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!

Wha?? No hockey?!?!?

Oh my god, I have to go a whole week without hockey? How will I ever manage?? I need a fix…
So far, I have just been working out and catching up on my sleep. I’ve also watched a couple TV shows I normally don’t get to watch on Thursdays. I usually have to watch them on the weekends.

I know there is All-Star game stuff to watch this weekend, but really…it’s just not the same! I will be watching it though, mostly to support Doan and Bods.
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In other news, Shumway has stepped aside as CEO. Moyes will now be taking over the Coyotes while Shumway will focus on other aspects of Moyes’ businesses.

Shumway has been good for the Coyotes organization, but I could see where Moyes would want to do this. It gets another salary off the Coyotes books and Moyes more involved with the day to day workings of the teams, as he may retain some ownership. It sounds like they are looking for investors and part-owners to help Moyes out. It doesn’t look like they are going to completely sell the team off.

Catching up with the Coyotes...

Wow, I haven’t written much lately. I was just so depressed after that Chicago loss I found it hard to get up the motivation to write. But don’t worry, I’m back now. I’m sure y’all missed me.

A quick hit on the Chicago game. First off, I’m not sure Carcillo should have played. He was obviously not his usual self, probably all hopped up on pain medicine. Telly let in four goals and was replaced by Bryz in the second. I do find it funny how when Bryz let’s in four goals in the first, he is allowed to stay in. When Telly does it, he gets pulled. And it really shouldn’t have been four goals, one was a distinct kicking motion (they reviewed it and called it good but it really shouldn‘t have counted). Two of them were a direct result of the D breaking down. The other one rolled in off the crossbars, would have been difficult for anyone to stop. Ok, done with Chicago.
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Thursday night the Lightning came to town. This was also the debut of what we like to call the “Bad Boys Line”. Carcillo-Murray-Fridge. I am loving this line. They hit. A lot.

The refs missed a whole bunch of calls against the Lightning, but nevertheless, the Coyotes prevailed and won the game. Hale had a great shot from the blue line that lead to Kyle Turris getting the game winner. KT has really started to come into his own.

Jokinen finally showed up and got us our first power play goal in like ever.

Carcillo took a high stick to the mouth (no call) and went off the ice for a bit in the third. This should have been a 4 minute penalty, as there was blood on the ice. We also have lost Tiki for awhile. He injured his hand while blocking a shot. He will be placed on IR.
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Last night we faced the Dallas Stars who were coming off a 6-1 loss to the Wings. I expected the Stars to be out for blood, but we out hit them 36-20. Someone must have pissed in Doan’s cheerios because I think he hit more guys this game then he has all season. The Bad Boys Line was hitting anything in a Stars uniform.

The goalies were outstanding last night. We ended the game tied 0-0. At one point Turco came out of his crease, almost all the way to the blue line, and checked Lindstrom. Where was our goalie-checking Fridge? Turco seemed to stay in his crease whenever Fridge was out there.

There were a lot of missed calls against the Stars. I counted at least 5 during the third period.
We were all a bit worried going into OT as we have not won in OT/Shootout yet this season. Somehow we were able to hold off the Stars and take it to a shoot out.

In the shoot out we sent out Lindstrom, Mueller, Jokinen, Rhino and KT. Mueller, Rhino and KT scored for us (with KT getting the game winner). Bryz let in two shots, but the second one was kind of odd. The puck hit the blocker and kind of trickled into the net on an odd bounce. There wasn’t much he could have done. Although it was heartbreaking to watch. We were all standing and when that went in we sat down (only for a second).

There 3 Stars were:
3. KT
2. Turco
1. Bryz

The goalies definitely deserved to be stars, but I would have put KT above Turco just because we were on home ice.
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In other news, Boedker was named the the NHL Young-Stars game. He totally deserves that honor. He works hard, hits and gets things done on the ice.

Doan was also honored by being named to the All-Star game. Doan was the one guy on the Coyotes who totally deserved it (of the three that were on the ballot).

Congrats to both Doan and Boedker. I have no doubt they will represent the Coyotes with class and dignity.
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Winnik was sent down to San Antonio for a two-week conditioning stint. He may return early with Tiki out for an undisclosed amount of time.
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Up next the Coyotes go on a long road trip. It starts off Tuesday night in Minnesota. We then play on the road Thursday (Canucks), Saturday (Flames) and Sunday (Oilers). The Coyotes then come home on Tuesday the 20th and play the Redwings. This road trip will be a telling stint for the Coyotes. They play some pretty tough teams (Wild, Flames) and then home to play the Wings. This week may be the telling in whether the Coyotes are ready for the play-offs or not. Hopefully we can get at least another 6 points out of this. Minnesota and Calgary will be a challenge but if they aren’t ready the Oilers and Canucks could easily take the wins too.

Doan's Unofficial Camp

Monday was the start of Doan’s unofficial hockey camp. It seemed very different than last year. It seemed a lot more organized for the first day. They all had matching uniforms (except Tyson Nash) and it was a lot more pros. Last year, I remember the first week was only a couple pros and lots of younger guys. Here is who I remember being there:
Shane Doan
Derek Morris
Bill Thomas
Jeff Taffe
Olli Jokinen
Tyson Nash
Peter Mueller
David Spina
Nick Boynton
There were some of the rookies there that I didn’t recognize yet. I have to start learning who the new guys are! I didn’t take any pictures, maybe next time. I had my camera with me but just didn’t get around to pictures. It was just great to watch hockey again. The guys looked like they were having a good time. When DMo walked in, he told us not to watch him and just watch all the other guys.
Jovo and Lisin were at the rink but not on the ice. They were talking to Maloney and (who I think was) the new assistant coach.

The Coyotes had an open house this past Saturday. According to their site about 2,500 people showed up. I can attest to that. I was there and the line was super long. Signing autographs were Shane Doan, Olli Jokinen and Peter Mueller. They were all good sports, but maybe that was because we were at the start of the line! Jokinen looked a little shell-shocked. I would guess the Panthers don’t have these fan events. He’ll get used to it. Doan was his normal self. We were joking with him about going blind from all the camera flashes. He is such a good sport. I am trying to recall what Mueller was like early last year, but it escapes me. Either way, he seems to be a lot more confident and seems to be interacting more with the fans.

The promotional schedule came out today. I was a little disappointed as it seemed to be less give-a-ways than last year. The items so far seem to be good ones though. The Jokinen bobble head will be nice to add to my collection (too bad I accidentally broke my Jovo one - oops). The fleece blankets are always my favorites. My parents will be excited; it looks like they will be here for that game. The winter gloves are always appreciated. I ended up with two last year and I love them! And the bear is just too cute. I hope there are scratchers this year. I liked wining all those tickets!

I guess the Coyotes rookies and the Kings rookies will be playing a couple of games before the season starts. It looks like September 16 (6 pm) and 17 (2 pm) at the arena. It’s open to the public, so it sounds like it will be free. I’m not 100% sure on that but I will update when I know more. The 2pm game will be tricky for me. I will have to take a half day at work. It doesn’t look like I have any meetings that day and I will make sure not to schedule any that day!

Kyle Turris has a blog entry up on the coyote’s website. In there he said he can’t wait for summer to be over with. We are with you KT! Everyone I know is ready for hockey season to start. I am looking forward to a whole season of KT. This is shaping up to be an exciting season but it is still filled with many question marks.

Team Canada news!!!! And my shift key doesn't work properly

Fucking wings; what the hell is wrong with Colorado? Come on boys, kick the dead things ass!!! Red Wings now lead the series 2-0. I got to see the game today. I couldn’t believe red wings kept getting goals. I walked out to get the mail, came back in and they had scored in like the minute I was gone! Although the wings won the game, Colorado won the fight! It wasn’t as good as say a Carcillo fight, but it was good to see a fight.

I didn't actually watch the games Friday night (I had a bunch of errands to run). Stars also won in OT. I am so happy about that. I hope the Stars can keep it up and beat the Sharks in this round.

I also didn’t get to watch the games Thursday night. Both were early games for me and I thought hitting the gym was more important then coming in for half the game.

I’m a little disappointed that the Rangers let the Penguins come back and beat them 5-4. Next game.

Montreal beat the Flyers in OT. Looks like Flyers are up 3-1 in the second, as I type.

In Coyotes news, they signed two of their European prospects. Goalie Joel Gistedt. He was one of the higher rated goalies in last year’s draft. He had a bad season. From my understanding, the coach didn’t give him much of a chance and basically wrote him off before the season begun. Hopefully he will come over this year and get a better chance somewhere in the Coyotes’ system. He seemed to be one of the better goalies at rookie camp (Tordjman was probably the best, IMO).
They also signed Jonas Ahnelov. It sounds like he is ready to come over and play where ever management thinks is best, which is always good. It also sounds like him and Gistedt are friends, so that should help the two of them adjust to the changes.

Word is rookie camp starts Monday June 23rd. Last year it started on a weekend and was open to the public. I am hoping they have some open sessions on the following weekend, as that would be when I am able to go. I don’t know if I could take any days off that week. I think someone in my department is taking that whole week off. :(

Team Canada has been busy with our yotes lately. Turris has been added to the training camp roster but will not be on the actual playing roster. And none other than our own Shane Doan will again be Team Canada captain. That just goes to show we have one of the better captains out there. He is always ready and willing to serve his country for hockey. I just hope this year we don’t have to go through the whole ordeal that we did last year. It was absolutely ridiculous. Damn politicians.

Rumors:
Flames will likely try to keep Cujo. I am all for this. I want to see Cujo play longer. He is awesome!

Not much else to report on the rumors front. Most of it is too general to post all of them!

Coyotes 5, Dallas 2

So after the last crappy home games, the coyotes came out strong and beat the Stars 5 to 2. A well deserved win.

Vrbata got his 100th NHL goal. (and the game winner at that)

Boynton got an empty netter for his 3rd goal of the season.

The stars were going after Carcillo but he just held his ground. He didnt go off, he didnt fight, he just skated away. Even when he got a call for elbowing (i didnt see where that was elbowing) he just skated over to the box and sat down. Lets just hope he keeps this up.

Overall I thought all the guys played well. Shane Doan was back. Also, it was disclosed that he was playing with a broken hand for the month of January. The month that he was also the leading scorer in the NHL. Wow. Thats pretty amazing.

One of the other blogs I read posted this article on Ryan Suter: http://www.usahockeymagazine.com/story.php?left_nav=0802&article=suter0802&right_nav=normal

It was a good article. Suter seems like a very down to earth, nice guy. That seems to be the norm among hockey players. Im not going to lie, I wouldnt mind trading Jovocough for Suter.

Tonight we play LA Kings. So far we are 4-0 in the series with them. But we shouldnt take that for granted, they have had a recent surge. They beat Detroit not too long ago.

Ok, well I am going to tnoghts game and also recording it. They are doing a behind the scenes type thing that I think will be interesting to see.

UPDATE COYOTES vs STARS

Ok, so Vandermeer has been sent down. Doan didnt make the trip. Hes injured - groin. Thomas and Carcillo recalled and expected to play. Bryz in goal. And Gretz will be micd up on the game for Versus.

I will be watching. And Ive set mu DVR up to record, just in case.

Heres hoping we kick some Stars ass!

The coyotes are 1-1 after the All-Star break. We were able to beat Columbus on Tuesday. Thanks to Center Ice for having a free preview. I was able to watch the game from the comfort of my house. It was a good game. Daniel Carcillo came back like he was never gone. You could see the energy level shifted upon his return.

We were so close to beating Detroit. If only we could have gotten one more goal before switching to the "lets not score, lets just make sure they dont score" mentality. It never works for us. What works is skating hard, playing physical, and getting those big hits. They have nothing to be ashamed about this loss though. They played hard and even had the lead for awhile. It just goes to show we are not the same team from last year and we can play with the best of them.

And Damnjovo has actually had some pretty good games without too many errors. In the detroit game, i would have sworn it was a different player. he actually tried to keep the puck in (not just let it roll past him) and he actually skated fast. It seemed like far too often he'd do a leisurely skate to the puck while an opposing player is flying down the ice.

Shane Doan has been on fire. he was the points leader for the month of January. He had 13 points in 13 games. He almost tied the detroit game. IMO he waited a tad too long to shoot it and went low. He should have shot sooner and tried to go between osgoods shoulder and the pipes. But who am I to say, I wasnt out there making that decision. (also, good pass from jovo!)

Tonight I will be going to the Capitals/Thrashers game. I will be sporting my coyote beanie as I need to show support for the guys playing in Nashville. I will update with some pics when I return to Phoenix. I will be in the corner where the Capitals attack twice, row H. Nice. I also found out that they do show out of town scores so i can keep track of the yotes. I am sad that Ilya Kolvachuk isnt going to be playing. Damn Ruutu.

Tonight is an important, must win game. We went from 8th to 9th (after the loss to detroit) and are now in 10th because someone else won when we didnt play. I have a good feeling about this game and Im pretty sure the yotes will win.

Shane Doan on the Edge 103.9

Doan was on the edge this morning and they got to talking about what the smartest position was. Doan said that it wasnt really so much a smart position, but a role. He said the tough guys are usually the smartest. He mentioned Louie Debrusk and then two other guys (who i didnt hear, darn the people in my office for talking!). The two other guys went on to become lawyers. I thought that was pretty interesting becasue in the coyotes o7-08 yearbook i was looking at it said Daniel Carcillo would be a lawyer if he wasnt a hockey player.

They didnt really talk about much else, just that Chuck couldnt figure out the schedule. and how the yotes were doing a sweep through western canada.

Tomorrow night is the flames. Im going to miss the vancouver and edmonton games. Im going to DVR them but i will be having a blast in Vegas.