Coyotes Open House

Thursday 6/25 from 6-9. These players:

will be
in attendance
from 7-8:30

Please RSVP.

The Coyotes will also provide free hot dogs and pop.

Sales Reps will be available for full and half season ticket packages.

Mini-packs have yet to be released.

All pics: my own

Other News

Coyotes resign:

to a 2-year contract.

All photos: my own

The News in Pictures

The Coyotes have traded the rights to

to Florida for
And that is the news.

Rhino picture: my own

Meyers picture: found on dailylife. com

Please sign the petition! It may be important.

If you feel hockey, specifically the Coyotes, should stay in Phoenix, please go sign the petition. We have no idea if the Coyotes are, or will be, leaving the desert but we want to get the ball rolling in case things get worse and there is a real chance our beloved team may be taken from us.

None of us know what is really going on but there has been many articles discussing the Coyotes financial situation. Apparently the NHL has paid the Coyotes debt to Glendale. Glendale is saying the NHL has taken control of the Coyotes. The Coyotes say the NHL has not taken control and of course the NHL has said nothing. So who does one believe? The Coyotes who can’t ice a team or get the balls to get a real coach? Or the City of Glendale aka a bunch of politicians? I don’t think you can trust either. And this is why people are worried.

I am not as worried as others. They are not going anywhere in the immediate future, which means we still have time to save our team. I am willing to do what I can, as long as it doesn’t involve spending a ton of money. I just don’t have the financial needs to do so at the moment. This petition may not be needed or it may just be a start. But I ask, if you are a hockey fan, to please go sign it. Thank you in advance.

Well, I went out to Washington DC this past weekend. It was a nice little vaca and I missed some Coyotes game. Apparently they were not too much to miss.

They lost to both the Preds and Blues. I heard Carcillo was one of the few players to show up and that Dmo chose to sit out the Blues game as he asked to be traded from this losing team.

Sunday I went to see the Panthers at Caps and am happy to report that the Panthers beat the Caps 6-2. Ballard got two assists and looked AWESOME out there. I love that guy so much. And after really watching the Panthers (since they weren’t playing my team) I realized there are a lot of great guys on that team. I hope they make the playoffs.

The Caps looked like the Coyotes. For once I was glad not to be on the losing end of a game. Listening to the crowd, they sounded just like Coyotes fans. The only player that really showed up was Ovie. Every shift he was out there you thought this is it, something is going to happen now!

Nick Boynton was scratched. Turns out he got into it with the Coach a few days before. That sounds like Boynton. He is not afraid to speak his mind and that is why I love him.

I am not going to say much about the trade deadline. I expected Dmo and Telly to go but it still hurts. Olli I am not sad to see go but I think we could have gotten more for him then two players that have 22 (or so) goals between them. And the biggest upset of the day? Carcillo to Philly. Wow. No one saw that one coming. At least he’s going to a good team. Flyers were my number one team before I moved to Phoenix.

Don’t be surprised to see this blog go in a new direction shortly. I no longer believe that Coyotes management is seriously trying to “build a winner” and go with a “youth movement”. They have been doing the same thing every year since I’ve been here. They keep repeating the same thing and trading off fan favorites. I ask, do they really want to put butts in the seats, do they really want to win? I also don’t think they can seriously build a winner until something is done with the coaching staff.

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!!

We won? We won?! OMG WE WON!!!!!!!!!

It’s a good thing the boys finally pulled out a win today. And all the haters can’t blame Danny for that one. He got the winning goal in the shootout! And you should have seen the smile that lit up his face. He looked like a lil kid scoring his first goal. It was just too adorable.
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Now, I have to be serious here for a bit, so bear with me. What is with all the fan on fan hate? I am not talking about fans of other teams, I am talking about Coyotes fans hating on Coyotes fan for no reason. It’s evident on message boards and comments on AZC, it’s evident at the games. It’s getting ridiculous.

Yesterday a poster on AZC called a group of fans “idiots” because they dance and have a good time at a game. If you want quiet, go to a freaking golf game. I am going to stand up, scream, dance, clap whatever the hell I need to, to cheer on my team. So tonight I looked around and noticed that every section had people dancing in it. Are they all idiots for having a good time? Why do I need to be quiet and serious at a hockey game? That’s how I am at work. When I am done with work I want to do things that are fun, relaxing and relieve stress. Going to a hockey game does all that for me. If you don’t like it, go find another sport to watch. Maybe golf or chess would be more your style?

And tonight at the game, it went to a shoot out. Well, we decided to stand (like we always do) and the people behind us were yelling at us to sit down. You know what I did? I stayed standing and I told them to stand up. Everyone behind them was standing, everyone in the arena was standing. What makes you so special that you think people should sit down because you are too fucking lazy to stand up? Get off your fat lazy ass and support your team!

And with that I am out.

Awwwww, I felt loved today!

Ok, so I think I have finally decided on the sign I will take to the Panthers at Capitals game.

“I came all the way from Phoenix to see a Ballard hipcheck!”

The cute little kid (who called us trouble btw…) said I would definitely get a puck for that sign. He wears a Ballard Coyotes jersey and a Panther hat to most games (and Carcillo jersey to the others). He is a kid after my own heart. Although… he did call Britney Spears his wife. That is a tad disturbing.
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In other news, I ended up with two of the Coyotes Valentines Bears! One of my lawyers brought me one today. It was so sweet.

Qiuck Hits cuz I'm tired.

Where to begin? The Coyotes are on a losing streak but I still love my boys. I can’t help it.
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Poor Telly Monster, every time he plays the other teams just do so much crap to him. He’s gotten his bell rung two to three times this season. The oilers were no different.
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Kurt Sauer is back. Woohoo. Our blue line has just become that much better.
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Last night was the season ticket holder signing. It was pretty fun. I got some sigs and photogs. I giggled and amused the boys. I didn’t get to three tables but its ok. I was tired of waiting in lines.
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Tomorrow night the Atlanta Thrashers are in town. Telly Monster will be in net again.
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And lastly, there are reports there may be a buyer for the Coyotes. This could be some good news for the club!

Picture Post

Giving Phaneuf a beat down? 2 minutes well worth it!

He blew a kiss at the end of this. Can you say player? :P

Telly Monster!!!

JP

LINDY!!! I heart him

Winnik

Jovo showing the girlies his booty. And Yandle for The Diva.

Rockstar Jovo

Daniel Carcillo

Carcillo and his hair. Oh how we love that hair!

Another Telly shot.

Catch Up

Ok, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve written anything. I am going to try and get better at that. No excuses, right?

Some quick updates:

Mueller has been activated from IR. He returned last night against the Flames. He wasn’t quite visible (as usually) but as The Diva and I discussed, the Coyotes plummeted after he was injured, so maybe, just maybe, he is the anti-cancer for the locker room and we need him in the lineup.
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Tiki has also returned to the lineup. He had a tremendous game last night! Welcome back Tiki! We missed you!!
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Turris has been sent to SA. I didn’t think he was doing to bad but this will really help his game, give him some confidence. I think it was a great move. Plus, if the Coyotes can’t make the playoffs he can help push the Rampage to the playoffs.
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Schlemko is back with us. He is getting some major FF miles this past few weeks.

Ok, the games:

Wednesday night we won. I know right? We beat Dallas 1-0. Bryz was amazing in net. Wait… did I just say that? I love playing Dallas because it is just too much fun to watch Turco and it turns into a battle of the goalies.
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Thursday night we played the Canucks. My friend and I went to Saddle Ranch before hand and got some of their monster drinks. It definitely made the game more fun and we really annoyed the old lady Canucks fan in front of us. If you don’t like it, go back to Canada. This is our arena. Well anyway, we lost. Not too surprised there.
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Last night we played the Flames. It was looking bad, really bad. But then we rallied late in the third to make it 7-5 but couldn’t quite get those last few goals. Tiki and Winnik both had two goals each with the fifth coming from the Captain, Shane Doan. Winnik really needed those goals. He hadn’t scored all season. Way to go Winnik!!!! Oh yes, the best part? When Phaneuf tried to punch Carcillo in the face. Not his best idea. Hahanaha

Soon after this, a fight broke out in the crowd. A Flames fan jumped like 4 rows to go after Coyotes fans. They were escorted out.

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Let’s see… I just have a random thought left.
-The Suns are getting ready to fire their coach. He hasn’t even been there a full season yet but the guys aren’t playing to their full potential. Coyotes… please take notes. The Suns know, when you have that much talent they should be producing. If they aren’t it probably means there is issues with the coaching staff. Time to shake things up.
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Ok, well Monday night we take on the Oilers at home. Yah, don’t even want to think about that yet.
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Tuesday night is our STH signing event. I have no idea what to get signed. Maybe I will get pics instead. Although it’s always awkward as they are behind those big, long tables.

Six

That is how many games the Coyotes have now lost. In a row. Since the All-Star Break. Prior to then, they had been doing so well.

Part of the problem seems to be we can’t score. In the six games we have scored a total of 9 goals. 9 goals in six games is a little ridiculous and sad.

I don’t know what else to say. Maybe more another day this week when I am feeling it more.

Sabres 2, Coyotes 0

I don’t feel like writing much so here are some quick hits:

I wish Jokinen had been invisible last night. He made himself quite visible by making mistake after mistake.

There were two and a half fights. I say half because what would have been Carcillo’s second fight was stopped by the refs. Carcillo and Stevie G both had some great fights.

Ryan Miller was on last night. *sigh* why can’t we have him instead of Bryz?

Buffalo fans are terrible. They were yelling “You can’t score” as they were leaving the arena. We were walking over to Bar Louie and a group looked at us and went, “Did the Coyotes play tonight?” so I flipped them off. I was sick of it at that point. They aren’t that great of a team and they did not beat us like 10-0. Grow up Buffalo fans, grow up. I have been a visiting fan in other arenas and do not act like that. If I see another fan of my team I may go, “Great game” or something but I never rub it in the other fans faces.

Well, that is all I have to say.

Ok, I am a little behind this week. So I will try to do some quick hits, starting with newest (Sharks game) and working back to oldest (All-Star game). Lastly, I will look ahead to Buffalo at Coyotes on Saturday. Hold on…here we go!

Coyotes at Sharks:
Coyotes lost 2-1,with the last goal being an empty netter. They played better than they did against the Ducks on Tuesday but not up to what they were before the All-Star break. Rhino left the game early with an injury and won’t be back for 4-8 weeks (Coyotes called up Nikulin from SA). I watched the game but I was so tired, I don’t remember too many details so this is all you get.
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Ducks at Coyotes:
Ok, the Coyotes started out strong but ended up looking like crap in a 7-2 loss Tuesday night. The refs didn’t help. Getzlaf puts a bad hit on Mueller then holds him down, argues with the ref and at one point kicks one and gets nothing. That’s right….NOTHING. It was all down hill from there (Oh yah, Mueller also left the ice and did not come back. He is out with a concussion). But the refs were nice enough to give us a PP with like 2 seconds left in the third. Fantastic! Shane Doan got us our two goals. I believe Rhino assisted on both of them.

Luckily the other teams competing with us in the playoff run also lost so we weren’t bumped too badly.

OK….done!
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All-Star Game Hits:
Toews was wearing #19, which is Captain Coyotes number. On the broadcast they stated Vets get to pick if they want to wear their number or let another player wear it. I have decided that Toews whined and Doan was like “You can have it, really I don’t mind.” He is such a nice guy, I can totally see this happen.

Carey Price called his mom after he finished playing, how adorable!

Dang, Doan is so good at getting through like 3 guys from the other team. He is so strong on the puck. He also got a goal right away in the third period. Way to go Doaner!

Overall I thought the west unis looked the best. I do not like the white gloves that they were wearing though. They reminded me of marshmallows. I think the east should have went with red helmets; it would have flowed better. West has white jersey, white helmet. East has red jersey, blue helmet. It just looked wrong.

Game Re-Cap, Coyotes 6, Detroit 3

I don’t even know where to start with my write up about last night’s game. I didn’t get much sleep but I am still all hyped up from the win and maybe the three cups of coffee I had this morning…maybe.

The Coyotes have not won in the last 9 games (since March of 2006) against the Red Wings (this was the stat I saw on tv last night – sometimes at games I sit where I can watch the tv broadcast). This was a well deserved win and a much needed win.

This game was big in many ways, something the Detroit fans don’t seem to grasp. They seem to think that the season starts in April. Let them think that, I will take all the points and do a little victory dance. I want all the points we can get and I want them allllll season long! This win placed the Coyotes alone in the 5th spot (it also didn’t hurt that Vancouver and the Ducks lost last night!). Our team played a full 60 minutes of our game. The Wild and Wings were two teams we could not figure out and were finally able to do so at least once this season. The boys need to see that they are good. They need to know they can beat these teams. It’s a confidence thing. We know they have the skill. We know they can beat any team they want, but do the boys know that? This game should go a long way in them seeing what they can do and believing in themselves.

I’ve noticed our PP is starting to look much better these last few games, last night included. We still have a problem winning face-offs, which is hurting our PP. We start the PP chasing after the puck; definitely need to still work on the face-offs in order to help the PP.

Another thing that really lights a fire under our guys is the other team taking a few liberties with Turris. Early on the red wings made some questionable plays on Turris and Carcillo stepped in to tell those wing players to watch it. That really seemed to spark our whole team. I am still sticking to the Carcillo-Turris-Stevie G line being one of the better ones out there.

It was nice to see we held Detroit scoreless in 5 on 5 play. Their goals all came on PP. One was a 5 on 3 that should have never happened. There were a lot of ghost calls on the Coyotes and a lot of “missed” calls on Detroit. It was like the refs wanted the wings to win it. Luckily our guys were able to battle back and take the win.

Some other info on the game:

Winnik was a healthy scratch for the Coyotes. Will he be sent back to SA again? Will he be a healthy scratch in Phoenix for the rest of the season? Will he be able to return to the Winnik of last season? So many questions there…

Detroit fans threw two small octopuses on the ice after two of their goals. After Lisin scored the empty netter, sealing the win, a much larger octopus was chucked on the ice in front of the Coyotes bench. Carcillo skated over and looked like he really wanted to fling it at a wings fan; instead he took it over and deposited on his bench, much to the chagrin of his teammates. I think it would have been hilarious if he flipped back into the crowd (not hitting any Coyotes fans of course).

Klee played his 900th career game last night. I heart Klee. He has really done well this season and has stepped up even more in Sauer’s absence.

The Coyotes honored two Cardinal players last night, showing once again what a classy organization they are.

Coyotes goals compliments of (in order scored): DMo (1st period), Yandle, Jokinen (2nd Period), and Jovo, Lisin, Lisin (3rd period). Last night at the arena, they changed one of the goals to David Hale. I believe it was the Jovo goal listed here.
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In other news, Stevie G was sent back to SA. I am hoping this is just to give him some playing time during the All-Star break and that he will be back next Tuesday for the Ducks game.

If not, I would suspect a call-up for one of the other guys doing well down there. But like I said earlier, the Carcillo-Turris-Stevie G has some really good chemistry and Carcillo is playing more like last years Carcillo. I suspect the goals and assists are going to start coming for that boy now. Why mess with a good thing? Oh wait, we are talking about Gretzky here. These lines have been together for a few games…time to switch ‘em up!

6-3 Coyotes OVER red wings

More in depth tomorrow. I need to figure out how to fall alseep with all this extra energy I have now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We split the road trip and the Cards are going to the superbowl!

There were highs and lows to tonight’s game, but overall I am not terribly disappointed with the loss. I was hoping that Telly would start as Bryz’s stats against the Oilers are not that great and it would give him plenty of time to rest up for the Red Wings. I was also hoping that Gretzky would keep the lines together and at least he did that.

The game started off great with Yandle scoring thanks to the work of the Carcillo-KT-Stevie G line. This line played extremely well at Calgary and Edmonton.

After that the Oilers go on a tear and score three times before the end of the first. We head into the second 3-1 Oilers and I am thinking we are doomed.

In the second Carcillo and Mueller score to tie it but we can’t hold on to the sippery Oilers. They score once in the second to pull ahead 4-3.

Carcillo gets into a fight. The boys take their helmets off before it begains and the linesmen stand within about 2 feet of them. Carcillo gets in a couple of great hits before they wrestle to the ice. I’d say the fight was pretty much a draw, maybe the Oiler taking the win.

The Oilers score in the third to make it 5-3. The Oilers also score on an empty net to make it 6-3 final. The forwards were out there working their bums off but just couldn’t make it happen.

At one point in the third, there was a big pile up because the Oilers thought Stevie G had a bad hit on their player. In reality the Oiler lost his edge, fell and made it look like Stevie G hit him. The Oilers lucked out and didn’t even get a roughing penalty on this even though they totally jumped Stevie G and went after Yandle. The Oilers lucked out several times as the refs didn’t call much on them, even though they were taking liberties with our guys. That’s just the way the Zebras roll at times.

In some ways, this was very similar to the Minnesota game at the start of the roadtrip. Both games we battle back to tie (or close) and then end up losing 6-3. it’s showing signs of progress that we are battling back instead of giving up, like we used to.
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I was reading some comments on Azcentral (I don’t know why I torture myself…) and someone had the balls to say that Rhino is MIA. What team has he been watching? Obviously not the Coyotes, which might explain why he thinks Rhino is MIA. Rhino may not have the points, but he has been one of the few vets that continues to work his butt off game in and game out. He’s getting pucks to the net, he’s getting his body to the net, he’s fighting in corners and he’s making things happen Lets look at his stats… 45 games, 9 goals, 16 assists, 25 points, +8, 12 PIM, 2 game winners and 56 shots. Oh yah, he is definitely MIA. This is why I love Rhino, he flies under the radar. He is underrated. He makes things look pretty and easy, even when he is battling through two opposing players.
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Tuesday night the yotes are going to rock the house and the wings. That is all I am going to say about that.
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In other sports, the Cards defeated the Eagles and are going to the Superbowl!! Way to go Cards! At the start of the season, I never thought they would make the Superbowl. This will be their first appearence in the 'bowl. Let's Go Cards!!

Coyotes at Calgary

The pre-game info for tonight’s game was missed due to the Arizona basketball game running over time. I find it funny that I have seen hockey games on NBC that have run over time, yet they will just switch to whatever is next (golf or horse racing) but basketball trumps hockey. Boooooooo

The Flames were coming off a big win over the Sharks, so my boys needed to be ready and play their game for the full 60 minutes and play it they did.

Hale started it off with a goal and a fight. This was the second goal of his career (both done this season) and I believe his second fight of the season. And who did he choose to fight? Jerome Iginla. He got off a couple of good swings before Iginla took him down. You have to give him credit for fighting Iginla. Hale and Iginla both left their helmets on (neither has a visor), I am sure this was due to all the recent talks about keeping the helmets on during fights and recent OHL rule change.

On the Hale goal, Fridge did a great job of screening Kipper. This is what I have been talking about all year and it seems they are finally starting to get the importance of getting in front of the net.

Calgary had a good scoring chance on the PP early in the second; the puck hit the post then the crossbar and bounced out. As Mueller comes out of the box, he is fed the puck, tries to pass it but it comes right back to him, quick shot and it’s in the net.

The Flames finally answer with a shot from Cammallari and a screen by Iginla. Cammallari gets another goal later in the third. The Flames will score once more in the third but it wasn’t enough to beat my yotes.

Jokinen also got on the board with a sweet shot from the corner that somehow found a gap between the post and Kipper. Boedker had a nice breakaway on a pass from Klee (made possible from a block by Yandle) and was able to score on Kipper.

The end of the game became a little nerve wracking when the Flames pulled Kipper to have the extra attacker. The Coyotes just couldn’t clear the zone and the Flames were giving everything they had, which thankfully wasn’t enough.

The game ends and it is 4-3 Coyotes. The yotes have moved into 5th in the Conference and second in the division, ahead of Anaheim because they have played one more game than us. We are sitting at 14th in the league (right behind the Florida Panthers - hrmmmmm funny stuff).
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Tomorrow night the Coyotes go to Edmonton to take on the Oilers. I am not sure what time the game starts. The schedule says 6 but I got a text Friday saying the game was at 6 pm on 1510 am but then they sent out another one saying it started at 7 pm. The Coyotes website also says 7. I will probably be prepared and check at 6. I have nothing else to do, with the Cardinals/Eagles game in my backyard, I will be stuck at my apartment all day.

Edmonton is currently in 9th place (tied for 8th with Minnesota) and four points behind us. They will be looking to get two points this game. They could be a tough team to beat. The Coyotes will need to bring their A-game and not get too cocky/overconfident about these last two wins. I said before I wanted them to get six points this road trip and they can do it. They just need to stick to their game, limit the penalties, and play the full 60 minutes.

Will Gretzky ice the same team tomorrow? Will Gretz rest Klee? Will Bryz get a night off to prepare for Tuesday's game? If I recall, Bryz has a horrid record against Edmonton.

If they can get these three wins in a row, it could be good for Tuesday when we face the Red Wings at home. I am asking that all Coyotes fans come out to Glendale. We need you on Tuesday. We need your body in the seat, we need your support, we need your voice. I will be loud and proud and make the Red Wings fans not want to come back to our arena, yes our arena. It is not the Red Wings arena and the team and the fans should not get comfy there, like it’s theirs.
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David Schlemko has been called up from SA. I'm not sure if he will actually play, as Klee, Hale and Yandle have been playing well.

Also, G has been called up to SA; hopefully he will get to play this time. He has been called up numerous times this season but has yet to play in SA.
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Well, I think that is all I have for you kitties tonight. I am going to finish watching 30 Minute Meals. Peace out.

I decided to see how much Byrz’s holiday mask went for. I got on NHL.com and found the past auctions. His mask sold for 3,999. Wow. That is an awesome amount for charity!
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Thursday night the Coyotes beat Vancouver 4-1. The Diva is responsible for Bryz/Z giving up that one goal. She decided to talk about the last time we got a shutout. I tried to tell her it was Dallas (hehe) but she wouldn’t listen and kept talking about it.

I thought the boys played really well. Mr. Klee was a shot blocking machine, Lucky Lindy almost struck gold (2 goals in the first and almost had a natural hat trick), and Bryz actually looked awake and ready to play.

There was a scary moment when Carcillo hit his head on the ice during a fight, but he was in practice yesterday and will play tonight. This fight has also been used in quite a few articles involving fights and if the players should wear helmets during them. I am not sure which direction the NHL should take, but the definitely need to leave the fighting in the game. Read more about it here.

Since this game was on Thursday night and I didn’t take notes, this is all the recap you get. I was going to write yesterday but never got around to it. I just didn’t have the attention span to sit down and write. I need deadlines and stuff or I put things off. I am the biggest procrastinator ever!
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Tonight the Coyotes are in Calgary. I am trying to be optimistic about this one but given our track record, it is hard. The Diva is taking the opposite route as me and going for all out gloom and doom, check it out here.
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Ok, that is all for me. I have a ton of stuff to do today, so I must get going.
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Also, I have calmed down much since earlier this week. I am going to try to go the Zen-route about the whole Red Wings fans and Canadians* being jag-offs about my team.

*Please note, I do not think all Red Wings fans and/or Canadians are jog-offs but it is much easier to generalize as it seems to be the majority of what I have read recently.