Coyote Tracks - TGIF August 20 Edition

This post is brought to you by the new Dirty Sweet album "American Spiritual" - seriously awesome stuff...go out and buy it now from iTunes...and buy their first album "...Of Monarchs and Beggars" too.  You will not be disappointed.

Ok, back to hockey.  Still not a whole lot going on (aside from the idiotic commenters I've endured from Yahoo! on my Mt. Puckmore), but more and more stuff keeps coming down the pipeline.  Thankfully, other folks have been on top of it...

Phoenix Coyotes Hockey on AZ Vibe " Did Tikhonov just request a trade from the Coyotes?
AZ Vibe got to the bottom of the rumor that Dmitri Chesnokov got rolling on Twitter yesterday.  Short version - Viktor Tikhonov did NOT request a trade from the Coyotes... [s/t Beastonnette who had this in the fanshots yesterday]

And we've had the return of editor-in-chief/alpha dog numero uno Travis Hair, reporting live from somewhere in Utah:

Phoenix Coyotes 2010-11 Player Previews: Paul Bissonnette - Five For Howling
Coyotes Forward Paul Bissonnette could be a bigger factor this season...

Coyotes 2010-11 Player Previews: Shane Doan - Five For Howling
A look back at Shane Doan's season and the 2010-11 season's projections.

I'd anticipate seeing plenty more of these as we get closer to camp...

After the jump, hockey players returning to the valley and (shockingly) we know some folks that are stalking them (I kid, I kid), a look at the Coyotes' latest hire (is he responsible for the ticket rep cleaning house?), and more...

Derek Morris doesn't expect decline for Phoenix Coyotes
Coyotes defenseman Derek Morris says having a new mix will not make it more difficult to build on last season.

Pre-Camp Camp & Rumor Mongers " The Good, The Bad, The Coyotes
Some nice pics of the guys that are skating out at the Alltel Ice Den in prep for the start of camp...and commentary...

Phoenix Coyotes Hockey on AZ Vibe " Brewer to head Coyotes Marketing and Communications…he’s got his work cut out for him
AZ Vibe is doing yeoman's work and I appreciate it greatly...makes my life much easier :)

BOEDKER SEEKS RETURN TO NHL IN 2010-11 - Phoenix Coyotes - Features
Coyotes prospect Mikkel Boedker is eager to prove he belongs in the NHL.

Pro Players Classic Holds Kick-Off Party at Mulligans and Martinis
Just saw this in my google alerts and it looks pretty interesting - some current Coyotes will be in attendance as well as Howler...$10; if it wasn't a Wednesday night in Scottsdale at 5 PM, I'd be there...

NHL Western Conference: Coaches’ Power Rankings | Chi City Sports l Chicago Sports News - Blog - Message Board - Fans
Some love for Coach Tippett...personally, I'd put him higher than Vigneault and McLellan, but that's just me...

Niskanen May Be Traded... But Won't Be Traded - Defending Big D
Great article about the needs for responsibility in blogging "journalism"

NHL.com's Camp Research blog - 2010 NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp
Great stuff on the NHL's RDO Camp which Coyotes Assistant Coach Dave King was very involved with.  Go read this if you read nothing else...

KuklasKorner : Abel to Yzerman : Shanny’s Jig Wraps Up And Clarifying Yellow Lines On The Ice
Some more information on the various changes that were being played around with at the RDO Camp...

How much are sports writers supposed to buy into the team's culture? - On the Forecheck
A nice take on the recent controversy with a reporter wearing the wrong team's gear into a media session...

Enjoy the weekend folks - we'll try and be back with more Monday morning...