questionable (I didn’t have the best internet feed) but was not malicious, so Montral was after him. BGL asked Sauer to go and he declined. He did go later with a player more his size. BGL went with Fedoruk, but Fridge didn’t have much of a chance (but yay! Fridge for taking the challenge).

Saturday night I went to a Roadrunners game. I am loving this team. They played their other goalie and he seems solid too. Victoria started their other goalie, who is much better than the guy they played Friday. Roadrunners won this one. Rome was in the penalty box like crazy. He was hitting everyone and fighting. These games are so intense!

Also, I went on Sunday. They ended up losing this game, but they put forth a good effort. They also played the goalie from Friday night. He is just so much fun to watch. At one point he did something (excellent stick handling) and I yelled, “Hey goalie I liked that!” and he turned and raised his stick a bit. I’m pretty sure he heard me.

After the game, my friend skated on the ice with some of the players. She talked with a few of them (Campbell and Rome). Winnik was there watching and talking to the guys. It was a fun time. I must get skates before the next skate. That and learn how to stop. Or I could just run into a player.

The Roadrunners went 2-1 in the series. I would say that is not bad, not bad at all. We are going to try and make it to this Fridays game and are definitely going on Halloween.

Thursday night the Caps make their way to jobing.com arena. Telly is going to get the start and Carcillo will be back in the line-up.

Also, to the person using bypassthat…I do not publish anonymous comments if I do no know who they are from.

Disappointment. I think I best get used to it..

Ok, so the Coyotes started off amazing with two big wins and now they have had two bad losses. Wednesday night the Coyotes were in Chi-town to take on the ‘hawks. They played a strong first period, hitting hard and both teams ended the period at 0-0. Morris got into a scuffle with Adam Burish (a fellow Wisconsinite) and a linesman skated over Dmo’s hand. He left the ice and was taking to a local hospital. Thank god he was ok (he was back for the game Friday night). After that, the Coyotes seemed to fall apart. Also, our blue line was exposed. We were weak once we lost DMo. Ulf was playing musical d-pairings and nothing seemed to click. There was a lot of shoving and physical play but the coyotes just couldn’t get back in the game. I am not so sure getting Jokinen was the best move. He was great in the games we won, but not so much in the games we lost.

One of the shoving matches was right in front of the coyote’s bench. As one of Chicago’s players was shoved into bench, Carcillo took a swat at him. It was harmless, but because it was Carcillo and the Coyotes, he got a 2 game suspension. Gretz should have let the boy loose during the ducks game or this game. He was hungry for a fight and could have had lots of them during those two games. He is a fighter, you are never going to squash that in him, so let him loose, especially when the other teams are taking so many liberties with our players.

Friday night the boys played in Ottawa. We were hoping for a big bounce back but that did not happen. Our D was still a bit shaky but come on Bryz, you are the goalie. You need to stop those pucks. Why Gretz didn’t pull Bryz is beyond me. He had a bad night in Chi-town, so you give him a shot to redeem himself. Then in the first he lets 3 goals (from 13 shots) in, in a span of about 7 minutes. When Bryz came back in the second, I knew it was over. The boys were able to rally a bit in the third after a goal by Doan (what has gotten into our Captain? He is so not off to his usually slow start, I hope this doesn’t mean he tapers off at the end of the season). Lisin and Bods also got goals, but in the end it wasn’t enough. The coyotes lost 6-3.

Wow, those were some tough losses to watch. I am glad they were away games and I didn’t have to witness them in person. But they better get their act together, we have Montreal tonight, Caps Thursday and Pens the Thursday after that.

In other news, my night was not all lost. We went to the RoadRunners game and they beat the Salmon Kings (WTF kind of name is that?) 7-1. Oh that game was amazing. I didn’t know any of the players yet, but we found a few that we liked. The goalie was awesome. He is amazing, 5’9 and just wow. He was spot on! There was another player that was 5’8 and he was going after all the big boys. #61 got two goals. #17 and 51 were very physical and making space on the ice to create some good puck movement. We are planning on going back tonight and tomorrow. They looked better than the coyotes.

Also, I noticed it seemed the players were able to get away with some questionable hits. One guy totally charged another player and nothing! And they were hitting hard and getting into scrums all over the place. There was only one real fight but the atmosphere there was awesome. Even though they are part of the Sharks organizations, I am liking these hometown boys. I even bought a $5 hat so I could support the RoadRunners at their games. I guess when there is no Coyote hockey in town, I can catch some games. You can get tickets for as low as $8.