Phoenix Coyotes

Whiteout in Cowtown? Flames fans resort to cheering for Yotes

April 20, 2010

Is it just me or are there a lot of people in Calgary cheering for the Phoenix Coyotes? Case in point, I was out on Friday night at a bar on 17th avenue grabbing a couple of beverages after the Hitmen game, while catching glimpses of the Yotes Wings game on the screen behind me. And to my amazement, and less than the time it took for me to order a beer an enormous cheer was let out in the bar as if the Flames had just been allowed back into the playoffs on account of good behaviour. Unfortunately this pipe dream was not the case, but instead it was a goal by Coyote Captain Shane Doan that set the place a blaze. Ok, so maybe I over exaggerated the level of cheer, but it was a defin...

Octopi and Snakes: Two Unlikely Adversaries

April 12, 2010

czechtacular

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The Red Wings were supposed to be a natural choice for home-ice advantage. The Coyotes weren't supposed to be anywhere near the playoffs, let alone 4th-best in the entire league. This wasn't supposed to happen. But here we are. Taking into consideration the assumptions made in September versus what actually happened for 82 games for both teams constitutes exactly what makes this series difficult to predict. But the NHL's motto for this year seems to be "expect the unexpected." If you had told me Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby would be sharing the Rocket Richard Trophy and that AO was shut out of both that and the Art Ross I might have laughed you out of the room. But more to t...

No-quit Yotes continue unbeaten streak; grab Pacific Division lead

March 22, 2010

czechtacular

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I'll stop with the whodathunkit?-themed posts eventually. But the masses of NHL fans who aren't me still won't believe this. Phoenix is tied for top spot in the Western Conference with the Chicago Blackhawks. While I may have skimped a little this weekend by only being able to catch the short-reels of both games (except in the case of the Saturday night thriller overtime featuring those same Blackhawks, a game in which you could literally tell there was a sellout crowd screaming in the desert), I am able to tell you that franchise records were established, set, tied, or hinted at in those two matchups. For what concerns this season, 12 shootout wins leads the league. The Closer (not...

Even old dogs can surprise with new tricks

March 17, 2010

czechtacular

6 Comments

There was once a time that Phoenix Coyotes' defenseman Adrian Aucoin was better recognized by a nickname that now, come to think of it, is rather harsh in today's context that now makes only discreet mention of everything past a certain part of hockey players' anatomy as "lower body"... Yes. Adrian Agroin. The former Chicago Blackhawks' captain lived through some of the more unfortunate seasons of that franchise, the ones predating the Toewses and the Kanes and the...well, fanbase. Foggy now are the days where they took up the basement of the league, but he was there. He soaked up most of the blame for the two years that followed the lockout and his highly-publicized stint with the I...

Here we go again: NHL sues Jerry Moyes

March 9, 2010

George Prax

1 Comment

It's been nearly a year since Jerry Moyes sent the Phoenix Coyotes to bankruptcy court in order to sell them to Jim Balsillie. And after a long legal battle which ended with Balsillie giving up on his nearly decade-long battle to own an NHL franchise and move them to Canada, it seems as though it's about to get a little bit longer for most of the parties involved. As of Friday, the NHL has filed a lawsuit against the former owner, alleging that Moyes breached his contract and violated a number of agreements between himself and the league when he set into motion the bankruptcy proceedings that flooded the hockey headlines throughout the summer and early fall. "The league claims that Mo...

Howl if you're ready for the playoffs

March 4, 2010

czechtacular

4 Comments

Who could've predicted this? The Phoenix Coyotes are being called the early winners of Trade Deadline Day 2010. In a day that by no means went quickly, GM Don Maloney managed to make the most noise, acquiring the likes of Lee Stempniak, Derek Morris, Mathieu Schneider, Alexandre Picard, Petteri Nokelainen and Wojtek Wolski. At least three of those names were considered highly enough to be on the watch list as per network trade coverage, and just five picks and five players were shed in order to get them all. Only one of these, Peter Mueller, was on Phoenix's original roster (though after I wrote this, recent signing Anders Eriksson also disappeared in a minor deal.) With moves l...

Coyotes Trade Mueller and Porter to the Avalanche for Wolski

March 3, 2010

Patrick Storto

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The Phoenix Coyotes have acquired Wojtek Wolski in exchange for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter. Wolski, 24 years old and a 1st round pick in 2004, is having the best season of his career. He has 17 goals and 30 assists in 62 games this season. Mueller, 21 years old and a 1st round pick (8th overall) in 2006 has struggled in the last couple of seasons after scoring 54 points in his rookie year. He has 4 goals and 13 assists in 54 games this season. Porter, 23 years old and a 4th round pick in 2004, has spent the majority of the season in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage, recording 15 goals and 25 assists in 52 games this season. He has played 4 games with the Coyotes this seas...

Coyotes Acquire Derek Morris

March 3, 2010

Patrick Storto

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According to TSN, the Phoenix Coyotes have acquired defenseman Derek Morris from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 4th round pick in 2011. Morris actually spent five seasons with the Coyotes until he was traded to the Rangers at the deadline last season. The Bruins signed Morris in the summer to a one-year contract worth $3.3 million. Morris has 25 points in 58 games this season with the Bruins.