Five For Howling: FanPosts

Sundogs Update

2010-03-10T02:51:42Z

As the Sundogs enter the final six games of the regulation the team is not quite mathematically eliminated from the postseason, but there must be a great aligning of the stars to keep Arizona from missing the playoffs for the second straight year.

The team has continued its up and down play, and their performance on the road has been far better than that at home for the majority of the season. The last twelve games have been divided evenly between home and road and have yielded a record of 7 wins and 5 losses. The powerplay and penalty kill struggled but over the last five games they have appeared to click.

Unfortunately, it really appears as if it's going to be just too late right now for Arizona. The team has really seemed to gel of late, and new goaltender Doug Groenestege has been a real force in net. The season is just going to most likely run out before the Sundogs can climb into that last playoff position, as they trail by 9 points currently.

Sundogs' forward Chad Hinz was severely injured during a game against the Rapid City Rush. He was boarded violently, resulting in a fractured vertebrae in his neck. He is out for the season, but fortunately is also out of the hospital. Good luck Chad, we really miss you on the ice.

Road Trip Finished

2010-03-02T20:05:04Z

The trip is over, which is great for both players and fans. The team went 7-5-0-2 on the road this trip. Pretty good since most of the games were close ones. Most of them decided by one goal margins. This is one of the better road trips we have had in a few years.

Right now we are sitting 10 points behind the fourth place team. It will be interesting to see if we do make it into the playoffs. The guys just need to take it one game at a time and not sit on the lead during games. Which they have a tendency to do during games, when they have the lead.

The next few games:

Wednesday March 3, Houston vs Rampage(FSN)
Friday March 5, Rampage @ Houston(FSN)
Saturday and Sunday March 6 & 7, Rockford vs Rampage
Tuesday March 9, Peoria vs Rampage

(FSN) means the games will be shown on FOX Sports Network. I think it's nice to finally have some games televised.

gone

2010-02-10T08:20:54Z

I have been very busy the past few weeks, hence no post to write. I was helping family the last two home games before the guys left for their month long road trip. Then went on vacation, just got back yesterday the 9th.

So far on the road trip the guys are doing good, but we need to do a bit better. They are 3-1-0-2 with 8 pts gained on the trip so far. Next three games are this weekend starting Firday. Friday and Saturday's games are against Peoria while Sunday's game is against Chicago.

Sundogs Update

2010-02-08T05:56:18Z

The Sundogs have continued their inconsistent play and remain at the bottom of their division. Two more home losses to the Odessa Jackalopes were followed by a road loss to the same team. After that, Arizona won two straight; one against Odessa on the road and then one against Amarillo on the road. Arizona came home for three straight against the Rapid City Rush and lost all three, the first in OT and then the next two in regulation. The Sundogs have now lost 17 games this season by one goal.

Defenseman Jon Landry has left the Sundogs to play for the Cologne Sharks in the German Elite League.

Captain Chris Bartolone saw his consecutive regular season game streak snapped at 232 when he was placed on the 14 day IR retroactive to January 23. Barts was slew-footed in the game against Odessa, a penalty that went uncalled, and hit his head pretty hard on the ice.

And the trades pick up. Phaneuf to Toronto(?!), etc.

2010-01-31T18:24:23Z

Brian Burke being Brian Burke, gets the ball rolling.

Phaneuf (with extras) to Toronto

Stajan and Hagman to Calgary ( with D Ian White)

Possible Ducks/ Toronto goalie trade with Giguere for Toskala.

There should be more to come, but unitl there are some verified updates, it looks like the only solid players in the Trade are Stajan/Hagman for Phaneuf. Check the comment for more, once things have been confirmed as cemented in stone.

Hey Dion, isn't Elisha Cuthbert from Toronto? I hope the restaraunts out there don't serve leftovers. ( Get it? Anyone? Anyone? ) Eheeehhhhhhhhh!

Shoot out win and Todd Walsh acts as if someone died

2010-01-29T05:04:06Z

Is it just me or does it always seem like Todd Walsh is talking at a funeral? I mean, the Yotes just won in a shoot out vs. Calgary and as he begins to interview Korpikoski, he sound somber and depressed. THE COYOTES WON!!! It never bothered me during D'backs games because I never noticed his boring, monotone voice. I'm not asking for Todd to be replaced; just be more enthusiastic. He speaks so quietly, you can barely hear him at times. I needed closed captioning at the Shane Doan ceremony back on 12/26. Hey Todd, if you are reading this, please pep things up a bit...actually, a lot. Thanks!

Poll

Coyotes playoff chances?

Definitely going to make it

32 votes

Probably will miss out

2 votes

34 votes | Poll has closed

Sundogs update

2010-01-22T20:26:25Z

First I'd like to apologize for the lack of updates. I've started the last push for the specialization on my Master's degree while also having to deal with my sister and niece moving in. As a result my time has been spotty and I've fallen short. I'll try and keep up better in the future.

Now, back to the Sundogs.

Arizona has been on a roller coaster ride for the last twelve games. Four straight losses then turned to four straight wins and then four more losses in a row. The last loss was at home to the league-leading Odessa Jackalopes on 1/20/10. The Sundogs fell 4-2 but showed some great effort. The Sundogs are still in last place in the southern conference, but only 9 points out fifth place, the final playoff position.

The Sundogs' roster has been active for health reasons and coaching moves. Currently Torren Delforte, Cedric Bernier, JF Perras, Matt Hanson and Matt Foy are all on the IR. Arizona traded F Jason Reese to the Whicita Thunder in exchange for F Marc Belanger. Arizona has also added forward Chad Hinz, defenseman Andrew Winnik, and goalie Doug Groenestege to the roster.

Goalie Kyle McNulty was given Oakley/CHL Goaltender of the Week honors for the week ending January 10, 2010.

Defenseman Jon Landry represented Arizona in the CHL All-Star game and scored one goal and got an assits on another.

update 2

2010-01-18T22:11:57Z

Well so far in the new year things have gone alright for the Rampage. Their record for this month so far is 4-5 which isnt too bad. There was also one suspension also to talk about. Francis Lessard got suspended do to a hit on Chris Chelios. I think he did not deserve to be suspended for that hit.

Video of hit

Look around the 2:50 mark on the video.

The list of players that are out is a bit long.

Kyle Turris (neck)
Jeff May (unknown)
Jonas Ahnelov (shoulder, out for whole season)
Al Montoya (shoulder, most likely out for whole season)
Colin Long (concussion like symptoms)
Joel Perrault (ankle, day to day)
David Spina (torn peck muscle, should be back in Feb.)

Mike Lee At World Juniors

2010-01-08T19:31:26Z

Coyotes prospect Mike Lee had a rough time in the gold medal game at the World Junior Championships. He allowed 3 goals on just 7 shots. One of the goals was a bit fluky, but one was pretty dang soft. Has his stock taken a dive?

Probably a little bit from the casual fan's point of view, but don't worry. I go to school close to where Lee does (St. Cloud State), and so I have gotten to see a lot of his games. (I also have a college hockey blog so I have an excuse to watch him a lot) but shallow plug aside, Lee hasn't been too bad.

On the surface, his numbers aren't great. Splitting time with Dan Dunn, Lee is ranked 10th in the WCHA (Western Collegiate Hockey Association) in GAA (2.63) and 9th in save percentage (.909). But the WCHA is the best conference in college hockey, featuring 4 of the top 5 teams in the country, so Lee sees tons of offensive firepower every weekend.

Also, St. Cloud State hasn't been a very good team this year. They have a lot of offensive talent, but their defensemen aren't very good (odd considering they are more highly ranked in defense than offense) but Lee gets hung out to dry often by his teammates getting caught up ice and things of that nature.

Bottom line is Lee is just a Freshman and has tons of time to improve. Goalies don't usually come out of the chute as finished products; it takes more time to develop one than any other position. Also, while Lee has shown some struggles with rebound control and a habit of giving up soft goals, I have also seen him make some fantastic acrobatic saves. Rebound control and preventing soft goals can be taught, making the types of saves he has the ability to make cannot.

Dear Phoenix - Blow it out your 5 hole.

2010-01-04T18:49:36Z

Before you jump down my throat for the title, understand a couple things. I am an avid hockey fan, transplanted to Phoenix from San Jose. I am a professional skating/hockey instructor, with over 26 years of experience. And while I may be a diehard Sharks fan, I've adopted the Coyotes as an underdog team to root for while I'm living in this voracious hellhole ( is that one word?). The thing is, I'm sick of trying to turn people on to hockey down here. Everywhere I look, whether watching NHL Live or perusing one of the gajillions of hockey blogs, all I see is verbal decimation of the Coyotes, it's fans, and it's ownership. And while I've sat back and respectfully watched everyone's opinions, I can take no more. They say if you really want to understand someone, walk a mile in his shoes. Well, here's my size 11 Adidas. Let's go for a stroll, shall we?

Firstly, there are the fans. In general, going to sporting events in Phoenix is a strange experience. For any sport, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or hockey..... The fans out here have no idea that cheering and 'getting rowdy' is actually quite acceptable at sporting events. When I first moved out here, I went to an Arizona Diamondbacks game, only to realize I was watching baseball in a f*^king library. Cheering for the team was (at best) a smattering of golf claps, and raising your voice in the stands only brought the ire of a few thousand eye daggers.

The same can be applied with the Coyotes. Wherein any other team celebrates their heritage, and shows their appreciation for their star players, Coyotes fans are the equivalent of the proverbial "deer-in-headlights". An example, you ask? Why sure, I've got a few. Shane Doan, team captain and lifelong Jet/Coyote, had a ceremony to commemorate his 1000th game a few nights back. And while any other arena would have blown it's roof off with a 'DOA-NER" chant, all he got was the hoity-toity golf clap that haunts my ears at every f*!king game I attend. And leave it up to Coyotes marketing to use this occasion to try and hock more tickets, using announcer Dave Strader ( and Doan himself. wtf) to almost beg people to attend more games. Doan shouldn't have to do that, during HIS ceremony. I have season tickets ( someone has to buy them, right?), and night in and night out I am subjected to this.

( " I'd clap, but I don't want to chip my brandy snifter on this ghassssSSStly plastic cup holder ." )

Sure, it sounds like I am calling the fans of Phoenix gutless wimps, collectively. Maybe they are. Sure, there's a small contingency of people like myself, but for those on the fence about hockey, the Coyotes organization and local media have done absolutley zilch when it comes to promoting the product. Just the other night I was watching highlights on a local news channel, where the sports anchors have a noticeable fear of hockey highlights. When all he had to say was ' Bryzgalov with a save', we get ' Aaaaand Russian netminder # 30 with a great stop". They don't even take the time to learn the players names? You don't have to tell me what a joke it is. I already know. Local sports Anchors wouldn't know the Stanley Cup if it sat on their face and wiggled.

But what about the NHL? Surely they would do or say something to help the fish-out-of-water attitude the has slowly poisoned the minds of potential 'Yotes fans, right? Dead wrong again, Bucko. While watching NHL Live a few weeks ago, host Deb Placey blew the 'Yotes out of the water. While I can't quote her exactly, she said something to the effect of 'she either lived or spent time in Scottsdale, and that the fans didn't want to trek out to Glendale after moving the arena further away from Scottsdale'. Yes, Mrs. Placey. a 20 minute traverse from where the previous arena was is pure f%$king torture. Look, I grew up going to San Jose Sharks games, and people would drive from as far off places as Fresno, Sacramento, even Reno. Reno is a good 3+ hours to San Jose, through the Sierra Nevada, in winter. But behold, these people loved their hockey enough to show up, with not only zero complaints, but a rowdy smile and boisterous cheering sections to boot. If driving around the damn loop from Scottsdale is so damn painstaking, then you know what? F*%k 'em. Keep your upturned noses, your golf claps, and your elite status at home. And if the Coyotes leave, at least I won't have to worry about listening to Deb Placey ever again. I'd rather have half an arena full of rowdy a-holes screaming their nuts off than having to learn how to wear a monacle and a handlebar moustache, anyways. A hockey arena is supposed to smell like burning flesh of dead animal carcasses, not cinnamon nuts and vegan pastry dishes. You go to a hockey game smelling blood of that night's opponent, not rainbows and super-mario-pink-bunny-marshmallow-unicorn-hearts.

(GO YOTES? WOOO? Wait, wtf?)

Yet with all this bitching and moaning, you can't blame it ALL on the fans and the media. The Coyotes have been force-feeding this watered-down poison and calling it "hockey" for quite a few years now. Remember all the players they had initially, after moving from Winnipeg? Roenick, Khabibulin, Tkachuk, Numminen? You may have hated their jerseys, but you couldn't deny that they were a playoff threat back then. The on-ice product spoke for itself, so marketing didn't need to say too much in order to keep the arenas from nearly selling out consistently. But once the "Wayne Gretzky : Coach" era started, all that was about to change. Corners were cut, Wayne couldn't coach his way out of a wet paper bag, players' salaries were dumped for the two words Phoenix Coyotes fans have come to know as the infamous '" Two Words of Death". These words will make any Coyotes diehard's eyes roll like a slot machine: "Youth Movement". Whenever empassioned Coyote fans would voice their displeasure with Wayne or the team, these words were the excuse used to pacify fans, as obviously fans in Phoenix were idiots and couldn't second-guess the greatest player of all time. Problem is, after years of this excuse, it grew extremely stale. Fans felt jipped, and rightfully so. The 'Yotes organization treats it's fans as if they are idiots, and until that changes, don't be surprised if fans stay away from the turnstiles.

( "Okay, guys. You go skate around in circles. Completing passes really isn't important, as long as you cover my ass while I go bail Tocchet and my wife out of jail ." )

"Surely it can't be THAT bad ", you say. No? Let me run down some of the lackluster bullsh&rt that Coyotes fans have been subjected to, in easy little bullet points.

- For a time, the 'Yotes employed a local radio DJ ( whose name thankfully eludes me) to come down the stairs between whistles and hype the crowd up, encourage them to 'howl', and be generally annoying. A nice tactic, if the guy didn't sound like you were listening to the Wacky-Wild-Inflatable-Tubeman salesman. And he didn't come down EVERY DAMN WHISTLE.

- Commercials with Pierre: an idiotic, racist stereotype of French-Canadians that had less to do with hockey and more with selling stupid buttons at games that said 'Pierre in '08": To whom this was supposed to appeal to, is beyond me.

- The 'special' New Years Eve jersey auction. Shitty practice jerseys, with champagne colored logos and disco ball numbers that were never worn by the players, neither in warmups or in practice. I chortled as I passed the auction table the other day, as someone had bid over 600 bucks on a practice jersey that hadn't been practiced in.

via www.icethetics.info

( Ironically, no amount of booze will make this more enjoyable.)

- The Pack Dancers : in theory, probably one of their better ideas. That is, until you realize that if you're going to make sexy ASU undergrads dance like strippers, doing it at Center Ice in tennis shoes is only asking for broken bones. If anything, that experiment was either comically sad, or tragically scary. Needless to say, we don't have the walking wouded eye candy anymore.

( "OMG! I'm gonna like... Be like... an actress!....And like,stuff! Why is Jenny like, bleeding back there? That is like, SOOOO 1997." )

These are just the glaring examples, off the top of my head.

So as we stand, after being in the playoff hunt for the first half of the season, the Coyotes traded away fan favorites for more grit, something the fans ( who were still left) hadn't seen in some time. Still, rebuilding was inevitable, as Wayne-o had zero idea what to do with what he picked up, anyways. And as the season ended, the horror of the season was only magnified tenfold due to the "Bombardment of Ballsillie". Daily, agonizing articles were written about the terrible fanbase in Phoenix. To prove how supposedly dumb hockey fans were in Phoenix, one of Ballsillie's lawyers told someone in an open hearing that he looked like Guy LaFleur, then asked the man if he knew who Guy LaFleur was. The problem with this is that he asked Jerry Moyes, the same guy who was trying to dump the Coyotes off on Ballsillie. As lame as that is, it's status quo for Jim Silly Balls. He will forever be picking at the lowest hanging fruit on the NHL tree, striking fear into fans around the nation. Have fun with Atlanta, Tampa, and the Islanders in the summer, do*$hebag.

And where does that leave us, the people of Phoenix? I've searched for blogs that keep tabs on the 'Yotes, and have found some interesting things. For all things 'Yotes, I usually check www.fiveforhowling , or www.coyotescorner.net for most of my Coyotes info. I've found a couple of blogs from groupie-like women, who basically use shitty MS Paint skills (a la Perez Hilton) to draw hearts around Peter Mueller's crotch and talk about how they want certain 'Yotes to high-stick their fat sausage-wallets. I almost thought that this "psycho lady hockey" site was going to be a helpful sign of encouragement. Sure, she lives in Toronto. But a good looking babe who knows her hockey, and roots for Phoenix? It seemd like that maybe the 'Yotes community had another catalyst to help showcase how fun hockey can be, maybe even teach some women about the joys of hockey. Low and behold, she decided to basically put the 'Yotes on blast. As it turns out, the only reason she rooted for the 'Yotes was because she was just hooking up with Scottie Upshall. The sad part about all the aforementioned sites are THESE ARE THE PLACES to get your Coyotes news. Hell, the newspaper down here usually relegates hockey to a small corner on page 12 of the sports section. I'll stick with OdinMercer at Five for Howling, as he seems to be the only Coyotes fan that hasn't seemed to have lost their f*%king mind.

To the Coyote diehards, I apologize to you. I acknowledge that there is a still a bunch of people down here that love hockey, and love the 'Yotes. You deserve better.

To the Phoenix Coyotes - Stop treating your fans like retards, and show a little respect. You've already got your foot in the door by putting this team together, and (*gasp*) attendance is back up. I know it's an uphill battle, but I think it's time you acknowledge that the fans feel burned from the Gretzky debacle. In the words of Rick Tocchet.................. "I'd bet on it".

To the fairweather fans of Phoenix ( most of you know you are) : The Coyotes have slashed ticket prices, and are going to make the playoffs for the first time in years. The team is the complete opposite of what it has been. It's the best it's been in years. Our goaltending is phenomenal. We have a coach that knows what the Hell he's doing. We have team chemistry. Now what we need is a voice. I am just one bitter asshole on a blog. Imagine what fun we could have if their were 18,000 assholes cheering our brains out. Have that extra beer. Have some burning animal flesh. Scream a little bit more. Hug the stranger next to you and jump around when someone scores. It's okay, I promise. And get this: It's fun. You might even like it. But whatever you do, bring some balls. And if you don't have any, grow some.

( OdinMercer shows off his new Coyotes socks)

And to all of you people who have jumped ship: I hoped you tied anchors around your ankles. Just don't hop on the bandwagon once Phoenix in the playoffs. I only want to see real fans. I know I'll be there. Just don't look for me around those god d#$%ned cinnamon nuts.

Update

2010-01-04T05:56:16Z

Rampage have seem to be getting things working again. We are only a few points away from a playoff spot. Turris and Boedker have been getting more points as of late. MacLean needs to work on not getting knocked down so much in the corners. These past two games it seemed like we were sitting on the lead.

We play on the road on Wednesday and Thursday and then play at home on Friday.

Oli and Lee in the Juniors

2009-12-29T11:44:58Z

Hey guys, this is estrogenacide, I just figured I'd get a more Yotes-centric handle given the site.

Anyway, while everyone's paying attention to the Coyotes' current hot streak, I figured I would go ahead and look into the future, and have this here to track the performance of two of the Yotes' top prospects in the IIHF World Junior Championship. These two young players happen to be our #1 pick in the 2009 draft, D-Man Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Mike Lee, the 08-09 USHL Goalie of the Year with the Fargo Force.

Oliver's appearing for his home nation of Sweden, and Mike's appearing in net for the good ol' US-of-A.

Sweden's in Group B, along with Russia, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Finland.

USA is in Group A, with fellow North Americans Canada, as well as Slovakia, Latvia, and Switzerland.

The opening day of competition was on Boxing Day, with both our future Yotes in action. Sweden took on the Czech Republic, and USA took on Slovakia.

Sweden vs Czech Republic 12/26
In a game that was absolutely not a contest, Sweden destroyed the Czechs, with the final score of 10-1. Oli was unfortunately out there for the Czech's only goal, but finished the game with a +/- of +2 for the game. No penalties by the Sweed, he had four shots and he got on the score sheet with an assist on a goal by Anton Rodin, Vancouver's second round pick.

USA vs Slovakia 12/26
Unfortunately, the score sheets don't have nearly as many details for the goal tenders as they do for the skaters, but what I can tell you is that the USA won, 7-3. All three of the goals Mike allowed were on the power play, with two of them coming quickly in the first period, at 2:15, and then again at 5:33. His last goal came at 13:14 of the second, with only eight seconds left in the power play. Lee stopped 17 of the 20 shots he faced, a .850 save percentage. Fanhouse's report of the game noted that Lee "...also showed a penchant for leaving rebounds and not always making the saves he should make."(nhl.fanhouse.com)

Sweden vs Austria 12/27

While closer than in their first game, Sweden still ran away with this game, taking it by the final score of 7-3. OEL lead the way with the scoring, assisting on Jacob Josefson goal a mere 45 seconds into the game. He finished the period with points as well, scoring a power play goal at 18:36, just 32 seconds into the penalty. Assists came from Adam Larsson, his defensive partner and Jacob Josefson, reversing roles on the original goal.

All three of Austria's goals were scored in the second frame. However Oli wasn't on the ice for any of them. He did get a +1 at the end of the period however, when Anton Rodin scored at 19:47 of the second. He finished the third period just as well as the first two, scoring his second goal of the game at 19:22. It was a power play effort assisted by both the Antons, Lander and Rodin. Oliver finished the game with 3 points, 2 power play goals and 1 assist, 6 shots, no penalties, and a +/- of +2.

USA vs Switzerland 12/27
Jack Campbell started, with Mike watching from the sideline. Nothing to see here, moving along.

Both teams were off Monday, but on Tuesday we'll see USA taking on Latvia, and in a full blown heavyweight matchup, Larsson and the Sweeds take on Russia. NHL Network will be airing both games, with USA vs Latvia airing at 4pm EST (2pm AZ time), and Sweden vs Russia at 6pm EST (4pm AZ time)

Hope someone enjoys this. I'm particularly excited to see Oli develop and can't wait to see him playing as part of the pack, so I had no problem helping everyone follow the future of our franchise.

Arizona Sundogs Weeks 9 & 10 in Review

2009-12-27T01:27:59Z

The Sundogs' play has improved of late as the team appears to be starting to click. A 2-3 overtime loss against the Texas Brahmas on December 11th, a 2-1 win against the Amarillo Gorillas on December 12th, and a 4-2 win over the Tulsa Oilers on December 13th was the best streak Arizona had put together all year. The Sundogs returned home to face the first place Odessa Jackalopes on December 16th and suffered another home loss. The Texas Brahmas came to town for back-to-back games on December 18th and 19th. The Sundogs showed signs of greatness again with a 4-1 win the first night, but they suffered a 5-2 loss on the second night.

Captain Chris Bartolone played his 1,000th professional game when the team faced the Oilers on December 13th.

The Sundogs go back on the road for two games before coming home for games on the 29th and a New Year's Eve game. There is a ‘Skate with the team' after the New Year's Eve game.

Another streak that was stopped

2009-12-19T08:27:30Z

Well the streak went to 5 winless but ended last night. Last night's game had the teddy bear toss. Lots of bears were thrown onto the ice after the first goal was scored. The guys came from behind to win this game 4-2 against Grand Rapids. Next two games are today in Rockford and Sunday in Milwaukee. Now let's see if we can get a long winning streak going.

Huge Road Trip Starts Tonight!!!

2009-12-14T20:14:43Z

It's still only a little past the quarter pole for the Coyotes season, but the next 6 days are absolutely huge for the Coyotes. 4 games in 6 nights, all on the road...tonight in Detroit, back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday in Toronto and Columbus, respectively, and then a Saturday afternoon tilt against Anaheim.

The Coyotes have been on absolute fire since Zbynek Michalek has returned (6-1-1 with the only regulation loss the 2-1 painful loss in Calgary). They've since gone on to exact revenge on Calgary, beat San Jose, shut out Minny, win a few divisional games against Dallas and Anaheim and generally kick ass and take names.

The only minor nitpick with it has been that they've done most of the damage on home ice. For the last few years, the Coyotes have had really bizarre home/road splits. A few years back, they couldn't buy a win on home ice, going so far as to stay at a hotel during a home stand to try and create some success at home. Last year, they really struggled on the road for large chunks of the season, even before they just stunk in general after the All-Star Break.

This year, the Coyotes are over .500 both at Jobing.com Arena and on the road, but the road has not been as friendly. Going into tonight's game, the Coyotes are 7-6-2 on the road, and a very impressive 12-5 at home (2nd most wins for any team in the NHL on home ice). So, it's time for the Coyotes to bring their hot play on the road and take this surge out for a spin.

It's not going to be an easy trip - Detroit is getting their act back together, Toronto has looked miles better than the team that had only 3 wins through 20 games to start the season, Columbus always plays us tough and ditto for Anaheim. I don't think that these games are must-wins by any stretch of the imagination (even a 4 game losing streak would leave us 4 games over .500 overall with 46 games still to play - plenty of time remaining this season)...but a big trip (6 of 8 possible points?), will really get some folk's attention around the league.

Let's just strap ourselves in for the fun, alright? 4 games in 6 nights...time to bring it 'Yotes!

Mueller Almost Traded...

2009-12-11T22:28:50Z

Don't know exactly what to make of this (requires ESPN Insider account). Basically it reiterates something I saw (perhaps on Puck Daddy) regarding Maloney and Sather discussing a Mueller to the Rangers for _____. Apparently Sather wanted to send back just a minor leaguer (perhaps feeling burned after giving up Prucha, Dawes (and another?) for Morris last year; although I think the Lisin-Korpedo deal settled that score), but Maloney held firm that he wanted Dubinsky or Callahan.

I'm not really in favor of trading Mueller by any means because I think he has a world of talent (Exhibit A is his beautiful break out chip off the boards to Lombo last night vs. LA), but if he really isn't going to fit into Tippett's system (which is clearly the best thing to happen to the 'Yotes in 5 years), then perhaps he has to go. But I'm happy that Maloney won't give him away for a nobody. Dubinsky's a good player who gives you gritty minutes with a bit of finesse (a more-skilled Fiddler?), and there's no doubt he's a hard worker at both ends of the ice (I don't know enough about Callahan to comment).

Hopefully Mueller's recent play on the wing with Lombardi and Upshall puts these rumors to sleep, but if not, let's hope Maloney doesn't settle for Sather's leftovers or someone like Shane O'Brien. Don't need anything like this happening:

Unless it's when he's playing against the Coyotes again...then it can happen all the time.

Ed Jovanovski Suspended 2 games for Hit on Andrew Ebbett

2009-12-09T17:09:28Z

Well, this sucks. It appears as if the NHL Wheel of Discipline has determined that Jovo's hit on Andrew Ebbett was worthy of a 2 game suspension. I suppose that this is only equal to what Wisniewski received for his (arguably) similar hit on Doan earlier this year, but I didn't think so. This looked like a hockey hit, that looked like a flying forearm. Either way, this will push Lepisto and Schlemko back into the line-up together. They've both been good, so it's not too big a concern except for the fact that the next two games are against Pacific Division rivals (and the 2 in front of us), LA and SJ. Still, happy to see Jovo back and playing at a high level since his injury. He has shown this year why they signed him to the big contract...

Editor's Note: More to come on this Later...

Streak stopped

2009-12-07T06:04:16Z

Well we got the streak to 11 winless games. Which is semi good news considering what happened last season. We then won 3 in a row with that ending tonight against the Texas Stars. The 3 games we did win, the guys played hard and fought their way back when they were down. The first win of the 3 game streak was Nov. 29 against Milwaukee. In that game Al Montoya got hurt in the first period, he seperated his shoulder and will be out 3 months.

The second win was in Houston at an 11 am kids game. We got behind fast in the second period but a few moments later we came back and won the game. The third win, was also against Houston in our building.

Tonight's game we seemed to fall apart after we scored the first goal. Most of the time we could not complete our passes. It seriously seemed like we were back on the winless streak. The guys go on a mini road trip starting in Grand Rapids and ends with us in Houston on the 16.

Coyotes Go Guerilla Marketing!

2009-12-02T07:22:26Z

Want to increase ticket sales to Phoenix Coyotes hockey games? Gather your season-ticket holders around, promise them discounts, credits on future purchases, freebies, drop a puck at Center Ice in a pre-game ceremony, or enjoy a free night in a luxury suite. And all you have to do is what you've been all year: working to get butts in the seats!

Guerilla marketing at its finest best describes the Ambassador Club, launched this week by the club. Coyotes President & Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss said the incentive-based program allows Coyotes Season Ticket Holders to offer discounted tickets to their friends and colleagues by way of a unique Coyotes Web link. "Our Season Ticket Holders are our most passionate fans and this is a way for us to have them play an even greater role in the success of our organization," said Moss in a team press release Tuesday.

Each Season Ticket Holder that becomes a member of the Coyotes Ambassadors Club will be given personalized business cards with a unique Coyotes Web link printed on them. The link will allow friends, family members, colleagues and acquaintances of the member to purchase tickets at a discounted rate, the release said.

Members of the Ambassadors Club will then be rewarded for each ticket "sale" they make. Rewards range from credit to be used toward Playoff tickets for the 2009-10 season or toward a ticket package for the 2010-11 season, upgraded complimentary tickets to future games, a meet-and-greet with Coyotes players, or a night in a luxury suite. The Ambassador who sells the most tickets for the season will have the honor of dropping the ceremonial first puck prior to a Coyotes game. The Ambassadors Club will also have monthly meetings with Coyotes executives to discuss issues related to the Club.

Coyotes blogs and message boards have been filled with ideas on ways to increase ticket sales as the team fights to stay in the Valley. And it looks like the team is listening. The Ambassador Club and the recently launched Coyotes Express, offering ticket and transportation to Coyotes games from select East Valley locations, were borne out of ideas first suggested by fans.

And this STH is already planning on cracking the Top 10 sellers list and shooting for top overall honors. I hope others will get behind this effort as well in the name of friendly competition. Perhaps, we can even get some side action going -- all legal, and above board, of course -- and kick those ideas around with executives when the Club meets.

We all hope this season has a happy ending after the pile crap we've been wading through all these years, and that the Yotes will be here for years to come. And what a great way for all of us to say we had the chance to get truly vested in that effort.

So, STH, time to throw down and get dirty. Come up with some creative ideas to sell some tickets. Have friends who own a business? Have them give you some coupons to hand out to your ticket buyers. I know that's what I'll be asking for from my friends who own a strip club. :-D

Restaurants, bars, retailers, cab companies, hotels, the list is endless. The economy sucks, everyone is hurting, and any business not smart enough to make even the smallest effort to try and get new customers through the door would be foolish.

Have kids in Hockey Leagues, the Scouts, Little League, Soccer? Partner with their leagues, sit their little butts down in front of Safeway, Fry's and Albertson's and offer the discount ticket cards for a $5 donation to raise money for the kids' cause, and you get credit for the ticket sales. Not everyone will buy tickets, but some will and your kids' organization gets a cash boost.

I could go on, but I'd like to hear other ideas. Go hit Twitter, Facebook, your favorite Coyotes or Hockey message boards, and spread the word. Make this a true grassroots effort. And when the season is over, and we've assured a future in Phoenix and, hopefully, enjoyed a playoff appearance, we'll storm the Coyotes offices and demand they throw us a big frickin party! And we invite everyone!

Makeitseven? Troll elsewhere for that 7th team. You're not getting the Coyotes, and we're vesting ourselves in that effort to make sure Doan, Hanzal, Z, Yandle, OEL, Turris, Boedker and Summers stay clad in Coyotes brick-red for years to come, playing home games in Glendale.

Losses

2009-11-23T15:28:17Z

Not only have we gone 10 games winless, but the Coyotes have fired head coach Greg Ireland. We shall see what tomorrow's game is like with Ray Edwards as the interim head coach. Hopefully we will win, but anything can happen.