When it was announced that Mark Cuban was finished with his pursuit to purchase the Texas Rangers, one thought quickly came to mind, “I wish he would buy the Phoenix Coyotes.”
At first the idea may sound outlandish but let’s lay the facts on the table because the pairing could be great for both parties.
The mantra in business or investing is to buy low and sell high. Well, there is no franchise in any of the major sports that will come at a bigger bargain today than the Phoenix Coyotes and there is plenty of upside.
Let’s first spell out the appeal to buying the Coyotes:
Affordability:
Buying an NHL team would come at a fraction of the investment involved in buying an MLB franchise. The Coyotes reportedly are expected to sell for somewhere in the $140-$160 million range or about 3 ½ times less than the cost of the Texas Rangers.
Plus, since the Ice Edge deal appears to be perilous at best and they lost their exclusive negotiating rights, any interested buyer would hold serious leverage in lease negotiations with the City of Glendale who has $25 million to lose this year and many more millions if the team relocates. After all, Jerry Reinsdorf was considered a serious buyer and his bid consisted of no out-of-pocket investment. And if another partner is needed, TV producer Jerry Bruckheimer is a hockey nut who is dying to buy a team.
Misconception:
Media outside of Phoenix pan the market as unable to support an NHL franchise, when those who have followed the club closely know that is untrue. The Coyotes have been snake bitten by poor ownership since coming to Phoenix in 1996, which led to a compounding of errors that put the Coyotes in their current situation.
Take a look at this track record of Coyotes ownership:
Richard Burke/Steve Gluckstern: This duo only moved the Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix because Burke was unable to get an arena deal done in his hometown Minneapolis and Phoenix was the only city with an NHL-ready arena – or so they thought. It turns out team President Shawn Hunter among others failed to notice that 4,400 seats at America West Arena had an obstructed view of the ice.
This issue along with having to share arena sponsorship revenue with Jerry Colangelo’s group who owned and operated the arena, along with playing second fiddle to the Suns for quality weekend dates put a financial squeeze on the franchise. Then, Gluckstern bailed on Burke to buy the NY Islanders, leaving Burke high and dry. Burke had no choice but to sell since he couldn’t carry the financial burden himself, which brings us to the next ownership group.
Steve Ellman: To his credit, the Coyotes would have relocated to Portland, Oregon if not for Ellman. However, his motive to buy the Coyotes was simply to leverage the team to secure the development of the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale. He didn’t want to be a sports owner. Mission accomplished. Unfortunately, his chip in getting the deal done was Wayne Gretzky who, along with Ellman, led the organization into a state of disarray. Ellman saw the writing on the wall, which led to the next ownership debacle.
Jerry Moyes: A lifelong Glendale resident, Moyes’ heart started out in the right place. Moyes, a minority owner that Ellman brought in to add capital, essentially traded his interest in Westgate for Ellman’s ownership in the Coyotes to protect his initial investment and keep the team in his hometown. Unfortunately, problems with Moyes’ trucking business, and bleeding the Coyotes to line his own pockets and his trucking company coffers, in addition to further ineffectiveness as a coach and executive by Gretzky, pushed the Coyotes to the brink of insolvency.
The Phoenix Coyotes have never had truly engaged ownership to give the team a chance to meet its potential, so imagine the possibilities if an innovative and attentive owner took the reins and built the franchise properly.
Tourism:
Phoenix becomes a haven for tourists during the winter as the Valley is swarmed with snowbirds. The majority of them come from Canada, and other hockey mad regions such as Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota. They go to games, especially games featuring their hometown team.
Jobing.com Arena:
The Phoenix Coyotes play in a beautiful arena that is very hockey friendly and is only six years old.
Strong hockey operations core:
The Phoenix Coyotes have the best head coach and best general manager in the NHL. Dave Tippett won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year last season and GM Don Maloney won the inaugural GM of the Year Award. The team is in good hands.
Momentum:
The Phoenix Coyotes are coming of their most successful regular season in franchise history, despite facing the uncertainty of the bankruptcy proceedings, potential relocation and a small payroll. The team finished among the top teams in the NHL and made the postseason for the first time in 8 years.
Kids:
When the Coyotes came to Phoenix in 1996, many people said one of the results would be substantial growth in youth hockey in the market. That has proven correct as Phoenix is now home to a vibrant youth, junior and high school hockey base. This generation of young Coyotes fans will carry the franchise forward when they grow up and become ticket buyers.
ESPN:
There are many hints and indications that it is only a matter of time until the NHL ends up back on ESPN. When that happens, the profile of the league, as well as revenue from a new TV deal, will increase, which will benefit every team in the NHL.
Labor strife:
Both the NBA and NFL are facing likely work stoppages for the 2011 season, which will leave the NHL as the lone major league standing. This will force the sports media to shine more of a spotlight on the league and its teams.
Track record:
Other NHL teams have faced similar situations, only to turn around and enjoy great success. When Henry Samueli bought the Anaheim Mighty Ducks from Disney in 2005, they won the Stanley Cup two years later. The Buffalo Sabres were in bankruptcy and looked like they would fold. They were sold and reached the Stanley Cup finals a couple years later. The Pittsburgh Penguins have been in bankruptcy twice, but have also won three Stanley Cups in four Finals appearance. We’ve seen the renaissance with the Dallas Mavericks. A turnaround in Phoenix can be done as well.
TV:
The plan was to combine the Rangers with the Mavericks and perhaps form another regional sports network. How about an NHL team partnered with an MLB team? With the way the team has operated the last few years, it seems like at some point the Diamondbacks will completely self destruct and they are on the market. Once their deal runs out with Fox Sports Arizona, the teams could be combined and serve as the centerpiece programming for another regional sports network in Phoenix.
There are also challenges for a new owner to overcome but there are solutions.
The business side needs to be rebuilt as the Coyotes brand took a beating last year. Reports are that ticket sales are healthy to date but they can still be better. Also, sponsorships took a deep hit last year as house ads filled a large portion of the boards advertising. A high profile owner would bring a lot of cache back to the club and make the Coyotes a franchise brands want to align themselves with.
Phoenix has all four major sports leagues, a Division I athletic program, NASCAR, PGA and more, so there is a lot of competition for the corporate sponsorship dollar. With that said, the timing is right for the Coyotes to grab more market share as the Suns, Diamondbacks and ASU all appear to be at the beginning of a multi-year slide on and off the field/court.
There is also a large segment of sports fans who are accustomed to the Phoenix lifestyle of not having to drive far for anything, so driving 30-45 minutes from the East Valley to Glendale seems like and arduous task on a weeknight. This is easily fixed by having the NHL award more weekend homes games. Also, the snowbirds who attend games tend to be better hockey fans, so they don’t mind the drive. Of course, winning makes the drive more palatable too.
Finally, the Coyotes are an NHL team in a busy sports market so the sky is not the limit on revenue. The team can be a mid-market team but that means there is little room for error. With a strong core in hockey ops and an overhaul on the business side, this too can be overcome.
This team is like a business that puts together a couple of winning quarters after years of struggle and the stock is just beginning to climb. All it takes is a visionary to come in, buy the team and give the franchise the direction it has lacked since moving to Phoenix. The Coyotes should only be so lucky to have that visionary be Mark Cuban.
Phoenix Coyotes Assistant General Manager and General Manager of the San Antonio Rampage Brad Treliving announced today that the Coyotes have officially named Ray Edwards as head coach of the Rampage, the Coyotes’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. In addition, Treliving also announced that Jeff Truitt has been hired as assistant head coach of the Rampage.
Edwards, 40, helped guide the Rampage to a 30-23-3-6 record last season after being named as interim head coach on Nov. 23, 2009. Under Edwards’ leadership, San Antonio finished the 2009-10 campaign tied with the Hershey Bears for the best power-play percentage in the AHL at 20.7% and led the AHL in home power-play percentage at 25.6%, both of which were franchise records. In addition, he helped several of the Coyotes’ prospects shine including Kyle Turris and Brett MacLean. Turris collected 49 points (19-30-49) in his last 56 games and 32 points (13-19-32) in his last 30 games while MacLean registered 51 points (22-29-51) in his last 58 games.
Edwards, who joined the Rampage as assistant coach on Aug. 21, 2007, helped coach the Rampage to their most successful season in franchise history with 42 wins and 94 points during the 2007-08 campaign. Prior to joining the Rampage, Edwards coached in the Central Hockey League (CHL) and East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) for seven seasons and guided the CHL’s New Mexico Scorpions to the Conference Finals in 2006-07.
Prior to working in New Mexico, Edwards led the San Angelo Saints to the CHL President’s Cup Playoffs in each of his two seasons with the team. Edwards was named the CHL’s Coach of the Year in his first season with San Angelo after guiding the Saints to a 35-point turnaround and a Southwest Division title.
A native of Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Edwards began his coaching career at the age of 28 as one of the youngest coaches in professional hockey when he took the reins of the ECHL’s Huntington (W.Va.) Blizzard in 1998. The following season, he led the Blizzard to their most successful season ever with a 35-25-10 record.
As a player, Edwards recorded 174 points (83 goals, 91 assists) and 1,253 penalty minutes in 309 games over seven seasons in the ECHL. He attended National Hockey League training camps with Los Angeles, Chicago and Ottawa.
Truitt joins the Rampage after spending the 2009-10 season as Director of Hockey Operations for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Prior to working with the Warriors, Truitt spent the past two seasons coaching in the AHL with the Springfield Falcons. On June 17, 2008 Truitt was promoted from assistant coach to head coach, becoming the 10th head coach in Falcons franchise history.
Truitt entered the pro coaching ranks following an outstanding junior coaching career with the Kelowna Rockets (WHL). The native of Rosetown, Saskatchewan left Kelowna after seven seasons as a member of the team’s coaching staff, including three seasons as head coach. Truitt joined the Rockets in 2000-01 and served four seasons (2000-01 to 2003-04) as an assistant coach.
In his three seasons as the Rockets’ head coach, Truitt compiled a 113-76-18-9 record, winning one WHL championship and advancing to the Memorial Cup tournament in 2005. During the 2004-05 season, Truitt guided the Rockets to a 45-13-12-2 (.722) record and a second place finish in the league’s British Columbia Division, before going 16-8 in the post-season to win the WHL championship. With the victory, Truitt and the Rockets advanced to their third consecutive Memorial Cup tournament.
During his seven seasons on the Rockets’ coaching staff, Truitt helped guide Kelowna to two WHL championships (2003, 2005), two WHL regular season titles (2003, 2004), three consecutive trips to the Memorial Cup tournament (2003, 2004, 2005) and one Memorial Cup championship (2004).
Truitt also has international coaching experience with Team Canada. He served as video coach for the silver medal winning 2004 Canadian National Junior Team, was an assistant coach with Canada’s gold medal winning Under-18 Team in August 2006 in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and most recently, he was an assistant coach with Canada’s World Under-18 team that placed fourth at the 2007 world tournament in Finland.
By Ron Matejko, MVP Magazine
Photo By Dave Arnold, USA Hockey
Arizona has come a long way in producing hockey talent with the Valley seeing a boom in youth and junior hockey players since the Phoenix Coyotes arrived in 1996. While the area is not a hotbed, it is beginning to generate a steady stream of players who are earning college hockey scholarships with a few even being drafted by the National Hockey League.
The latest prospect is Paradise Valley native Luke Moffatt, who entered last season as one of the top ranked 1992-born forwards in the United States. The 6-1, 187-pound center ranked 95th among all North American born skaters in the final Central Scouting Service rankings with projections seeing him selected anywhere from the third round on.
“It’s not a hockey hotbed, but hockey just stuck with me and I loved it ever since,” Moffatt told the Toronto Star. “I just remember loving the learn-to-skate program, then house league, then you’re moving up the ladder.”
The power forward dropped 20 spots from the midterm rankings, as his 15 points in 28 games for U.S.A. Hockey’s elite National Team Development Program was below the lofty expectations many held.
Despite that perception, the former Phoenix Firebird hopes to become just the fourth Arizonan drafted in the NHL joining Phillip Samuelsson (2nd round, 2009), Dusty Collins (5th round, 2004) and Jim Brown (5th round, 1979). FYI, David Spina was not drafted and signed his first pro contract as a free agent.
After spending two years with Team USA, Moffatt will play this fall at the University of Michigan after turning down offers from other elite programs including Boston College, Maine, Notre Dame, and Colorado College. He decided to go the NCAA route, like his father Kenny who played at NAU, despite being selected second overall by the Kelowna Rockets in the Western Hockey League bantam draft last summer.
Moffatt is projected to be drafted anywhere from the fourth round on.
The 2010 NHL Draft will be held June 25-26 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The first round will take place on Friday (VERSUS, 4 p.m.) and rounds 2-7 will be conducted on Saturday. The NHL Network will have live coverage on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.
Scouting Report:
Very high-energy…does a very good job attacking the puck on defense…very strong on his skates…does all the little things right and the puck seems to find him…has offensive skills, may just need some more confidence to really shine…draws comparison to Daniel Briere.
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PHOENIX COYOTES SELECTIONS IN THE 2010 NHL ENTRY DRAFT
Phoenix Coyotes Captain Shane Doan has been named as the winner of the 2009-10 King Clancy Award.
The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is an annual award given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice. The award is presented by the U.S. Army, and several soldiers marched on stage to hand Doan his trophy.
Doan has served as captain of the Coyotes for the past six seasons and has ingrained himself in the Arizona community ever since the organization moved from Winnipeg in 1996-97. He has established himself as a leader both on and off the ice and for years has been considered one of the most respected players in the game, as evidenced by his being selected as Team Canada’s captain at the World Championships for three straight years (2007-09).
Through a bankruptcy proceeding and relocation rumors to a coaching change late in the preseason, Doan kept the Coyotes together this year as they reached new heights on the ice, shattering the franchise records for wins (50) and points (107) in a single season. But most notably, amid the off-ice turmoil, Doan led his team to a place no one expected them to reach a year ago: the Stanley Cup Playoffs. His commitment to his teammates, franchise and Coyotes fans was most evident when, on Dec. 17, Doan became the 42nd player in NHL history to play 1,000 games with one franchise and the 24th player to do it with the team that drafted him.
In the Arizona community, Doan has long been considered one of the most selfless professional athletes in a city that is home to four major professional sports teams. He serves as an ambassador for Coyotes Charities and works with a number of organizations including the United Blood Services, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix Rescue Mission and Flashes of Hope, a nonprofit organization that arranges for professional photographers to visit terminally ill children and take uplifting family portraits.
Phoenix Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett has captured the Jack Adams Award as “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success,” as selected by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association.
Tippett was a near-unanimous selection, receiving 57 of 59 first-place votes for 291 points. Barry Trotz of the Nashville Predators and Joe Sacco of the Colorado Avalanche garnered 60 and 51 points, respectively.
Hired just days before the start of the regular season, Tippett led the Coyotes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2002 by posting a 50-27-5 record for 107 points. The club posted an NHL-best 28-point gain over its 2008-09 total, edging Colorado’s 26-point improvement, and set franchise records for wins and points in a season, home wins (29) and longest home winning streak (10 games, Nov. 21 to Dec. 29). The Coyotes ranked third in the NHL in team defense (2.39 goals/game), up from 24th in 2008-09 (3.04), and were sixth in the League in penalty killing (84.5%).
The Coyotes registered a 14-win and 28-point improvement over 2008-09 while scoring 17 more goals and allowing 50 fewer goals. One other significant area of improvement came on the penalty kill, where the Coyotes improved from 28th in the League at 76.8 percent last season to sixth in the League at 84.5 percent. In addition, the Coyotes allowed the fewest goals (202) of any Western Conference team this season.
Tippett, 48, earned his 300th career coaching win Jan. 21 against Nashville. Since the start of the 2002-03 campaign, when he coached Dallas, Tippett ranks second among all NHL coaches in victories with 321, trailing only Mike Babcock of Detroit (326).
Tippett became the 17th head coach in Coyotes/Jets franchise history when he was hired by the Club on Sept. 24, 2009 after spending the previous six seasons as head coach of the Dallas Stars. In seven seasons as an NHL head coach, Tippett has guided his teams to the playoffs six times while compiling a record of 321-181-72. During that span, Tippett has registered the second-most victories among all NHL head coaches.
Tippett is the second Coyotes coach to win the Jack Adams Award, joining Bob Francis (2001-02).
A Jack Adams finalist for the first time, Tippett’s highest previous finish in coach-of-the-year voting was fifth with the Dallas Stars in 2002-03, his rookie NHL season behind the bench.
Phoenix Coyotes President and Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss announced Thursday the Coyotes 2010-11 preseason schedule.
The Coyotes will open the eight-game preseason schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 21 when they travel to Anaheim to take on the Ducks at 7 p.m. Phoenix will play two split-squad preseason home games at Jobing.com Arena on Thursday, Sept. 23 vs. Los Angeles and Saturday, Sept. 25 vs. San Jose.
In addition to their road game on Sept. 21 at Anaheim, the Coyotes will also play at Los Angeles (split-squad) on Sept. 23 and at San Jose (split-squad) on Sept. 25, at Calgary on Sept. 28 and at Edmonton on Sept. 29.
The Coyotes will conclude their preseason schedule when they face off against Dinamo Riga of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) at Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia, on Oct. 6 in an exhibition game as part of the 2010 Compuware NHL Premiere Challenge.
The Coyotes will officially announce their 2010-11 regular season schedule on Tuesday, June 22.
The complete preseason schedule is listed below:
PHOENIX COYOTES 2010-11 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Location Local Time
September 21, 2010 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center 7:00 p.m.
September 23, 2010 *Los Angeles Kings Jobing.com Arena 7:00 p.m.
September 23, 2010 *Los Angeles Kings STAPLES Center 7:30 p.m.
September 25, 2010 *San Jose Sharks Jobing.com Arena 7:00 p.m.
September 25, 2010 *San Jose Sharks HP Pavilion 7:30 p.m.
September 28, 2010 Calgary Flames Pengrowth Saddledome 7:00 p.m.
September 29, 2010 Edmonton Oilers Rexall Place 7:00 p.m.
Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced Thursday that the Coyotes have re-signed defenseman Adrian Aucoin to a two-year contract.
“We are very pleased to have re-signed Adrian to a two-year deal,” said Maloney. “He is an intelligent, puck-moving defenseman who brought tremendous leadership to our dressing room last season. We are looking forward to having him continue his career with the Coyotes.”
Aucoin, 36, registered 8-20-28 with 56 penalty minutes (PIM) while appearing in all 82 games for the Coyotes last season, his first with the team. Aucoin also scored six shootout-winning goals last season to lead the entire NHL while his 28 points ranked 4th among Coyotes defensemen. He also ranked 2nd on the Coyotes in average time on ice (22:33). In addition, Aucoin appeared in all seven of Phoenix’s postseason games, collecting two assists and 10 PIM.
In 2008-09, Aucoin registered 10-24-34 and 46 PIM with the Calgary Flames, ranking him 2nd among Calgary defensemen in goals, assists, points, shots (126) and average time on ice (22:17). During the 2007-08 season, Aucoin finished second among Flames defensemen in goals (10), assists (25), points (35) and ranked 3rd on the team in plus/minus (+13) and 5th in power-play goals (5).
The 6-foot-2, 213-pound Aucoin has appeared in 933 career NHL games with Vancouver, Tampa Bay, the New York Islanders, Chicago, Calgary and the Coyotes, collecting 116-248-364 with 683 PIM. He has also recorded 6-13-19 and 32 PIM in 47 career playoff games. Aucoin was named the Chicago Blackhawks captain during the 2006-07 campaign, collecting 4-12-16 in 59 games.
The native of Ottawa, Ontario also represented the Islanders in the 2004 NHL All Star Game.
During the post-game discussion about the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup victory Wednesday night, former Phoenix Coyote Jeremy Roenick broke down and cried on national TV. Is he a crybaby or just having a genuine emotional moment?
Keep in mind, Roenick played a 21-year NHL career and only reached the Stanley Cup Finals once, failing to win in 1990 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. he also played for Chicago for eight seasons.
The National Hockey League announced today that Phoenix Coyotes Captain Shane Doan has been named as one of three finalists for the 2009-10 Mark Messier Leadership Award, which recognizes an individual as a superior leader in hockey and as a contributing member of society. It honors an individual who leads by positive example through on-ice performance, motivation of team members and a dedication to community activities and charitable causes.
Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres were also named as finalists for the Mark Messier Leadership Award.
Mark Messier, a six-time Stanley Cup champion and 16-time NHL All-Star in his 25 NHL seasons who is widely viewed as one of the greatest sports leaders of all time, solicits suggestions from club and League personnel and NHL fans through NHL.com in compiling a list of potential candidates. However, the selection of the three finalists and the ultimate winner is Messier’s alone.
The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 23, during the 2010 NHL Awards that will be broadcast live from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas on VERSUS in the United States and on CBC in Canada.
Doan has served as captain of the Coyotes for the past six seasons and has ingrained himself in the Arizona community ever since the organization moved from Winnipeg in 1996-97. He has established himself as a leader both on and off the ice and for years has been considered one of the most respected players in the game, as evidenced by his being selected as Team Canada’s captain at the World Championships for three straight years (2007-09).
Through a bankruptcy proceeding and relocation rumors to a coaching change late in the preseason, Doan kept the Coyotes together this year as they reached new heights on the ice, shattering the franchise records for wins (50) and points (107) in a single season. But most notably, amid the off-ice turmoil, Doan led his team to a place no one expected them to reach a year ago: the Stanley Cup Playoffs. His commitment to his teammates, franchise and Coyotes fans was most evident when, on Dec. 17, Doan became the 42nd player in NHL history to play 1,000 games with one franchise and the 24th player to do it with the team that drafted him.
In the Arizona community, Doan has long been considered one of the most selfless professional athletes in a city that is home to four major professional sports teams. He serves as an ambassador for Coyotes Charities and works with a number of organizations including the United Blood Services, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix Rescue Mission and Flashes of Hope, a nonprofit organization that arranges for professional photographers to visit terminally ill children and take uplifting family portraits.
Voting for this new award was conducted among the 30 Club General Managers and a panel of NHL executives, print and broadcast media at the conclusion of the regular season.
Maloney accepted the award in front of his peers at the NHL General Managers meeting held annually during the Stanley Cup Final. Maloney, George McPhee of the Washington Capitals and David Poile of the Nashville Predators were identified as the three finalists for the trophy last month.
Maloney, in his third season as General Manager of the Coyotes, steered the club through an uncertain and turbulent off-season, charting the course for the most successful regular season in franchise history. His biggest move was hiring head coach Dave Tippett, who guided the Coyotes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2002 by posting a 50-25-7 record for 107 points and setting franchise records for wins, points and home wins (29) in a season.
Maloney added several players to the Coyotes roster over the summer, acquiring Radim Vrbata, Sami Lepisto, Lauri Korpikoski and Jim Vandermeer through trades while signing veteran free agents Adrian Aucoin, Vernon Fiddler, Jason LaBarbera, Taylor Pyatt and Robert Lang. Those players joined a veteran core that already included the likes of Shane Doan, Ed Jovanovski, Zbynek Michalek and Ilya Bryzgalov.
With the Coyotes already enjoying a breakout season, the acquisitions of forwards Lee Stempniak, Wojtek Wolski and Petteri Nokelainen plus defensemen Derek Morris and Mathieu Schneider at the Mar. 3 trade deadline propelled the club to even greater heights as Phoenix won nine consecutive games following the trade deadline (Mar. 4-21) to tie a club record. Stempniak was named the NHL’s First Star for the Month of March after leading the League with 13 goals in 14 games following his acquisition while Wolski recorded 18 points (6-12-18) in 18 games with the Coyotes.
Maloney, 51, completed his third season in Phoenix after joining the Coyotes on May 29, 2007 following 10 years in the front office of the New York Rangers.
The Phoenix Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes will both face off against Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) opponents in exhibition games as part of the 2010 Compuware NHL Premiere Challenge.
Staged by the NHL and NHLPA in cooperation with the KHL, the Coyotes will play against Dinamo Riga at Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia on Wednesday, Oct. 6. Dinamo Riga plays in the Bobrov Division of the KHL’s Western Conference.
The Phoenix Coyotes will open their 2010-11 NHL regular season against the Boston Bruins at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, on Saturday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 10.
This will be the first time in 20 years that the NHL returns to Russia or Latvia for exhibition games. In September 1989 the Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames conducted a pre-season tour of the Soviet Union which included four games against Soviet National League clubs. Games were played in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and Riga. The NHL clubs finished with a combined 6-2 record against the top Soviet teams, including the Red Army club and Dynamo Moscow.
In September 1990, the fabled Montreal Canadiens, one of the League’s Original Six franchises, joined the Minnesota North Stars in traveling to the Soviet Union for the “Friendship Tour ‘90″. Again, games were played in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and Riga and again they were enthusiastically greeted by the Soviet public. However, this time the Soviet National League teams proved to be stronger, finishing with a 5-3 record against their NHL counterparts.
More information on 2010 Compuware NHL Premiere will be released at a later date, including ticket information, broadcast information, training camp schedules and preseason schedules.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke to the media Friday for his annual pre-Stanley Cup Finals state of the NHL address. Among the topics he discussed was the Phoenix Coyotes ownership situation and he shed some light on a few aspects of the ongoing sale of the franchise.
“The Coyotes are staying in Phoenix,” Bettman said. “Glendale. And I know there’s been a lot of discussion about this point about artificial deadlines, which may or may not have been imposed. They weren’t. What happened here was, it became clear that the City of Glendale could not do everything, accomplish everything that it was promising to do in time for a new buyer to close, in time for us to be comfortable for this coming season.
“So we went to the City of Glendale and said — and I think people tend to forget this, we have a lot of money invested in the Coyotes as a League right now, almost as much as the city has invested in the building – we’re prepared to stay for another season if we have to. But if you can’t accomplish all the things that you’re promising to accomplish that will enable a buyer to close, then we want to be indemnified for our losses this season, because we’re going to stick around in the belief and expectation that you’re going to get everything done that you’re promising to get done. And the City of Glendale was prepared to do that. Their hope and expectation is that they will conclude a building arrangement with a prospective purchaser. They’re talking to three groups right now. In the next few days, few weeks, and that this franchise will ultimately be able to be sold over the summer. That is my hope. That is my expectation.
“There was also a lot of speculation, and I’ll address it now, about what would have happened if the City of Glendale didn’t step up as they were prepared to do to support the franchise for next season, and what we would have done with it. We would have been forced, we would have had no choice but to move it. There has been a lot of speculation about Winnipeg. Winnipeg did make a bona fide offer. We never concluded a deal. That offer was made by Mark Chipman and David Thomson as partners in True North.
“They are very comfortable with the process. They understood that the likelihood was that the team was going to be remaining in Phoenix. They wanted us to know of their interest, and they have told us they are prepared to be patient.”
Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced Monday that the Coyotes have signed defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to an entry level contract. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Ekman-Larsson, 18, was drafted by the Coyotes with the sixth overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. In 42 games this season with Leksand of Sweden’s second-highest professional league, Ekman-Larsson recorded 9-18-27 and 98 penalty minutes (PIM). A native of Karlskrona, Sweden, Ekman-Larsson helped lead Sweden to the bronze medal at the 2010 World Championship in Germany, recording 1-2-3 in nine games. He also represented Sweden in the 2010 World Junior Championship and won a bronze medal, collecting 2-3-5 and a +5 rating in six games. His five points ranked T-5th among all defensemen in the tournament and 1st among Swedish defensemen.
Last season, Ekman-Larsson appeared in 39 games with Leksand as a 17-year-old, where he recorded 3-14-17 and 32 PIM. The youngest player on his team, Ekman-Larsson also led the league with a +44 rating. The 6-foot-2, 176-pound defenseman represented Team Sweden at the 2009 Under-18 World Championship, collecting 2-6-8 in six games, helping Sweden to a fifth place finish.
The Glendale City Council approved a motion to cover potential losses while the city and league seek an owner to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes by a unanimous 6-0 vote during a meeting Tuesday night.
The official announcement by Mayor Elaine Scruggs was met by a loud applause and cheer by the hundred or so supporters in attendance.
“If the Coyotes were to go away Westgate would be a large open air mall,” said Councilman David Goulet. “We need the Coyotes to be there.”
“If we were not to do this, I think it would be a big step backwards,” said Councilman/Vice Mayor Manuel Martinez. “This is the right thing to do and in the best interests of the city and its citizens.”
City Manager Ed Beasley also said they are on track with negotiations to have the team sold by the NHL deadline of June 30, so they also consider this funding mechanism to be short lived with a cap of $25 million if necessary.
The City will not use taxpayer dollars but instead the Community Facilities District (CFD) introduced during last month’s city council meeting.
The approval held an evil twist of irony as the same city council had a vote last month to decide which proposal(s) they would accept between Ice Edge and Glendale Hockey, LLC which is headed by sports mogul Jerry Reinsdorf. The vote went 6-0 in favor of Reinsdorf and 5-1 against Ice Edge.
Ice Edge, LLC is a group of five Canadian and American businessmen including John Breslow, who was a minority owner in the previous ownership group which included Wayne Gretzky and Jerry Moyes.
Tuesday night’s city council vote was necessitated by reports that talks with a group headed by sports mogul Jerry Reinsdorf broke down last week and new demands by the NHL for the city to provide this insurance policy. This also forced the City of Glendale to reconsider the Ice Edge bid as they were the only other group to show interest in purchasing the beleaguered National Hockey League franchise. There were reports that Reinsdorf was out as a potential owner, but it was it was said that both parties are still involved.
While that may be true, the fact that John Kaites of Glendale Hockey was in attendance and sitting with NHL executives while no one from Ice Edge was there.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly was in attendance to address the City Council and take questions while also addressing the NHL fee to cover any losses if an owner is not identified by the end of the summer.
“This is nothing more than an insurance policy which allows us to move forward with achieving an objective and keep the Coyotes where we feel they belong which is in the city of Glendale for the long term,” Daly said.
Daly also said the NHL can work with either group and once an owner is identified, a deal can be put in place in a matter of weeks.
Glendale City Council voting:
H. Philip Lieberman – Yes
Joyce Clark – Yes
David Goulet – Yes
Steve Frate – Yes
Yvonne Knaack – Yes
Manuel Martinez – Yes
Phoenix Coyotes prospect Oliver Ekman-Larsson will represent Sweden at the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany, May 7-23.
Ekman-Larsson, 18, was drafted by the Coyotes with the sixth overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. In 42 games this season with Leksand of Sweden’s second-highest professional league (Sweden-2), Ekman-Larsson recorded 9-18-27 and 98 penalty minutes (PIM). The defenseman also represented Sweden in the 2010 World Junior Championship where he helped lead the team to a bronze medal by recording 2-3-5 and a +5 rating in six games. His five points ranked T-5th among all defensemen in the tournament and 1st among Swedish defensemen.
Last season, Ekman-Larsson appeared in 39 games with Leksand as a 17-year-old, where he recorded 3-14-17 and 32 PIM. As the youngest player on his team, Ekman-Larsson also led the league with a +44 rating. The 6-foot-2, 176-pound native of Karlskrona, Sweden represented Team Sweden at the 2009 Under-18 World Championship, collecting 2-6-8 in six games, helping Sweden to a fifth place finish.
The bid by Chicago businessman and part-time Valley resident Jerry Reinsdorf to buy the Phoenix Coyotes is dead and the city of Glendale has returned to the previously shunned Ice Edge Holdings group in a last-minute bid to keep the team in Phoenix, sources close to the deal told ESPN.
The Glendale City Council is expected to file documents Friday morning accepting a new lease proposal from Ice Edge and agreeing to work exclusively with the group moving forward, sources said.
The desperation move comes less than a month after the Glendale City council voted to deal exclusively with Reinsdorf while rejecting the Ice Edge bid. It appeared that Ice Edge was out for good as their was an unspoken tone of Glendale preferring to work with Reinsdorf who leads Glendale Hockey, LLC. Reinsdorf, who owns the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox, already has a relationship with Glendale following his involvement in the development of Glendale Camelback-Ranch, which is the springing training home of his White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
There was also a strong indication that Reinsdorf was trying to get the franchise at a bottom basement price while committing no cash, instead leveraging a proposed tax district to cover the purchase price with the City of Glendale guaranteeing any losses incurred through the first five years. He also wanted the right to move the team after five years if certain milestones weren’t met.
The Reinsdorf group would make an equity purchase by investing $103 million to purchase the team. A Community Funds District (CFD) would fund $65 million to NHL over three years, along with $25 million per year in an operating loss reserve account capped at $100 million.
The Ice Edge proposal included debt financing through a bank, which the some members of City of Glendale was not convinced they could secure. Ice Edge, LLC is a group of five Canadian and American businessmen including John Breslow, who was a minority owner in the previous ownership group which included Wayne Gretzky and Jerry Moyes. Ice Edge CEO Anthony LeBlanc, who is now a Paradise Valley resident, said that while some bank financing is involved in the purchase, he and his partners will invest tens of millions of their own money. The group is also working to raise between $200-$250 million to not only cover the purchase of any potential future losses and says financing is ready if the Glendale meets the NHL’s requirements.
“It is not our intent to keep the team in Glendale for an additional 24 years, it is our commitment to keep the team in Glendale for 24 years,” LeBlanc said. “We don’t know why the city is considering any offers that would not commit to the keeping the team for 24 years.”
Sources also told ESPN.com the city must guarantee a number of conditions with the NHL, including covering operating losses incurred next season, before the league will consider agreeing to sell the team to Ice Edge. One source said the league wants conditions meant by the end of this week, although NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN.com that timeline is not accurate. It’s believed Ice Edge was waiting for those conditions to be met before signing the agreement with the city.
The puck is in Glendale’s court as the team will be allowed to quickly be sold to David Thomson and moved to Winnipeg if the West Valley community doesn’t agree to the NHL’s terms.
Moyes placed the franchise in bankruptcy last May, which led to an acrimonious court battle throughout the summer. The court allowed the NHL to purchase the team out of bankruptcy on Oct. 27 but the league did not assume the Arena Management, Use and Lease Agreement.
According to the terms of that deal, the NHL will seek an owner outside who could relocate the franchise if they can not find an owner who would keep the team in Glendale by June 30.
Reinsdorf was reportedly minutes from signing a letter of intent to as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was en route from New York to present the paperwork. Bettman was in the air when he was surprised by the unexpected news that the team was placed in bankruptcy.
The National Hockey League announced today that Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney has been named as one of three finalists for the inaugural NHL General Manager of the Year Award for 2009-10. George McPhee of the Washington Capitals and David Poile of the Nashville Predators were also named as finalists for the GM of the Year Award.
Voting for this new award was conducted among the 30 Club General Managers and a panel of NHL executives, print and broadcast media. The winner will be announced during the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.
Maloney, in his third season as General Manager of the Coyotes, steered the club through an uncertain and turbulent off-season, charting the course for the most successful regular season in franchise history. His biggest move was hiring head coach Dave Tippett, who guided the Coyotes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2002 by posting a 50-25-7 record for 107 points and setting franchise records for wins, points and home wins (29) in a season.
Coyotes Head Coach Dave Tippett has already been named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, which is given to the NHL Coach of the Year.
Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov has been named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy which is given to the NHL’s Outstanding Goaltender.
Maloney added several players to the Coyotes roster over the summer, acquiring Radim Vrbata, Sami Lepisto, Lauri Korpikoski and Jim Vandermeer through trades while signing veteran free agents Adrian Aucoin, Vernon Fiddler, Jason LaBarbera, Taylor Pyatt and Robert Lang. Those players joined a veteran core that already included the likes of Shane Doan, Ed Jovanovski, Zbynek Michalek and Ilya Bryzgalov.
With the Coyotes already enjoying a breakout season, the acquisitions of forwards Lee Stempniak, Wojtek Wolski and Petteri Nokelainen plus defensemen Derek Morris and Mathieu Schneider at the Mar. 3 trade deadline propelled the club to even greater heights as Phoenix won nine consecutive games following the trade deadline (Mar. 4-21) to tie a club record. Stempniak was named the NHL’s First Star for the Month of March after leading the League with 13 goals in 14 games following his acquisition while Wolski recorded 18 points (6-12-18) in 18 games with the Coyotes.
Phoenix Coyotes forward Lauri Korpikoski will represent Finland at the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany, May 7-23.
Korpikoski, 23, appeared in 71 games for the Coyotes this season, recording 5-6-11 and 16 penalty minutes (PIM). He also appeared in all seven postseason games for the Coyotes and scored a shorthanded goal.
In 2008-09, Korpikoski appeared in 68 games with the New York Rangers as a rookie, recording 6-8-14 and 14 penalty minutes (PIM). He also collected two assists while appearing in all seven of the Rangers’ playoff games last season. In 139 career NHL games with the Coyotes and Rangers, Korpikoski has recorded 11-14-25 and 30 PIM. He has also collected 2-2-4 in 15 career playoff games.
A native of Turku, Finland, Korpikoski represented Finland at the 2005 and 2006 World Junior Championship tournaments. He helped lead Finland to the bronze medal in 2006 while ranking T-5th in assists (5) among all players in the tournament. He also skated in six games for Finland at the 2004 Under-18 World Junior Championship, notching 5-6-11 and a +7 rating to tie for the tournament scoring lead.
Korpikoski was originally selected by the Rangers in the first round (19th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and was acquired by the Coyotes from the Rangers in exchange for Enver Lisin on July 13, 2009. Prior to his North American career, Korpikoski played two seasons of professional hockey in Finland.
USA Hockey announced Thursday that Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle will represent Team USA at the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany, May 7-23.
Yandle, 23, appeared in all 82 regular season games for the Coyotes this season, recording 12-29-41 with 45 penalty minutes (PIM) and a +16 rating. Yandle set new career-highs in goals, assists, points, PIM, plus/minus, games played, power play goals (5), game winning goals (2) and shots (145) while leading all Coyotes defensemen in scoring. His 41 points also ranked T-23rd among all NHL defensemen this season. During the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Yandle ranked T-2nd on the Coyotes with five points (2-3-5) in seven games.
A native of Boston, Mass., Yandle has appeared in 201 career NHL games with the Coyotes, collecting 21-64-85 and 104 PIM. He has also registered 7-41-48 in 99 career American Hockey League (AHL) games with San Antonio and appeared in the 2007 AHL All-Star Game. Prior to his professional career, Yandle played one season for Moncton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and was named the Canadian Major Junior Defensemen of the Year after recording 25-59-84 in 66 games.
Yandle, who was drafted by the Coyotes in the fourth round (105th overall) of the 2005 Entry Draft, will be making his first appearance with Team USA.
The National Hockey League announced Wednesday that Phoenix Coyotes Head Coach Dave Tippett has been named as one of three finalists for the 2009-10 Jack Adams Award, which is presented to the head coach who has “contributed the most to his team’s success.” Joe Sacco of the Colorado Avalanche and Barry Trotz of the Nashville Predators were also named as finalists for the Jack Adams Award.
Members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association submitted ballots for the Jack Adams Award at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 23, during the 2010 NHL Awards that will be broadcast live from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas on VERSUS in the United States and on CBC in Canada.
Hired nine days before the start of the regular season, Tippett led the Coyotes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2002 by posting a record of 50-25-7 for 107 points. The club posted an NHL-best 28-point gain over its 2008-09 total, edging Colorado’s 26-point improvement, and set franchise records for wins and points in a season, home wins (29) and longest home winning streak (10 games, Nov. 21 to Dec. 29). The Coyotes ranked third in the NHL in team defense (2.39 goals per game), up from 24th in 2008-09 (3.04), and were sixth in the League in penalty killing (84.5%).
The Coyotes registered a 14-win and 28-point improvement over 2008-09 while scoring 17 more goals and allowing 50 fewer goals. One other significant area of improvement came on the penalty kill, where the Coyotes improved from 28th in the League at 76.8 percent last season to sixth in the League at 84.5 percent. In addition, the Coyotes allowed the fewest goals (202) of any Western Conference team this season.
Tippett, 48, earned his 300th career coaching win Jan. 21 against Nashville. Since the start of the 2002-03 campaign, when he coached Dallas, Tippett ranks second among all NHL coaches in victories with 321, trailing only Mike Babcock of Detroit (326).
Tippett became the 17th head coach in Coyotes/Jets franchise history when he was hired by the Club on Sept. 24, 2009 after spending the previous six seasons as head coach of the Dallas Stars. In seven seasons as an NHL head coach, Tippett has guided his teams to the playoffs six times while compiling a record of 321-181-72. During that span, Tippett has registered the second-most victories among all NHL head coaches.
Tippett would become the second Coyotes coach to win the Jack Adams Award, joining Bob Francis (2001-02).
The WhiteOut is a tradition where Phoenix Coyotes fans dress in white clothing for all home playoff games. The tradition was created in Winnipeg when the team was known as the Jets, and carried over to Phoenix when the franchise moved to the Valley in 1996 and became the Coyotes.
► The WhiteOut was created by the Jets’ front office prior to the 1985 Playoffs, and the fans carried it on for each playoff season that followed.
► The first-ever WhiteOut took place on April 10, 1985 at Winnipeg Arena as the Jets defeated the Flames 5-4 in overtime, and the Jets went on to record their first playoff series win.
► The first WhiteOut in Phoenix took place on April 20, 1997 as the Coyotes defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 4-1 in Game 1 of their first round series.
► The first WhiteOut in Glendale was also the first regular season WhiteOut in franchise history as the Coyotes hosted the “Welcome Back WhiteOut” in the 2009-10 Home Opener at Jobing.com Arena on Oct. 10, 2009.
► The first playoff WhiteOut in Glendale took place April 14, 2010 when the Coyotes defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in Game 1 of their Western Conference Quarterfinal Series and will continue this Friday when Phoenix hosts Detroit in Game 5.
► Last Wednesday’s Game 1 WhiteOut was the first playoff WhiteOut for the Coyotes since April 24, 2002.
► There has been only one Game 7 WhiteOut in team history: May 4, 1999 vs. St. Louis (L, 1-0 OT).
► The player who has appeared in the most WhiteOut games in franchise history is Teppo Numminen, who was inducted into the Coyotes Ring of Honor earlier this year.
The Associated Press is reporting that Phoenix Coyotes forward Shane Doan will miss Game 4 of the Western Conference playoffs against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night because of an upper-body injury.
The Coyotes’ captain left Game 3 on Sunday when he stumbled over Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard and went crashing into the boards during the second period. Doan hit his right shoulder hard against the boards, which is strongly considered to be the source of his injury.
Phoenix Head Coach Dave Tippett said Doan remains day-to-day.
Vernon Fiddler, who missed Game 3 with a shoulder injury, will return to the lineup for the Coyotes. They lead the first-round series 2-1.
Excitement for the Phoenix Coyotes is sweeping the state of Arizona and their success is resulting in television ratings for the team that haven’t been seen in nearly 11 years.
According to Nielsen Media Research, last Friday’s Game 2 of the Phoenix Coyotes/Detroit Red Wings NHL Playoff series generated a 4.7 rating/8 share on FOX Sports Arizona. That rating is second best all-time for the Coyotes on the network and highest since May 4, 1999. The 4.7 rating means that an average of 84,722 Phoenix households watched the game.
In addition to generating this historic rating, the game was the top-rated program in the Phoenix market for the entire day part. The telecast peaked at a 6.6 rating in 9:30 pm quarter hour (118,971 households).
The last time the Coyotes had a rating higher than this was for Game 7 of their 1999 NHL Playoff Series against the St. Louis Blues. That game did a 6.1 rating, which is the best rating ever for the Coyotes on FOX Sports Arizona.
The Coyotes will look to take a 3-1 series lead over the Red Wings tomorrow when Game 4 of the series is televised on FOX Sports Arizona and FOX Sports Arizona PLUS at 3:30 p.m.
As expected, Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was named one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, which is presented annually to “the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position” as voted by the general managers of each of the 30 clubs.
“You’ve got to improve yourself every day,” Bryzgalov said on the eve of Phoenix’s first playoff game since 2002. “…You’ve got to develop yourself to be the best. Only this … can bring you postseason trophies like the Stanley Cup.”
Bryzgalov is coming off a tremendous regular season where he was the most valuable player on a Coyotes team that enjoyed its best season in franchise history. With Bryzgalov minding the net, Phoenix set franchise records for wins (50), home wins (29) and points (107) while registering a 14-win and 28-point improvement while allowing 50 fewer goals than the previous season.
Bryzgalov also enjoyed a career year, setting franchise records for wins (42), which ranked third in the NHL. He also recorded a career-high eight shutouts, tying Nikolai Khabibulin’s franchise record. Bryzgalov also set career highs in games played (69) goals against average (2.29) and save percentage (.920), all of which ranked among the leaders in the NHL (SOs 2nd, GAA, 6th). Behind his play, the Coyotes allowed the fewest goals in the Western Conference.
“He’s been so good and so consistent,” captain Shane Doan said. “And when Bryzy is really, really good, it looks so easy. I think sometimes he doesn’t get the credit he deserves because he makes it look so easy. He’s so square, and he’s so solid with his technical game. He just continues to be our best player.”
The Togliatti, Russia native played in the 2010 Winter Olympics for Russia.
Bryzgalov was acquired off waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes on Nov. 17, 2007.
Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller and New Jersey Devils netminder Martin Brodeur were the other Vezina finalists.
The only other goaltender in Coyotes team history to place in the top three in Vezina voting is current Coyotes goaltending coach Sean Burke, who placed third in 2002 behind Jose Theodore (Montreal) and Patrick Roy (Colorado).
Bryzgalov has a chance at also being named among the finalists for the Hart Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL’s Most Valuable Player. The Hart Trophy finalists will be announced on April 29.
Phoenix Coyotes Head Coach Dave Tippett is a front runner for the Jack Adams Award, which is awarded to the NHL’s top coach. Those finalists will be announced on April 28.
All award winners will be announced on June 23 during the 2010 NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas.
Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is having such a special season he may accomplish something many of the National Hockey League’s greatest goaltenders failed to accomplish.
During the 93-year history of the NHL, only seven goaltenders have won the Hart Trophy, which is defined by the NHL as the player who is most valuable to their team.
Goaltenders annually receive the Vezina Trophy to recognize best in breed, but there have been rare occasions where their play has been so vital in the success of their team, that the Hart Trophy is awarded to recognize the effort. Most recently, Jose Theodore won both the Vezina and Hart Trophies in 2002. Dominik Hasek (pictured right) won both trophies in 1997 and 1998. Bryzgalov’s statistics are comparable to both players during their MVP seasons.
“He’s been so good and so consistent,” said Coyotes captain Shane Doan. “And when Bryzy is really, really good, it looks so easy. I think sometimes he doesn’t get the credit he deserves because he makes it look so easy. He’s so square, and he’s so solid with his technical game. He just continues to be our best player.”
Building the case
Bryzgalov’s impact on the Coyotes’ record-setting season is undeniable. The team leads the NHL in both wins after regulation and shootout wins, and are among the leaders in one-goal victories … all a direct reflection of superior goaltending in high-pressure situations.
Individually, Bryzgalov ranks among the league leaders in wins, goals against average, shutouts and shootout wins and shootout save percentage. The turnaround is even more impressive considering Bryzgalov’s mental struggles in the second half of last season.
Because of his performance, the Coyotes outscored their opponents by 23 goals despite ranking among the worst teams in the league in total goals scored, power play percentage. In fact, no one who has been on the Coyotes all season ranks in the Top 70 in NHL scoring.
His nine wins in October were vital to the Coyotes’ strong start and they haven’t looked back. This was extremely important after the franchise was dragged through bankruptcy court last summer and the franchise was in dire need of good news for its eroded fan base.
The Coyotes excellent on-ice performance this season has led to interest from at least two potential buyers and a playoff berth which will add much needed millions to the coffers while reducing the operational losses.
The competition
History is against Bryzgalov as the Hart Trophy is usually won by a forward, particularly a center. However, the only forward that may have an edge on Bryzgalov for the Hart Trophy is Vancouver center Henrik Sedin.
Two-time defending MVP Alex Ovechkin missed 10 games this season, three to two suspensions, and Washington, which is loaded with offensive talent, went 7-2-1 without him. The 2007 NHL MVP, Sidney Crosby, set a career high in goals this season but he is surrounded by a lot of talent on the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sedin is more deserving. Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller will also gain consideration but the Sabres have more scoring and have not won as much as Phoenix despite playing in a weaker division.
Two other factors that may play against Bryzgalov are his playing on the west coast and the interpretation of most valuable player, which is wrongly defined oftentimes as the best player.
Admittedly, the odds are against a goaltender winning the Hart Trophy but there are many factors falling in favor of Bryzgalov in addition to his on-ice play. One good sign is that Bryzgalov was leading a vote for the Hart Trophy on the Orange County Register Web site ahead of Miller, Crosby, Ovechkin and Sedin. Also, other hockey columnists have begun writing that the Yotes netminder should be considered for the award.
We’ll find out on April 29 if Bryzgalov will even be one of three finalists for the Hart Trophy, although he’s considered a slam dunk as a Vezina finalist when they are announced on Monday April 19. His post-season performance isn’t supposed to impact voting either way, but there is no doubting that a strong playoffs will help his cause. However the voting shakes out, Bryzgalov has had a tremendous season that Coyotes fans won’t soon forget.
During a council meeting Tuesday night, the Glendale City Council authorized City Manager Ed Beasley to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Glendale Hockey, LLC, a group led by Jerry Reinsdorf.
Four members of the City Council voted for Reinsdorf while two council members voted for both Reinsdorf and Ice Edge, LLC. Council member Joyce Clark, who represents the Yucca District, which houses the arena, called Ice Edge’s insistence to have Glendale financially responsible for guaranteeing their purchase a “deal breaker.”
Glendale mayor Elaine Scruggs was in Washington DC with a contingent of local politicians. She submitted a statement regarding the topic but did not throw support behind either MOU. Clark criticized Scruggs for missing such an important vote.
The Glendale Hockey MOU will be forwarded to the National Hockey League (NHL) for their consideration. The MOU provides the guidelines under which a contract is negotiated.
Glendale Hockey, LLC is a group led by Jerry Reinsdorf, who owns the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox. Reinsdorf, who is a part-time Valley resident, already has a relationship with Glendale following his involvement in the development of Glendale Camelback-Ranch, which is the springing training home of his White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ice Edge, LLC is a group of five Canadian and American businessmen including John Breslow, who was a minority owner in the previous ownership group which included Wayne Gretzky and Jerry Moyes.
It was Moyes who placed the franchise in bankruptcy last May, which led to an acrimonious court battle throughout the summer. The court allowed the NHL to purchase the team out of bankruptcy on Oct. 27 but the league did not assume the Arena Management, Use and Lease Agreement.
According to the terms of that deal, the NHL will seek an owner outside who could relocate the franchise if they can not find an owner who would keep the team in Glendale by June 30.
Reinsdorf was reportedly minutes from signing a letter of intent to as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was en route from New York to present the paperwork. Bettman was in the air when he was surprised by the unexpected news that the team was placed in bankruptcy.
It was pointed out that the Reinsdorf proposal does not have and out clause. That technically is true but a Community Facilities District (CFD) will be formed and it does include a recourse clause that will be reviewed after five years. The CFD is the independent third-party which collects revenue to assure the financial stability of the team and assures Glendale Hockey that they won’t lose any money from their initial investment. The City Council made it a point to mention several times that taxpayer money and the City of Glendale money is not on the line.
The recourse clause consists of three parts:
*Buyers have recourse ONLY IF the CFD does not fulfill funding obligations AND team has operating losses.
*City will have access to independent review by NHL to audit team operations and assure reasonable standards are achieved.
*City has protective remedies: Fund amount of shortfall (i.e. new revenue); or Find new buyer for team.
So while this is not an “out clause” the franchise could be relocated after the 2014-15 season.
The Reinsdorf group would make an equity purchase by investing $103 million to purchase the team. The CFD will fund $65 million to NHL over three years, along with $25 million per year in an operating loss reserve account capped at $100 million.
The Ice Edge proposal included debt financing through a bank, which the some members of City of Glendale was not convinced they could secure. The proposal would require city resources and taxpayer to satisfy the bank, which went against the parameters for purchase requested by the city. This proved to be the undoing of the Ice Edge bid int he City Council’s eyes.
Ice Edge CEO Anthony LeBlanc, also stated that the group would be willing to strike the clause in the MOU that could require taxpayer funds to guarantee the bank loan.
City manager Ed Beasley stated it was too late in the process to make the request and he didn’t know how that would affect other numbers in the proposal. Plus, it could delay the process which is under a tight time frame set forth by the NHL and bankruptcy process to have a new owner in place.
LeBlanc who mentioned he is now a Paradise Valley resident, said that while some bank financing is involved in the purchase, he and his partners will invest tens of millions of their own money. The group is also working to raise between $200-$250 million to not only cover the purchase of any potential future losses.
“It is not our intent to keep the team in Glendale for an additional 24 years, it is our commitment to keep the team in Glendale for 24 years,” LeBlanc said. “We don’t know why the city is considering any offers that would not commit to the keeping the team for 24 years.”
Glendale Hockey Partner John Kaites addressed the City Council but only proclaimed appreciation for the process.
Heather Schroeder, president of the Phoenix Coyotes Booster Club, was among the 25 fans, many of whom were wearing Coyotes jerseys, who spoke to the City Council. She presented a petition of more than 1,000 Coyotes fans who want to see the team remain in Glendale.
“Hockey isn’t just a game. It’s a way of life,” said one fan. “It would be like taking away food to some people.”
This is how the City Council voting broke down:
H. Philip Lieberman – Both
Joyce Clark – Reinsdorf, Glendale Hockey
David Goulet – Both
Steve Frate – Reinsdorf, Glendale Hockey
Yvonne Knaack – Reinsdorf, Glendale Hockey
Manuel Martinez – Reinsdorf, Glendale Hockey
“This one (MOU) tonight gave me more problems that any single one I have voted in the city of Glendale,” said Councilman Lieberman, a 19-year City Council member. “There are flaws in both contacts that should be corrected and hopefully will be corrected, The prime objective is to keep the team here and I am going to vote for both MOUs for the city to accept.”
Aside from a realistic shot at playing for the Stanley Cup, the most exciting aspect of the Phoenix Coyotes playing in the NHL postseason is the return of the WhiteOut. Fans got a taste of the tradition for the Coyotes home opener but this is the first playoff WhiteOut since 2002.
Because of the eight-year absence of the WhiteOut many fans are unfamiliar with the tradition and how it got started. They might know the WhiteOut was started by the Winnipeg Jets and was inherited by the Valley when the franchise relocated to Phoenix, but that is it.
History
The original name of the promotion is the Winnipeg WhiteOut. The idea was born as a copycat response to the Calgary Flames “C” of Red, when the two teams played during the 1987 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Going back further on the ancestry trail, the tradition of the “C of Red” dates back to the 1986 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers, when their fans wore hats promoting “Hat Trick Fever” in their quest for their third straight Stanley Cup.
For the “C” of Red, Flames fans wore red in recognition of the color of their home jersey. The Jets responded to by creating the WhiteOut where their fans wore white, creating an amazing visual. Winnipeg beat Calgary in the series and the WhiteOut continued to the next series against the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers, who dispatched the Jets.
Despite the disappointment, the WhiteOut continued on and became a staple of each Jets postseason. Unfortunately for Winnipeg, the team never won another postseason series.
Relocating the tradition
When the Jets moved to Arizona in 1996, the WhiteOut followed. The Coyotes reached the playoffs five times in their first six seasons and the inherited tradition became a staple in the Valley. Unfortunately, so did the postseason futility as the Coyotes entered this postseason seeking their first series win.
Numerous copycats have sprung up in recent years with many professional and college sports teams holding their own version of a WhiteOut. Things turned nasty in 2006 when Penn St. promoted their own WhiteOut for a football game. It turns out the Coyotes hold a trademark on the term WhiteOut and the university was infringing upon it. The Coyotes contacted the athletic department and they agreed to let them use the term for the one game. The next year, Penn State tried trademarking “Penn State WhiteOut” and the Coyotes put a stop to it and the promotions name was changed to White House.
Bitterness
If there is one thing Canadians hold dear to their heart, it is the tradition of hockey in their country. Winnipeg resident are still bitter about the WhiteOut continuing for a team based in a desert. That fact isn’t lost on the Coyotes who explored the creation of the Sandstorm where fans would wear brown, but fortunately that idea was discarded.
The WhiteOut tradition hasn’t totally abandoned the Winnipeg market as it lives on with the American Hockey League’s Mantioba Moose.
It will be interesting to see what happens to the WhiteOut if the NHL ever returns to Winnipeg.
Phoenix Coyotes President and Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss announced today that the Coyotes’ opening game of their first round playoff series versus the Detroit Red Wings will be televised live on 3 TV (KTVK) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Apr. 14. All of the game coverage will be produced by FOX Sports Arizona.
“Following a tremendously successful regular season, we felt that it was very important to broadcast the first-ever playoff WhiteOut at Jobing.com Arena to as wide an audience as possible in order to reward our wonderfully supportive fans throughout the state of Arizona,” said Moss. “We would like to thank our partners at FOX Sports Arizona and KTVK for helping to make this a reality.”
“I want to thank the Phoenix Coyotes and KTVK for helping us make this important game available to more fans across the state of Arizona,” said Mike Connelly, FOX Sports Arizona Senior Vice President & General Manager. “I know fans will appreciate the local telecast done by our production team that has been with the Coyotes every step of the way during this amazing season.”
The Coyotes’ television broadcasting team of play-by-play announcer Dave Strader, color analyst Tyson Nash and host/reporter Todd Walsh will bring Coyotes fans all the action.
FOX Sports Arizona will televise Game 2 of the series on Friday, April 16. The pre-game show begins the coverage at 6:30 p.m. The network will also televise Game 4 on Tuesday, April 20, at 3:30 p.m. If necessary, FOX Sports Arizona will also televise Game 5 and Game 7.
Below is the complete local and national broadcast schedule for the Coyotes-Red Wings series.
Game Day/Date Location Time (Phx) Network TV
1 Wed., Apr. 14 Jobing.com Arena 7:00 p.m. 3 TV/Versus/TSN
2 Fri., Apr. 16 Jobing.com Arena 7:00 p.m. FS-AZ/Versus/TSN
3 Sun., Apr. 18 Joe Louis Arena 12:00 p.m. NBC/TSN
4 Tues., Apr. 20 Joe Louis Arena 3:30 p.m. FS-AZ/TSN
*5 Fri., Apr. 23 Jobing.com Arena 7:00 p.m. FS-AZ/Versus/TSN
*6 Sun., Apr. 25 Joe Louis Arena 11:00 a.m. NBC/TSN
*7 Tues., Apr. 27 Jobing.com Arena TBD FS-AZ/TSN
The National Hockey League announced today the 2010 Stanley Cup playoff schedule for the Conference Quarterfinal Round. The Phoenix Coyotes will open the first round against the Detroit Red Wings at home beginning Wednesday, April 14. Game time for Game #1 is 7 p.m. at Jobing.com Arena. Game #2 will take place on Friday, April 16 at 7 p.m.
SERIES H
#4 Phoenix vs. #5 Detroit Network
Wednesday, April 14 at Phoenix, 7:00 p.m. VERSUS
Friday, April 16 at Phoenix, 7:00 p.m. Fox Sports AZ
Sunday, April 18 at Detroit, 12:00 p.m. NBC
Tuesday, April 20 at Detroit, 3:30 p.m. Fox Sports AZ
*Friday, April 23 at Phoenix, 7:00 p.m. Fox Sports AZ
*Sunday, April 25 at Detroit, 12:00 p.m. NBC
*Tuesday, April 27 at Phoenix, TBD Fox Sports AZ
If the series goes a full seven games, FOX Sports Arizona will televise Games 2, 4, 5 and 7. NBC has exclusive television rights for Games 3 and 6. Versus will carry Game 1.
Two potential buyers have submitted Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) to the city of Glendale to purchase the NHL Coyotes to keep the team in Glendale, Arizona.
This next step continues the process of ensuring the Coyotes stay in Glendale for the remainder of the lease at Jobing.com Arena.
We thank the citizens and fans for their continued support as the city and the NHL continue to work through this process to keep the Coyotes in their hometown of Glendale.
Keeping this playoff-bound team in Arizona is beneficial to both the regional and statewide economy and is excellent news for Valley sports fans.
Next Steps:
The Glendale City Council will vote on the MOUs at a public meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 13.
The council will consider the agreements based on the four goals they set. Those goals are:
-Keep the team in Glendale
-Share in any new revenue streams
-Not adversely affect the current revenue stream
-Not adversely affect the city’s debt structure
Approved MOUs will be forwarded to the NHL for a final decision. The NHL will determine the new owner based upon the league’s factors and criteria. After a selection is made, the city will continue to negotiate the additional necessary agreements.
Glendale remains committed to ensuring the citizens’ and stakeholders’ best interests are at the forefront of any negotiations.
According to Nielsen Media Research, last Saturday’s Phoenix Coyotes/Edmonton Oilers telecast generated the highest rating for a Coyotes game on FOX Sports Arizona since the 2003-04 season.
The April 3 telecast recorded a 1.34 rating/3 share, the best figure for the team on its television partner since a 1.68 rating/3 share against Minnesota on Jan, 9, 2004. That game featured Brian Boucher setting an NHL record with his fifth consecutive shutout.
The 1.34 rating on Saturday means that approximately 24,154 households in the Phoenix market were tuned into the sold-out game at Jobing.com Arena that was played in front of 17,143 fans. The game had a 1.86 peak rating (33,528 homes).
The NHL Playoff bound Phoenix Coyotes play on FOX Sports Arizona twice this week as they close out the regular season on Saturday. Wednesday’s game versus Nashville will be a tape delay telecast at 11 pm and Thursday’s game at Los Angeles can be seen live at 7:30 p.m.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA — The National Hockey League announced today that Phoenix Coyotes right wing Lee Stempniak has been named the NHL’s First Star for the month of March. Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard was named the second star while Vancouver Canucks center Henrik Sedin was named the third star.
Stempniak scored an NHL-leading 13 goals in 14 games with the Coyotes following his acquisition from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Mar. 3 trade deadline. He also added three assists and a +7 rating with his new club, helping the Coyotes (47-25-6) post a nine-game winning streak, set single-season franchise records for victory (47) and point (100) totals and secure their first berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2002.
Stempniak scored just 6:13 into his Coyotes debut in a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Mar. 4 and went on to notch two-goal games in victories over the Vancouver Canucks (4-3, Mar. 10), Carolina Hurricanes (4-0, Mar. 13), Chicago Blackhawks (5-4, Mar. 20) and Avalanche (6-2, Mar. 27). The 27-year-old native of West Seneca, NY has matched his single-season career-high in goals (27), set with St. Louis in 2006-07. For the season, Stempniak has registered 27-19-46 in 76 games with Phoenix and Toronto.
A story in today’s Phoenix business Journal reported that the NHL already as a contingency ownership plan if the league does not find a local buyer by June 10. The story prompted a comment from NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.
Daly released the following statement:
“In response to the many inquiries we have received in light of the story in the Phoenix Business Journal this morning, we would like to make clear that at this point in time the National Hockey League has no “deal” in place to move the Coyotes’ franchise to Winnipeg — or to any other city for that matter — in the event a transaction cannot be timely consummated in Glendale. Our focus continues to be on completing a transaction with local ownership that is committed to operating the team in Glendale. Based on the communications and information we are receiving on a regular basis, the stakeholders involved continue to express a high level of confidence that that can be successfully achieved. We will not focus on completing arrangements for one or more alternative option(s) until such time as it may become necessary.
“With respect to Winnipeg and Messrs. Chipman and Thomson, we have had ongoing discussions over time regarding their potential interest in owning an NHL franchise (as we have had with a number of other individuals and cities around North America) and potentially bringing an NHL franchise back to Winnipeg. It remains an intriguing possibility and one we would consider given appropriate circumstances, but there is nothing new to report on that front at this time.”
Phoenix Coyotes President and Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss announced today that individual game tickets for potential Coyotes home games during the first round of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 27.
Fans will have the ability to purchase individual game tickets starting at just $25 to each potential home game of Round 1 of the playoffs at the Jobing.com Arena Box Office, Ticketmaster outlets, www.phoenixcoyotes.com/playofftickets or by calling 480-563-PUCK (7825). In addition, playoff strips, which include tickets to each potential home game throughout the entirety of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the same seat location, are also available. For information on playoff strips, call 480-563-PUCK (7825).
Any fan looking to gain priority over the general public in choosing seat locations for 2010-11 Season Tickets can do so by purchasing full playoff strips or by putting down a refundable $100 deposit toward next season’s tickets. Those who purchase playoff strips can apply any money left over from unplayed home playoff games toward a refundable credit for next season.
The Coyotes are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference standings and have set a new franchise record for most wins in a single season with 44 victories through 71 games.
For more information about Coyotes 2010 Stanley Cup Playoff tickets, call 480-563-PUCK (7825) or visit www.phoenixcoyotes.com.
The Phoenix Coyotes extended their winning streak to seven games with a frenzied comeback that saw them score three, third-period goals before beating the Florida Panthers in the shootout, 4-3. The capper was an unlikely 105-foot goal by Radim Vrbata with :59.7 seconds remaining in the game to tie the game at three. Watch video of that amazing goal as well as the priceless reaction by the Panhters fan base and Coyotes broadcast crew.
The National Hockey League announced today that Phoenix Coyotes forward Lee Stempniak has been named the NHL’s Second Star for the week ending Mar. 14.
Vancouver Canucks forward Mikael Samuelsson was named the first star while Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne was named the third star.
Stempniak scored five goals in three games last week, all victories, helping the Coyotes (42-22-5) continue their roll toward the best regular season in franchise history. Stempniak began the week by notching two goals plus a shootout tally in a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Mar. 10. He recorded two goals, including the game-winner, in a 4-0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Mar. 13 and scored once in a 3-2 shootout win over the Atlanta Thrashers on Mar. 14.
Since being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Mar. 3 trade deadline in exchange for defenseman Matt Jones, a fourth round choice and a seventh round choice in the 2010 Entry Draft, Stempniak has six goals and one assist in five games with the Coyotes, helping the team to a five-game winning streak. Stempniak has also recorded at least one point in each of his five games with the Coyotes, who have won 13 of their last 17 games.
Note, courtesy ESPN: Lee Stempniak, who scored in the third period of the Coyotes’ 3-2 shootout victory at Atlanta, has scored six goals in five games since joining Phoenix at the trade deadline. Stempniak is only the second player in franchise history (for either the Coyotes or the Winnipeg Jets) to score more than five goals in his first five games with the team. The first was Mike Gartner in October 1996 (6 goals).
The Phoenix Coyotes defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 tonight to win their 41st game of the season, marking their highest win total in a season since moving to Phoenix in 1996.
The previous record for wins in a season by a Coyotes team was 40, set in 2001-02 when the team finished with a record of 40-27-9-6. The Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets franchise record for wins in a season is 43, set by the Winnipeg Jets in 1983-84. Through 68 games this season, the Coyotes have compiled a record of 41-22-5.
Ilya Bryzgalov also recorded his NHL-leading eighth shutout of the season in tonight’s victory, tying him with Nikolai Khabibulin for most shutouts in a single season by a goaltender in franchise history. Khabibulin registered eight shutouts for the Coyotes during the 1998-99 campaign
The Phoenix Coyotes and Coyotes Charities will auction off special-edition St. Patrick’s Day Coyotes jerseys for each player on the team through NHL.com’s auction page.
Each Coyotes player has autographed a one-of-a-kind St. Patrick’s Day jersey with his name and number on the back. The jerseys will be available for bidding on auction.nhl.com beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 11. The auction will close at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23.
Proceeds from the auction will benefit Coyotes Charities, which is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life throughout Arizona communities by supporting non-profit organizations that promote healthcare, education, cultural arts and sports-related programs for children.
This is the second time this season the Coyotes are holding a jersey auction as the team did the same with special New Year’s jerseys a few months ago.
The National Hockey League on Friday sued former Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes, seeking to recover more than $61 million over the trucking magnate’s management of the struggling franchise.
The team filed for bankruptcy last May and was bought by the NHL for $140 million in November. That purchase followed a U.S. bankruptcy judge’s rejection of a takeover bid by Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, the co-chief executive of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd.
Earl Scudder, a lawyer for Moyes, did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday evening. Other defendants in the case are Moyes’ wife and a family trust.
The NHL filed its lawsuit with the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, where the league is based.
It accused Moyes of violating an agreement he had entered with the league by refusing to fund the Coyotes’ obligations; secretly entering sale talks with Balsillie, who hoped to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario; and filing a bankruptcy petition to accomplish that sale without league approval.
According to the complaint, the NHL is seeking $30 million for violations of the agreement, $10 million for aiding and abetting violations of the Coyotes’ fiduciary duty to the league, $10 million of punitive damages, and $11.6 million to cover amounts that the NHL paid to Coyotes creditors.
The NHL said it may also seek to recover $8 million that represents unpaid salary owed to Wayne Gretzky, the Hall of Fame center and former Coyotes coach. It said whether Gretzky is owed that money will be determined in the bankruptcy case.
In the complaint, the NHL also said it was forced to buy the Coyotes because of the defendants’ actions, and “expects to incur approximately $20 million in losses as a result of that purchase in the current NHL season.”
Moyes and his family control the trucking company Swift Transportation Co.
The Phoenix Coyotes ended up making seven transactions on a very busy trade deadline day. Here is a bullet point list of the seven moves.
Coyotes acquired Derek Morris from Boston for a conditional draft choice in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Morris, 31, has recorded 3-22-25 and 26 penalty minutes in 58 games with the Bruins this season. Prior to this season, Morris spent parts of five seasons (2004-2009) as a member of the Coyotes before being traded to the New York Rangers on Mar. 4, 2009 in exchange for Petr Prucha, Nigel Dawes and Dmitri Kalinin.
Coyotes acquired Wojtek Wolski from Colorado for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter. Wolski, 24, has recorded 17-30-47 and 21 penalty minutes in 62 games this season for the Avalanche.
Coyotes acquired Lee Stempniak from Toronto for Matt Jones, 4th and 7th round draft choice in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Stempniak, 27, has recorded 14-16-30 and 18 penalty minutes (PIM) in 62 games with the Maple Leafs this season to rank 3rd on the team in goals and 4th in points.
Coyotes acquire Petteri Nokelainen from Anaheim for a 6th round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Nokelainen, 24, has appeared in 50 games for the Ducks this season, recording 4-7-11 and 21 penalty minutes.
Coyotes acquire Mathieu Schneider from Vancouver for Sean Zimmerman and a conditional draft choice in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Schneider, 40, has recorded 2-3-5 and 12 penalty minutes in 17 games with the Canucks this season. Schneider is in his 21st NHL season and has appeared in 1,281 career games with Montreal, the New York Islanders, Toronto, the New York Rangers, Los Angeles, Detroit, Anaheim, Atlanta and Vancouver.
Coyotes acquire Alexandre Picard from Columbus for Chad Kolarik. Picard will report to San Antonio (AHL).
Coyotes acquire Miika Wiikman and a 7th round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft for Anders Eriksson. Wiikman will report to San Antonio (AHL).
The Phoenix Coyotes concluded a busy NHL trade deadline day by acquiring its fourth player, Toronto forward Lee Stempniak for a fourth and sixth round pick.
Stempniak is 14-16-30 and a -15 on the season, while failing to live up to expectations while playing a major role in Toronto. Of his 30 points, seven came in two games and he only has three points in his last 13 games.
He had a career-high 27 goals in 2006-07 but has 27 goals in 154 games since then.
The 27-year-old Stempniak will be joining his third team in five NHL seasons. The Buffalo, NY., native was drafted in the fifth round (148th overall) by the St. Louis Blues in 2003.
Stempniak will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
In all the Coyotes added defensemen Derek Morris and Mathieu Schneider and forwards Wojtek Wolski and Stempniak. They moved Peter Mueller, Kevin Porter a minor league defenseman, two fourth round picks, a conditional sixth and a seventh.
The Phoenix Coyotes continued to be the most active team during the NHL trade deadline day by adding more depth on the blueline with the addition of Vancouver Canucks defenseman Mathieu Schneider for defensive prospect Sean Zimmerman and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2010.
Schneider, 40, was one of the most talented offensive defensemen in the NHL during his prime and still adds skill on the power play despite being on the tail end of his career.
The Manhattan, New York native brings extensive playoff experience as he has played in 111 postseason games and own a Stanley cup with Montreal in 1993. The two-time all star has also played in three Olympics, so he has plenty of big-game experience.
Schneider had just 5 points in 17 games with the Canucks, and had been playing for their AHL team, the Manitoba Moose, since clearing waivers Jan. 2. In eight AHL games, he had 3 goals and 5 points. In 1281 career NHL games, Schneider has 739 points on 223 goals and 516 assists. He also has 100 career power-play goals.
Schneider was signed by Vancouver to a one-year deal for $1.5 million, so the Coyotes are not making a major financial commitment with this addition.
The Coyotes mark the 10th NHL team Schneider has played for during his 21-year career.
Zimmerman, 22, has appeared in 54 games with San Antonio (AHL) this season, recording 2-5-7 and 75 PIM. In 163 career AHL games with Albany, Lowell and San Antonio, Zimmerman has collected 4-11-15 and 158 PIM.
Phoenix reacquired Boston defenseman Derek Morris and Colorado forward Wojtek Wolski earlier in the day.
The Phoenix Coyotes not only recognized their need for scoring, they did something about it during the NHL trade Deadline by acquiring Colorado forward Wojtek Wolski for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter.
The Coyotes need for scoring existed all season, but was elevated when leading goal scorer Scottie Upshall went down with a knee injury (torn ACL).
Wolski will fill that void as well as provide an added scoring threat on the Coyotes power play which has struggled during their current stretch which has seen the team lose three straight. he is also very strong on shootouts as he is among the leaders in conversion percentage.
Wolski joins the Coyotes with 47 points in 62 games with 17 goals and 30 assists and is a +15. He will be tied with Shane Doan for the Coyotes team lead in scoring with similar numbers.
“Wojtek Wolski is a terrific young offensive player,” said Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney in a press release. “He is a talented goal scorer that will help us offensively and on the power play. He has great size and is just entering the prime of his career.”
Mueller has had a similar career path to Wolski. Mueller was drafted 8th overall in 2006 and Wolski was selected 21st overall in 2004. Both scored 22 goals during their rookie season. Mueller seems to have lost some of his fire, a claim that could be placed on Wolski following his rookie season, but the Poland native has shed that image since then although he hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations of a first-round pick.
Mueller, 21, has appeared in 54 games with the Coyotes this season, recording 4-13-17 and eight PIM. In 207 career NHL games with the Coyotes, the 6-foot-2, 204-pound Mueller has registered 39-68-107 and 64 PIM. As a rookie in 2007-08, Mueller collected 22-32-54 and 32 PIM in 81 games, all of which remain career-highs.
Wolski is a restricted free agent at the end of the season, so Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney has two months to get a close look at him to decide if he wants to resign the talented forward.
Kevin Porter hasn’t found his way in the NHL since being drafted in 2004 out of the University of Michigan where he was a contender for the Hobey Baker Award. Porter, 23, has played in four games with the Coyotes this season and has also registered 15-25-40 and 31 PIM in 52 games with San Antonio of the American Hockey League (AHL). The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Porter recorded 5-5-10 and four PIM in 34 games as a rookie with the Coyotes last season while also collecting 13-22-35 and 14 PIM in 42 games with San Antonio.
This move follows the reacquisition of defenseman Derek Morris earlier in the day. Maloney has addressed both of the Coyotes primary needs without giving up too many “assets” as he calls his players.
Wolski will immediately have his new loyalty tested as the Coyotes play Colorado Thursday night.
The Phoenix Coyotes made the first move during the NHL trade deadline day by reacquiring defenseman Derek Morris from the Boston Bruins for a fourth-round draft pick in 2011.
Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney said he wanted to add depth on the blueline without giving up a lot and this deal accomplishes that goal.
“We are very excited to have brought Derek Morris back to the Coyotes organization,” said Maloney in a press release. “Derek is a talented, versatile defenseman who will strengthen our blueline. His leadership and tenacity will be welcomed in our dressing room.”
Morris, 31, has recorded 3-22-25 and 26 penalty minutes (PIM) in 58 games with the Bruins this season. Prior to this season, Morris spent parts of five seasons (2004-2009) as a member of the Coyotes before being traded to the New York Rangers on Mar. 4, 2009 in exchange for Petr Prucha, Nigel Dawes and Dmitri Kalinin. Morris finished the 2008-09 regular season with 5-15-20 and 40 PIM in 75 total games with the Coyotes and Rangers. He also appeared in seven playoff games with the Rangers and collected two assists.
During his tenure with the Coyotes, Morris registered 25-68-93 and 278 PIM in 288 games. He recorded at least 25 points in each of his three full seasons with Phoenix and appeared in all 82 games during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns. He ranked 2nd on the Coyotes in plus/minus (+8) and average ice time (21:42) during the 2007-08 season while recording 8-17-25. In 2006-07, the 6-foot, 221-pound Morris collected 6-19-25 to rank tied second among Coyote defensemen while his 115 PIM marked a career-high. Morris also served as an alternate captain with the Coyotes and was the recipient of the Club’s Man of the Year and Booster Club Awards following the 2007-08 season. He was originally acquired by the Coyotes on Mar. 9, 2004.
Morris spent part of five seasons with the Coyotes before he was traded at the deadline to the New York Rangers in 2008.
The Coyotes have two first-round picks in this year’s draft and are also in need of more offense so another trade is possible prior to the NHL trade deadline, which is 1 p.m. today Arizona time.
For the second time in a month, a Doan was the victim of an Olympic snub by Canada.
Speedskater Catriona LeMay Doan was one of four Canadians selected to light an Olympic cauldron during the Opening Ceremonies Friday night in Vancouver. However, one of the lighting stands didn’t deploy, meaning someone would be left out. Fellow Canadians Wayne Gretzky, Steve Nash and skier Nancy Greene participated. Doan was out of luck.
This comes on the heels of her cousin, Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan, being a surprising omission from the Team Canada roster despite a long and successful track record in international hockey tournaments.
On Tuesday, the Phoenix Coyotes officially announced what MVP Today announced nearly a month ago regarding the team being among an unprecedented six NHL teams that will open the 2010-11 NHL regular season in Europe.
The Coyotes join the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks as team that will participate in the 2010 Compuware NHL Premiere and NHL Face-Off. This marks the fourth consecutive season the NHL will begin the regular-season with games contested overseas.
The Coyotes will play two games against the Bruins at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, on Saturday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 10. The Coyotes’ current roster boasts Czech Olympian Zbynek Michalek and countrymen Petr Prucha, Martin Hanzal, Robert Lang and Radim Vrbata.
The Coyotes franchise, then the Winnipeg Jets, last traveled to Europe for a preseason tournament against Finnish club teams in September 1994.
The prospect of playing overseas is met by different responses depending on the franchise. For the Phoenix Coyotes, the opportunity is a way to account for one home game during the early part of the season when the club struggles to draw a large home crowd even during the best of times. Plus, if Ice Edge Holdings is successful in purchasing the club and their idea of playing five regular-season games in Saskatoon is accepted by the NHL Board of Governors, then the Coyotes will have six less midweek home games to play in front of sparse crowds.
“The Premiere Games are a highly anticipated part of our season launch, and we are extremely pleased that six teams – more than ever – will open their season in Europe,” said Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner. “With these games, nearly half of our Clubs will have participated in Premiere – a testament to how excited our teams are to be playing before our outstanding fans in Europe.”
The NHL opened the 2008-09 regular season in Europe in front of capacity crowds when the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning played two games in Prague and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators squared off in a two-game set in Stockholm. The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings opened the 2007-08 NHL regular season in front of two sellout crowds at O2 Arena in London.
More information on 2010 Compuware NHL Premiere will be released at a later date, including ticket information, broadcast information, training camp schedules and preseason schedules.
With the red hot Phoenix Coyotes riding a five-game winning streak and making a move towards the top of the NHL’s Western Conference playoff race, the team is the talk of the league and interest among Valley sports fans is growing rapidly. Nowhere is the attention reflected more than with their increased television ratings on FOX Sports Arizona.
According to Nielsen Media Research, ratings for Phoenix Coyotes telecasts on FOX Sports Arizona are up 50% over their ratings for last season. Additionally, ratings for the network’s “Qwest Coyotes Live” pre-game show are up 90% over last year’s average, while ratings for the “Qwest Coyotes Live” post-game show are enjoying a 60% increase this season.
The Coyotes (34-18-5/73 pts) will go for their sixth win in a row Friday on FOX Sports Arizona when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks (37-14-4/78 pts) in a battle between two teams vying for the top spot in the NHL’s Western Conference. The network’s coverage starts at 6:30 p.m. from Chicago.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix 1-0 shootout victory over the Nashville Predators at Sommet Center Tuesday night.
Adrian Aucoin scored in the 10th round of the shootout to break a 1-1 tie in the extra session and give Phoenix two points in the second game of this four-game road trip.
Phoenix (34-18-5) has now won five straight and had a strong hold on the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
Ilya Bryzgalov made 25 saves for his sixth shutout and 30th victory of the season. Both are career highs.
The Coyotes return to the ice on Friday when they travel to Chicago to take on the Black Hawks.
The National Hockey League announced today that Phoenix Coyotes Captain Shane Doan has been named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Jan. 31. Ottawa Senators goaltender Brian Elliot was named the second star while Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom was named the third star.
Doan led all NHL scorers last week with nine points on three goals and six assists, as well as a +5 rating, to help the Coyotes (33-18-5) win four consecutive games and climb to fourth place in the Western Conference standings. Doan tallied three assists, including two in the final 1:30 of regulation to force overtime, and notched the game-winning goal in the extra period of a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday, Jan. 26. He recorded one assist in a 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday, Jan. 28, then scored a goal in a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday, Jan. 30. The following day, Doan registered a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars.
The Coyotes’ win over Dallas yesterday marked their 33rd win of the season in the 56th game, the fastest they have reached that total in the 30-year history of the franchise.
For the season, Doan leads the Coyotes in scoring with 17-26-43 and has tallied 15 points (5-10-15) in the last eight games, during which the Coyotes have gone 6-2-0. The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Doan is on pace to lead the Coyotes in scoring for a sixth straight campaign and reach the 20-goal mark for a 10th consecutive season, which would be a franchise record.
The Coyotes return to action at 6 p.m. Arizona time tomorrow when they play at the Nashville Predators and will look to extend their four-game winning streak. The game will be broadcast on FOX Sports Arizona (HD) and XTRA Sports 910.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 4-2 victory over the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Sunday afternoon; their second victory in less than 24 hours and fourth in a row.
Phoenix hit the road for a day game immediately after an emotional 3-2 home victory over the New York Rangers on a night where former defenseman Teppo Numminen was inducted into the Ring of Honor.
The Coyotes shook off any jet lag or tired legs as they opened a 201 lead early in the second period on goals by Keith Yandle and the suddenly rejuvenated Peter Mueller.
Fabrian Brunnstrom pulled Dallas to within 3-2 midway through the third period, but Shane Doan scored 11 seconds later to reestablish the Coyotes two-goal lead.
Mueller and Doan each finished with a goal and two assists.
Ilya Bryzgalov made 38 saves to earn the victory.
Phoenix returns to the ice on Tuesday when they travel to Nashville to take on the Predators as they open a season-high six-game road trip.
Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that Coyotes forward Scottie Upshall will be out of the lineup indefinitely after sustaining an injury to his right knee during the team’s game versus the Calgary Flames on Jan. 28.
A follow-up evaluation and MRI by the Club’s medical staff confirmed a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). An ACL surgical procedure is expected to be scheduled.
Upshall, 26, recorded 18-14-32 and 50 penalty minutes (PIM) 49 games for the Coyotes this season. His 18 goals currently lead the team and represent his career-high for goals in a single season.
Upshall, who was acquired from Philadelphia with a second round choice in the 2011 Entry Draft for Daniel Carcillo on Mar. 4, 2009, has recorded 26-19-45 and 76 PIM in 68 games since joining the Coyotes. In 279 career NHL games with Nashville, Philadelphia and Phoenix, the 6-foot, 193-pound Upshall has registered 64-74-138 and 273 PIM. Upshall also earned a silver medal while representing Canada at the 2009 World Championship in Switzerland. A native of Fort McMurray, Alberta, he was originally selected by Nashville in the first round (6th overall) of the 2002 Entry Draft.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers in front of a near sellout crowd at Jobing.com arena Saturday night.
The Coyotes won their third consecutive game but the story of the night was the induction of former defenseman Teppo Numminen into the Ring of Honor. Numminen played 15 years with the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes organization and had his 27 retired, where it hangs with fellow inductees Bobby Hull, Thomas Steen and Dale Hawerchuk.
Phoenix led 3-0 until midway through the third period when Marian Gaborik and Sean Avery scored to pull the Rangers to within one. Backup goaltender Jason Labarbera held strong as he picked up his first victory in a month.
Shane Doan, Mikkel Boedker and Sami Lepisto all scored for Phoenix.
The Coyotes return to the ice Sunday afternoon when they travel to Dallas to take on the Stars.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 shootout victory over the Calgary Flames at Jobing.com Arena Thursday night.
With the win, Phoenix moved into fourth place in the Western Conference while handing Calgary a franchise-record tying ninth consecutive loss.
Keith Yandle and Shane Doan scored second-period goals as Phoenix opened a 2-0 lead.
Mikael Backlund scored a beautiful goal 8:15 into the third to tie the game.
Robert Lang scored the only goal of the shootout to secure the Coyotes victory.
The Coyotes return to the ice on Saturday when they host the New York Rangers. Former defenseman Teppo Numinen will be inducted into the franchise’s Ring of Honor before the game.
Shane Doan scores the game winning goal in overtime.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes amazing 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena Tuesday night.
Shane Doan scored 3:50 into overtime to seal the win after the Coyotes scored twice in the last 90 seconds after pulling their goalie. Doan also had three assists.
Ed Jovanovski scored the second 6-on-4 goal with 22 seconds remaining to tie the game.
Phoenix (30-18-5) returns to the ice on Thursday when they host the Calgary Flames.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators at Jobing.com Arena Thursday night.
With the win, Phoenix improved to 29-17-5, but more importantly the Coyotes have 63 points, which is good for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Phoenix entered the game tied with Nashville in points.
Scottie Upshall was the offensive star for Phoenix as he scored a natural hat trick in the third period to put the game away.
This was Upshall’s first career hat trick as he now has a career-high 17 goals this season.
The Coyotes closed out their season-high six-game homestand taking seven of a possible 12 points after finishing 3-2-1.
Head Coach Dave Tippett secured his 300th career coaching victory.
Phoenix returns to the ice Saturday night when they travel to Washington to take on Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals.
The Phoenix Coyotes had one of their worst outings of the season in their 7-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at Jobing.com Arena Monday afternoon. Watch video highlights from the game.
Jason Pominville had two goals and an assist while Thomas Vanek had a goal and two assists for Buffalo.
Ilya Bryzgalov allowed three goals in the first 4:01 of the game. he was replaced by Jason Labarbera for the second time in seven games.
Shane Doan and Radim Vrbata scored for Phoenix.
Phoenix (28-17-5) is now 2-2-1 during its season-high six-game homestand which wraps up Thursday when the Coyotes host the Nashville Predators.
The Phoenix Coyotes entered the third period of its game against the Minnesota Wild leading 2-1, in a tight defensive battle that was expected. Then, all chaos ensued for the third period.
Phoenix scored three goals to open a 5-1 lead nearly halfway through the third period. With reliable goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov in goal, the four-goal lead appeared to be a precursor the a Coyotes victory.
The Wild had other thoughts and battled back with three goals in a four-minute span. Guillaume Latendresse’s third goal of the game with 5:17 to pulled the visitors to within one at 5-4.
Tension ensued until Radim Vrbata notched his 14th of the season with one minute remaining to secure the victory.
After combining for three goals in the first two periods, the teams scored seven goals in the third period alone.
Petr Prucha led the Coyotes offense with two goals and an assist.
Defenseman Ed Jovanovski returned from a two-game suspension and had four assists.
Phoenix (28-16-5) has won two straight. The Yotes return to the ice Monday when they host the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth game of their season-high six-game homestand.
The Boston Globe reports that the Phoenix Coyotes will play the Boston Bruins in Prague of the Czech Republic next season as part of annual practice that will see six teams open the 2010-11 NHL season in Europe.
Rumblings first emerged in November about this possibility. The other teams reportedly heading to Europe are Columbus, Minnesota, San Jose and Carolina. The six teams is up from four teams in previous seasons.
The NHL has opened the regular season in Europe for the last three years and in 2009 opened with four games in Europe as the Detroit Red Wings played the St. Louis Blues in Stockholm, Sweden and the Chicago Blackhawks played the Florida Panthers in Helsinki, Finland.
The prospect of playing overseas is met by different responses depending on the franchise. For the Phoenix Coyotes, the opportunity is a way to account for one home game during the early part of the season when the club struggles to draw a large home crowd even during the best of times. Plus, if Ice Edge Holdings is successful in purchasing the club and their idea of playing five regular-season games in Saskatoon is accepted by the NHL Board of Governors, then the Coyotes will have six less midweek home games to play in front of sparse crowds.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks at Jobing.com Arena Tuesday night.
This was the Coyotes first loss in regulation in five games against the Sharks this season (2-1-1) and the first not decided by one goal.
Radim Vrbata’s goal with 8:10 remaining in the game was teh Coyotes lone goal.
Phoenix (26-16-5) has dropped its last three and will return to the ice Thursday when it hosts New Jersey in the third game of its season-high, six-game home stand.
The man in charge of the NHL’s best story is the latest Arizona sports celebrity profiled by FOX Sports Arizona’s popular In My Own Words series when In My Own Words – Dave Tippett premieres on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at 6 p.m.
This half-hour biography program airs before the network’s coverage of that night’s Phoenix Coyotes/San Jose Sharks game. The first-year Phoenix Coyotes head coach sits down with FOX Sports Arizona’s Todd Walsh for a wide-ranging conversation that chronicles the life of this humble and intellectual man, while also touching on his NHL playing career, how motorcycles help provide an escape from the pressures of coaching, a childhood spent as an internationally renowned soccer player and his plan to turn the Coyotes into one of hockey’s best teams.
Former Phoenix Coyotes goaltender and future Hall of Famer Curtis Joseph will announce his retirement from the NHL at a press conference at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre Tuesday.
The 42-year-old Joseph hasn’t played this season after appearing in 21 games with the Maple Leafs last season. He is fourth on the all-time wins list with 445 and was a three-time nominee for the Vezina Trophy, finishing second in the voting in 1999 and 2000.
Cujo, as he was better known, played 115 games with the Phoenix Coyotes from 2005-07. He posted a 50-52-5 record with a 3.03 goals against average. On October 28, 2005, he won his 400th NHL game. On March 28, 2006, he posted his 424th career win, thereby moving into sixth place on the NHL’s all-time list.
Joseph is the winningest goaltender in NHL history to never win the Stanley Cup.
Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski has been suspended two games by the NHL for an elbow to the head of New York Islanders forward John Tavares.
The suspension was announced Monday and is Jovanovski’s second of the season. Jovanovski was hit with a major and game misconduct for the elbow, which occurred late in the first period. This is Jovanovski’s second suspension of the season as he sat out two game in early December.
Jovanovski will miss Phoenix’s games against San Jose on Tuesday night and New Jersey on Thursday night. He will be eligible to return against Minnesota on Saturday night.
Phoenix Coyotes President and Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss announced that the organization will induct former Winnipeg Jets and Coyotes defenseman Teppo Numminen (#27) into the club’s Ring of Honor on Saturday, Jan. 30 in a pre-game ceremony before the Coyotes game versus the New York Rangers at Jobing.com Arena.
Numminen will join Dale Hawerchuk (#10), Bobby Hull (#9) and Thomas Steen (#25) as the only players to be inducted into the Coyotes’ Ring of Honor.
Edit note: MVP Magazine suggested in its October issue that a great way for the Phoenix Coyotes to create excitement and larger crowds for a couple of games was to honor former players Teppo Numminen and Jeremy Roenick during this season. It’s great to see the franchise is in fact doing that with Numminen, who was once voted the sexiest man in his native Finland. Hopefully the popular JR is next.
Numminen was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the second round (29th overall) of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play 15 seasons (1988-2003) with the organization, including eight in Winnipeg and seven with the Coyotes, moving to Phoenix with the team in 1996. Numminen appeared in a franchise record 1,098 games with the Jets and Coyotes, recording 108 goals, 426 assists and 534 points. He ranks as the Jets/Coyotes’ all-time leader in goals, assists and points among defensemen, as well as 3rd overall in assists, 5th in points and 9th in game-winning goals (19). Numminen also represented the Coyotes in three NHL All-Star Games (1999, 2000, 2001).
In addition to being a great player, Numminen was well-respected throughout the League and a leader both on and off the ice. He served as captain of the Coyotes during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 campaigns, making him the last Coyotes player to wear the “C” prior to Shane Doan.
“Teppo Numminen was a true professional and a player I looked up to my entire career,” said Doan. “He played the game with a quiet confidence and at an elite level consistently during his career while always displaying his incredible shot. This is a tremendous honor for him and I am proud to have been his teammate and his friend.”
Following his tenure with the Jets and Coyotes, Numminen played one season with the Dallas Stars (2003-04) and four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres (2005-09). In 20 total NHL seasons, the native of Tampere, Finland registered 117 goals and 520 assists for 637 points in 1,372 games. His 1,372 games are the most ever by a European-trained NHL player. He also appeared in 82 career playoff games, recording 9-14-23, as his teams made the postseason in 12 of his 20 seasons. After qualifying for the playoffs in nine of his 15 seasons with the Jets/Coyotes, Numminen led Dallas to the 2004 Playoffs before helping guide Buffalo to back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals (2006 and 2007). He was also a member of Buffalo’s Presidents Trophy-winning team in 2006-07.
Numminen’s dedication to the game of hockey was evident during the 2007-08 season. After undergoing open-heart surgery in Sept. 2007, Numminen courageously returned to the Sabres to play in the final game of the season in April of 2008. He went on to play one more season with the Sabres before retiring from the NHL on Aug. 5, 2009.
In addition to his success in the NHL, Numminen also enjoyed a standout international hockey career. He represented Finland in four Olympics (1988, 1998, 2002, 2006), one World Junior Championship (1988), five World Championships (1987, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997) and two World Cups of Hockey (1996, 2004). Numminen earned six total medals in international competition, earning silver medals in the 1988 and 2006 Olympics, 2004 World Cup of Hockey and 1994 World Championship, and bronze medals in the 1998 Olympics and 1988 World Junior Championship.
The National Hockey League announced Monday that Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is one of its “Three Stars” for the month of December.
Bryzgalov posted an 8-2-3 record with a 1.82 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and two shutouts, helping the Coyotes finish the month in second place in the Pacific Division and fourth in the Western Conference. Bryzgalov allowed two or fewer goals in 10 of 13 starts and ranks among NHL goaltending leaders in shutouts (T-first, five), goals-against average (third, 2.03), save percentage (fourth, .927) and victories (T-fourth, 22-11-4).
The Coyotes netminder was also named one of the NHL’s three stars in October and has twice been named an NHL Player of the Week. He was also named to the Russian Olympic team last week.
Phoenix (25-14-4) return to the ice Tuesday when it opens a two-game road trip in Edmonton to take on the Oilers.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes before a sellout crowd at Jobing.com Arena Saturday night.
The game marked the second sellout of the season for Phoenix as 17,125 watch Phoenix lose its first home game in regulation since Nov. 16. The Coyotes last sellout was on opening night which they lost to Columbus.
Tomas Holmstrom led Detroit with two goals.
A Matthew Lombardi goal 4:58 into the second period tied the game at one. Detroit scored the next three goals with the final one and empty-net goal.
Phoenix, which has just one win in its last four games (1-1-2), returns to the ice Tuesday when it opens a two game road trip in Edmonton.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks at Jobing.com Arena Thursday night.
Ryan Clowe scored the only goal of the shootout in the sixth round to secure the Sharks seventh consecutive victory and end the Coyotes franchise-record 10-game home winning streak.
The second-place Coyotes are now five points behind the first place Sharks in the Pacific Division.
If this all sounds eerily familiar, that is because San Jose beat the Coyotes by the same score in a shootout on Monday.
Phoenix (25-13-4) led 2-1 after two on second period goals by Scottie Upshall and Taylor Pyatt.
Dan Boyle scored the tying goal 5:26 into the third on the power play.
Despite the loss, the Coyotes haven’t loss in regulation in their last seven games (4-0-2) and have participated in a shootout in their last three games.
All four games against San Jose this season have been decided by a goal, with three of them going to the shootout. San Jose has won two of them.
The Coyotes return to the ice on Saturday when they host Detroit, ending a stretch where they played six out of seven games at home.
Phoenix Coyotes defensemen Zbynek Michalek (Czech Republic) and Sami Lepisto (Finland) will each represent his country in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver in February. Coyotes Captain Shane Doan was not selected to play for Team Canada.
Michalek, 27, will be appearing in the Olympics for the first time. He represented the Czech Republic at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship in 2006, 2007 and 2008, winning a silver medal in 2006.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Michalek has recorded 2-7-9 and 10 penalty minutes (PIM) in 32 games with the Coyotes this season. He also ranks second on the team in average ice time (23:17) and plus/minus (+10) and is in his first season as an alternate captain for the Coyotes. Last season, Michalek, a native of Jindrichuv Hradec, Czech Republic, led the NHL in blocked shots with 271 while appearing in all 82 games and collecting 6-21-27 and 28 PIM. Michalek played in all 82 games in three of his first four full NHL seasons.
Michalek, now in his fifth season with the Coyotes, has appeared in 375 career NHL games with Minnesota and Phoenix, recording 26-81-107 and 172 PIM. He also played parts of three seasons with Houston of the American Hockey League (AHL) where he was a member of the 2003 Calder Cup Championship team. Michalek was acquired by the Coyotes from Minnesota in exchange for Erik Westrum and Dustin Wood on Aug. 26, 2005.
Lepisto, 25, will also be participating in the Olympics for the first time. He represented Finland at the 2004 IIHF World Junior Championship where he was named the tournament’s Best Defensemen while leading Finland to a bronze medal. He also played for Finland at the 2008 IIHF World Championship.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Lepisto has registered five assists and 28 PIM in 35 games with the Coyotes this season, all of which are career-highs. Last season, Lepisto recorded four assists in seven games with the Washington Capitals. He also appeared in 70 games with Hershey of the AHL where he registered 4-38-42 to lead all Hershey defensemen in scoring. His 42 points ranked T-11th among all AHL defensemen.
In 49 career NHL games with Washington and Phoenix, Lepisto has registered 10 assists and 46 PIM. Prior to coming to North America for the 2007-08 season, Lepisto played four seasons of professional hockey in Finland for Jokerit. Lepisto was originally selected by Washington in the third round (66th overall) of the 2004 Entry Draft and was acquired by the Coyotes from the Capitals in exchange for a fifth-round draft choice in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
The pair join Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov as Olympians as he was named to the Russian team earlier in the week.
Doan was a surprise omission as he has been a mainstay for Canada during international competition. Doan was a member of the 2006 Olympic team and went 2-1-3 in six games. He also played for Canada on six World Championship teams and served as a captain on many of the teams. Doan also played in the 2004 World Cup.
It appears Doan was a victim of two circumstances. First, Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman selected eight centers among his 13 forwards from a very talented pool of players. Many centers can also play on the wing, which offers more flexibility up front. The only right wings selected were Rick Nash and Jerome Iginla and Doan is not in their class.
Also, Doan has not put up the same numbers this season as the Coyotes play a more defensive style and have limited talent to pair with Doan, so he was a bit of a victim of the low payroll budget the bankrupt Coyotes put in place for the season. Two surprises to the team are Eric Staal and Patrice Bergeron. Staal is still riding the reputation of his second season when he scored 100 points and Bergeron is a hot hand having scored at a point-per-game clip during the last month. With that said, Doan’s 26 points in 41 games this season doesn’t warrant his replacing Staal or Bergeron.
While Doan is probably disappointed by the snub, the Coyotes are likely privately pleased their leader will have two weeks of rest for the stretch run as they are poised for a high seed in the postseason.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 shootout victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Jobing.com Arena Tuesday night. With the win, Phoenix established a new record with its 10th consecutive home victory.
The previous record for longest home winning streak in Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets franchise history was nine games, accomplished during the 1992-93 season in Winnipeg. The Jets won nine consecutive home games from Dec. 27, 1992 to Jan. 23, 1993.
The current 10-game home winning streak began with a 3-1 home victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 21. With tonight’s win, the Coyotes moved to 16-5-0 through 21 home games this season at Jobing.com Arena.
Phoenix (25-13-3) also set a new franchise record for the most wins after 41 games, the midpoint of the regular season. The team has been on a roll for more than a month. In addition to currently owning a 4-0-1 streak, the Coyotes have posted a record of 12-2-2 over the last 16 games and 14-4-3 over the last 21 games.
Jason Labarbera made 28 saves and stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout.
Ed Jovanovski and Petr Prucha scored during regulation. Lauri Korpikoski scored the lone goal in the shootout.
Phoenix returns to the ice Thursday night when they host the San Jose Sharks.
The Phoenix Coyotes and Coyotes Charities will auction off special-edition New Year’s Coyotes jerseys for each player on the team through NHL.com.
The Coyotes are taking a page out of minor league hockey as special limited edition jerseys that are later auctioned off are extremely popular. The only difference is the minor leagues are more relaxed with allowing the teams to also wear the jerseys so they are auctioning off game-worn jerseys, whereas the Coyotes don’t have that freedom from the NHL.
Each Coyotes player will autograph a one-of-a-kind New Year’s jersey with his name and number on the back. The jerseys will then be available for bidding on NHL.com beginning at 12 noon Thursday, Dec. 31. The auction ends at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
Proceeds from the auction will benefit Coyotes Charities, which is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life throughout Arizona communities by supporting non-profit organizations that promote healthcare, education, cultural arts and sports-related programs for children.
The Phoenix Coyotes continue to show they are among the best teams in the NHL despite losing 3-2 in a shootout to the first-place San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion Monday night.
Despite the defeat, Phoenix (24-14-3) has lost only once in regulation in its last 14 games and sit in second-place in the Pacific Division.
The game featured a tremendous battle between the two goaltenders for the Russian Olympic team, Evgeni Nabokov (31 saves) for San Jose and the Coyotes netminder Ilya Bryzgalov (35 saves).
San Jose owned a 2-0 lead before Phoenix struck back for a pair in the second period to tie the game.
Shane Doan and Matthew Lombardi scored for the Coyotes, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.
Phoenix returns to the ice Tuesday night when they host the Vancouver Canucks to open a three-game home stand.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings for Shane Doan night at Jobing.com Arena Saturday night.
Keith Yandle’s sixth goal of the season midway through the third period was the game winner. Adrian Aucoin and Martin Hanzal scored the other Coyotes goals.
The victory was important for Phoenix (24-13-2) as they kept the Kings from leapfrogging them back into second place in the Pacific Division. The Coyotes also strengthened their grip on the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
Kings forward Justin Williams left the ice on a stretcher in the first period with an ugly leg injury that is initially being diagnosed as a knee injury.
Phoenix is 11-2-1 in its last 13 games and will return to the ice on Monday when they travel to San Jose to take on the Sharks.
A pre-game ceremony was held in honor of captain Shane Doan who played his 1,000th career NHL game, all with the Winnipeg/Phoenix franchise, on Dec. 19.
Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was among the 23 players named to the Russian Olympic team for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
This will be the third time Bryzgalov has represented Russia in the Olympics. The 29-year-old was also a member of Russia’s 2006 Olympic squad in Torino, Italy and its 2002 Olympic team in Salt Lake City, where he won a bronze medal. In addition, Bryzgalov helped lead his country to the gold medal at the 2009 IIHF World Championship this summer by posting a record of 7-0 with a 2.08 goals against average (GAA) and a .929 save percentage ( SV%) for the tournament. In addition to the 2009 World Championship and 2006 and 2002 Olympics, Bryzgalov has also represented Russia at the 2004 World Cup and both the 2000 World Junior Championship and World Championship.
Bryzgalov has appeared in 33 games with the Coyotes this season and has posted a record of 21-10-2 with a 2.08 GAA, a .926 SV% and an NHL-leading five shutouts, which is a new career-high for the netminder. Bryzgalov also ranks 3rd among NHL goalies in GAA, T-3rd in wins and 5th in SV% and earlier this season became the quickest goalie to reach 20 wins (32 games) in franchise history. He was also named the NHL’s Third Star for the month of October.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Bryzgalov was claimed off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 17, 2007 and has since appeared in 153 games with the Coyotes, posting a record of 73-63-13 with a 2.57 GAA, a .915 SV% and 11 shutouts. In 222 career NHL games with the Coyotes and Ducks, Bryzgalov is 99-86-21 with a 2.55 GAA, a .914 SV% and 13 shutouts. He was also a member of Anaheim’s 2007 Stanley Cup Championship team.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 4-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at Jobing.com Arena Wednesday night.
Ilya Bryzgalov made 21 saves for his league-leading fifth shutout of the season.
Scottie Upshall had another goal, giving him three goals and three assists in the last three games.
The victory extended the Coyotes home winning streak to eight; their longest since 2002.
The Coyotes also remain the hottest team in the NHL as they are now 10-2-1 in their last 13 games. The streak has moved them to the fourth seed in the Western Conference, the highest a team can be without leading their division.
Phoenix (23-13-2) leapfrogged Los Angeles into second place in the Pacific Division. They will host the Kings when they returns to the ice on Saturday to close out a three-game homestand. They are also in the midst of a stretch where the Coyotes play six of seven games at home.
Phoenix Coyotes prospects Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Sweden) and Mike Lee (United States) will each represent his country in the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship, which will be played Dec. 26, 2009 to Jan. 5, 2010 in Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan.
Ekman-Larsson, an 18-year-old defenseman, was drafted by the Coyotes with the sixth overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. In 25 games this season with Leksand of Sweden’s second-highest professional league (Sweden-2) , Ekman-Larsson has recorded 6-7-13 and 70 penalty minutes (PIM). Last season, he appeared in 39 games with Leksand as a 17-year-old, where he recorded 3-14-17 and 32 PIM. As the youngest player on his team, Ekman-Larsson also led the league with a +44 rating. The 6-foot-2, 176-pound native of Karlskrona, Sweden represented Team Sweden at the 2009 Under-18 World Championship, collecting 2-6-8 in six games, helping Sweden to a fifth place finish.
Lee, a 19-year-old goaltender, was drafted by the Coyotes in the third round (91st overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. As a freshman at St. Cloud State this season, Lee has posted a record of 4-5-3 with a 2.63 goals against average (GAA) and a .909 save percentage (SV%) in 12 games. Lee posted a record of 26-15-4 with a 2.40 GAA, a .918 SV% and three shutouts in 48 games with the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League (USHL) last season while being named 2008-09 USHL Goaltender of the Year. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound native of Roseau, Minnesota was also named to the 2008-09 USHL All-Rookie Team and played in the 2009 USHL All-Star Game. In addition, Lee was named Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year by USA Hockey.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Jobing.com Arena Monday night.
With the win, Phoenix has now won three of its last four games and are 9-2-1 in its last 12 games. The Coyotes have also won seven consecutive games at home which is timely considering Monday’s matchup opened a stretch where they play six of seven games at home.
Scottie Upshall had two goals and two assists.
Shane Doan and Matthew Lombardi each had a goal and two assists.
Phoenix Coyotes President & Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss announced Friday that the Coyotes will hold a special pre-game ceremony prior to the team’s 7 p.m. home game on Saturday, Dec. 26 against the Los Angeles Kings to honor Captain Shane Doan, who played the 1,000th regular season National Hockey League game of his career Thursday night in Columbus.
Doan, 33, became just the second player in franchise history to appear in 1,000 games with the organization, joining retired defenseman Teppo Numminen, who holds the Club record with 1,098 games played. Doan also became the 24th player in NHL history to play 1,000 games for the team that drafted him and the 42nd player to appear in 1,000 games with one franchise.
Doan, now in his sixth season as captain of the Coyotes, has spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the organization. After being selected by Winnipeg with the seventh overall pick in the 1995 Entry Draft, Doan made his NHL debut with the Jets on Oct. 7, 1995 as an 18-year-old. Since then, he has become one of the most prolific players in team history and currently ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in goals (3rd, 265), points (3rd, 642) and assists (4th, 377).
What they’re saying about Shane Doan:
President & Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss:
“The entire Coyotes organization is extremely proud of Shane for reaching this wonderful milestone. To play 1,000 games in the NHL, let alone playing them all with the same franchise, is an impressive accomplishment. Through it all, Shane has represented the Coyotes with class and dignity, and we could not ask for a better person to represent our organization.”
General Manager Don Maloney:
“If you were to build a hockey player to represent your franchise on and off the ice, you would be wise to use Shane as your blueprint for that player because he plays a real courageous, honest and hard-working game every game. Playing 1,000 games in this league is a real accomplishment. I hope he plays 1,000 more.”
Head Coach Dave Tippett:
“I’ve only coached him for a third of a season, but I’ve noticed him my whole (coaching) career in the NHL. It’s such a great accomplishment for a guy to get 1,000 games, but to do it all with the same organization is phenomenal. What he has meant to this organization is something that can never be overstated.”
Defenseman and Alternate Captain Ed Jovanovski:
“It’s a great accomplishment. That’s a lot of years and a lot of games and it couldn’t happen to a better man. He’s such a genuine guy and he loves to compete. Whether things are going well for him or not, he brings the same effort every night.”
Defenseman and Alternate Captain Zbynek Michalek:
“It’s a great accomplishment, especially with one team. You don’t see that too often. I’m so happy for him. He’s done so much for the team and the organization and the city, and people love him here and respect him so much. He’s a great captain and it’s been my privilege to be on his team for a fifth season now.”
St. Louis Blues center and former Coyote Keith Tkachuk:
“He can do it all. He can kill penalties, play power play, he can fight, he can hit, he can skate, he can play against the other team’s top players and he can carry the load offensively. You just don’t find that special type of package in players anymore. I’m excited for him and his family. Congrats to the Doaner!”
Phoenix Coyotes President & Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss announced Friday that the Coyotes will hold a special pre-game ceremony prior to the team’s 7 p.m. home game on Saturday, Dec. 26 against the Los Angeles Kings to honor Captain Shane Doan, who played the 1,000th regular season National Hockey League game of his career Thursday night in Columbus.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Center Thursday night.
With the win, Phoenix is now 8-1-1 in its last ten games and has won two of three on its current four-game road trip.
Jason LaBarbera got a rare start and was excellent with 38 saves in regulation and overtime. The Coyotes won the shootout 2-1.
Keith Yandle’s fifth goal of the season came just 1:48 into the game and was the only time the Yotes lit the lamp.
The game remained 1-0 until Rick Nash tied the game with a power-play goal 8:19 into the third period.
The night was extra special as the match marked the 1,000th career game for Shane Doan, who has spent his entire career with the Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets franchise.
Doan became just the second player in franchise history to appear in 1,000 games with the organization, joining retired defenseman Teppo Numminen, who holds the club record with 1,098 games played. Doan also became the 24th player in NHL history to play 1,000 games for the team that drafted him and the 42nd player to appear in 1,000 games with one franchise.
Doan, now in his sixth season as captain of the Coyotes, has spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the organization. After being selected by Winnipeg with the seventh overall pick in the 1995 Entry Draft, Doan made his NHL debut with the Jets on Oct. 7, 1995 as an 18-year-old. Since then, he has become one of the most prolific players in team history and entered tonight’s game ranked among the franchise’s all-time leaders in goals (3rd, 265), points (3rd, 642) and assists (4th, 377). He is also the franchise’s all-time leader in game-winning goals (45) and is one of only three players in Club history, along with Dale Hawerchuk and Keith Tkachuk, to score at least 20 goals in nine consecutive seasons.
A two-time NHL All-Star, Doan has led the Coyotes in scoring each of the past five seasons. In addition, he has served as team captain for Canada in the last three IIHF World Championship tournaments, leading his squads to a gold medal (2007) and two silver medals (2008, 2009). A native of Halkirk, Alberta, Doan was also a member of the 2006 Canadian Olympic team and attended Canada’s National Men’s Team’s Orientation Camp this past August as a candidate for the 2010 Olympic team.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre Wednesday night.
The six goals ties a season high set in the opener against Los Angeles.
With the win, the Coyotes are now 7-1-1 in their last nine games. Phoenix now sits at 20-12-2 overall, which ties them for the sixth playoff seed in the Western Conference.
Petr Prucha scored two goals for Phoenix. Keith Yandle and Martin Hanzal each had three assists.
The Coyotes return to the ice for the third game of their four-game road trip Thursday night in Columbus for Shane Doan’s 1,000th career game with the Coyotes.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed the NHL Board of Governors at this week’s meetings in Pebble Beach, Calif. Here is a transcript of Bettman’s meeting with the media after Tuesday’s later-day session in Pebble Beach, Calif.
Q: On Phoenix, what did you tell them (the Board of Governors)?
A: I gave them an update as to where the process stood. There seemed to be a lot of confusion. Some of your colleagues have been calling some of the clubs and asking them how they feel about the assessments. There are no assessments. We don’t believe that ultimately it’s going to have cost us anything to have bought the club and resold it.
They understand the process that we’re going through from the sale standpoint. We talked a little bit about the letter of intent with the Ice Edge group. I think there is a better understanding. Tomorrow, we’re actually going to take them through the club’s operation and how we’re operating it, losing less than it did last year, what the sale process will look like, and a little bit of a refresher on what happened in the bankruptcy court.
There was a general overview. I gave more of an overview touching all the issues, and on some of the issues, Phoenix being one, we’ll do a deeper dive, but on the relevant issues, I raised them tonight and discussed them with the Board.
Q: Some governors were wondering about the financial viability of the Ice Edge group.
A: I spoke about it and they now have a better understanding of their economics. There are still things that have to be worked out. There are additional people that are in the group that the Board wasn’t aware of. I had heard some of those questions but some of that came because we hadn’t yet, between Friday night and today, hadn’t had an opportunity to fully brief the Board, but they now have a better understanding as to what constitutes that group.
Q: I know that your due diligence happens on every sale?
A: Not yet.
Q: But not on this one yet. When it does occur, this is a franchise that there could be a lot of money needed to keep this thing going for the first few years. Can you say that it’s even more important to be right on these guys than at any other time? That this is a real important bit of due diligence coming up?
A: We view all the due diligence to be important, but the due diligence is twofold. One is the economic structure of the deal and the capitalization of the club moving forward. And the other is the people. We will obviously want to be certain that this club either is or will be properly capitalized moving forward, but that’s not unlike what we would do with any club.
Q: As far as Ice Edge goes, you just mentioned about capitalization. Are you satisfied that these guys are going to be able to handle the operating costs, starting from when they take over the team, in future years?
A: When we get done with the process, our expectation is that we will be.
Q: Are you satisfied that these guys have assets to pay for this as opposed to just borrowed money?
A: They or the people that they’ll be involved in will have to be able to satisfy us with respect to the structure of the deal. That’s why we’re at the Letter of Intent stage and we have to get to the contractual stage. These are all fair issues and they’ll all be addressed. Although, it’s more than the four Ice Edge guys that are involved in this.
Q: What about the idea that they’d like to play some games in Saskatoon, which they were all on the record as saying over the weekend?
A: That’s something that will require further discussion and ultimately, as with the entire transaction, that’s something that the board will ultimately have to approve.
The Canadian Press reports that the Phoenix Coyotes are among the six teams that will being the 2010-11 NHL season in Europe.
Rumblings first came out a few weeks ago about this possibility, but the report was confirmed by a league source at the NHL Board of Governors meetings which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday in Pebble Beach, Calif. The other teams reportedly heading to Europe are Columbus, Boston, Minnesota, San Jose and Carolina, which is up from four teams in previous seasons.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed six teams will play six games in Europe to open the 2010-11 NHL regular season but he wouldn’t identify the teams. He also said three likely sites for the games are Prague, Stockholm and Helsinki.
The NHL has opened the regular season in Europe for the last three years and in 2009 opened with four games in Europe as the Detroit Red Wings played the St. Louis Blues in Stockholm, Sweden and the Chicago Blackhawks played the Florida Panthers in Helsinki, Finland.
The prospect of playing overseas is met by different responses depending on the franchise. For the Phoenix Coyotes, the opportunity is a way to account for one home game during the early part of the season when the club struggles to draw a large home crowd even during the best of times. Plus, if Ice Edge Holdings is successful in purchasing the club and their idea of playing five regular-season games in Saskatoon is accepted by the NHL Board of Governors, then the Coyotes will have six less midweek home games to play in front of sparse crowds.
By Ron Matejko, MVP Today
Photo by Ethan Miller, Getty Images
The two-day NHL Board of Governors meeting got underway Tuesday in Pebble Beach, Calif., and one of the top items on the agenda is the signed letter of intent by Ice Edge Holdings to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes.
“This year, first and foremost, we’ll discuss where we are with the Phoenix Coyotes and how we’re working with [the Ice Edge Holdings group] closely to close that transaction, hopefully in the next several months,” said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, who discussed meeting plans during an appearance on the NHL Live! radio show Monday.
Despite the offer, there is said to be some trepidation by some NHL owners who still doubt the long-term viability in Phoenix. However, declining attendance is not a problem that is isolated among secondary hockey markets. It is also a problem in hotbeds such as Denver and Detroit. Other owners need more convincing that the Ice Edge group has deep enough pockets to withstand the initial losses that are guaranteed while rebuilding the team on and off the ice.
At the same time, many owners will relish the opportunity to stop funding the team while the NHL maintains ownership. The Coyotes are reportedly losing up to $6 million per month.
It will be interesting to see if the Ice Edge group maintains its standing of wanting to include Wayne Gretzky in the franchise again. One of the proposed majority owners John Breslow, who also held a 3 percent stake under the Moyes group, has a relationship with Gretzky. ESPN reported they will reach out to The Great One this weekend.
The National Hockey League announced today that Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov has been named the NHL’s Third Star for the week ending Dec. 13. Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick was named the first star while Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin was named the second star.
Bryzgalov posted a 2-0-1 record in three games for the week, posting a 0.97 goals against average (GAA), a .968 save percentage (SV%) and one shutout while stopping 91 of the 94 shots he faced. Bryzgalov began the week by stopping all 28 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over the Minnesota Wild to record his fourth shutout of the season. On Thursday, he made 26 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss at Los Angeles. Bryzgalov then made a season-high 37 saves in a 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
For the season, Bryzgalov is 18-8-2 in 28 games and ranks T-1st among all NHL goaltenders in shutouts (4), 2nd in GAA (1.95), T-3rd in wins (18) and T-5th in SV% (.928). He has started each of the past 12 games for the Coyotes, guiding the team to a record of 8-2-2 in that stretch. The Coyotes (19-11-2) are currently in third place in the Pacific Division and sixth in the Western Conference.
The Coyotes return to action at 5:30 p.m. tonight as they play at the Detroit Red Wings to begin a four-game road trip. The game will be broadcast on FOX Sports Arizona (HD) and XTRA Sports 910. For more information, visit www.phoenixcoyotes.com.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks at Jobing.com Arena Saturday night.
With the win, Phoenix extends its unbeaten streak to seven games and improves to 19-11-2. The Coyotes are currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
Radim Vrbata and Robert Lang scored 1:35 apart in the second period to pace the Coyotes offense.
Dany Heatley scored a power play goal with 5:21 remaining in the game for the only blemish against Ilya Bryzgalov who made 37 saves.
National Hockey League Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly issued the following statement Friday regarding the proposed sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to Ice Edge Holdings:
“The NHL and Ice Edge Holdings announced today that they have entered into a Letter of Intent to proceed in attempting to document and close a proposed transaction pursuant to which Ice Edge would purchase the Phoenix Coyotes’ franchise. While much remains to be done, the NHL looks forward to working closely with Ice Edge to bring the sale to conclusion as expeditiously as possible. Ice Edge has committed to keep the Coyotes in Glendale, Arizona.”
The Phoenix Coyotes five-game wining streak is over but they now own a six-game unbeaten streak after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center Thursday night.
The Kings won the eight-round shootout 4-3, thwarting a Coyotes comeback, although they still gained a point for their efforts.
Phoenix overcame an early two-goal deficit to force overtime before falling in the shootout.
The Coyotes return to the ice Saturday night when they host the first-place San Jose Sharks.
Phoenix Coyotes’ defenseman Ed Jovanovski has been suspended for two games, without pay, for an incident in NHL game #436 against the Minnesota Wild, December 7, the National Hockey League announced Wednesday.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Jovanovski will forfeit $67,357.52. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
At 9:34 of the third period, Jovanovski delivered a forearm to the head area of Minnesota’s Andrew Ebbett. No penalty was assessed on the play.
Jovanovski will miss Thursday’s game at Los Angeles and Dec. 12 against San Jose. He will be eligible to return Dec. 14 at Detroit.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild at Jobing.com Arena Monday night.
With the win, Phoenix extends its winning streak to five games and sits a season-high six games above .500 at 17-11-1. The Coyotes haven’t had a five-game winning streak since Dec. 31, 2007, to Jan. 8, 2008
Ilya Bryzgalov made 28 saves for his league-leading fourth shutout of the season.
Scottie Upshall and Taylor Pyatt scored second-period goals 44 seconds apart to account for the Coyotes offense. Pyatt has scored a goal in three consecutive games.
Phoenix returns to the ice Thursday when they travel to Staples Center to play the Los Angeles Kings. With a win, Phoenix will move into a second-place tie with L.A. in the Pacific Division.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators at Jobing.com Arena Saturday night.
With the victory, the Coyotes (17-11-1) have won four straight and are now a season high six-games over .500. They also sit in the sixth slot in the Western Conference.
Phoenix wraps up its three-game homestand on Monday against Minnesota.
Phoenix Coyotes President & Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss announced today the launch of the Coyotes Ambassadors Club, an incentive-based program for Coyotes Season Ticket Holders that enables them to offer discounted tickets to their friends and colleagues.
“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.
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.
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. Season Ticket Holders can contact their Coyotes Customer Service Representative for more information on joining the Ambassadors Club.
CBC out of Canada announced during its Hockey Night in Canada post-game broadcast that the NHL and City of Glendale will meet with Ice Edge Holdings, LLC on Monday in Chicago.
The meeting is intended to see how close the parties are to complete a sale for the Phoenix Coyotes, which was purchased out of bankruptcy by the NHL for $140 million on Nov. 2.
This news comes a few days after a report surfaced that Montreal businessman Steve Stotland was partnering with Arizona-based investors to form Camelback Hockey group in a potential bid to purchase the team. The Montreal Gazette reported Saturday that Stotland will meet with Glendale officials in Glendale this week.
Both groups meet the NHL’s preference to keep the team in Glendale, although Ice Edge wants to play five home games in Canada.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 5-2 victory over the Dallas Stars at Jobing.com Arena Friday night.
With the win, Phoenix improves to 14-11-1 and moved into a third-place ties with Dallas at 29 points. The Yotes sit just one point behind second place Los Angeles with one game in hand.
LW Lauri Korpikoski had two goals. Scottie Upshall and Matthew Lombardi added three assists each.
The Coyotes next game is Sunday in Anaheim at 6 p.m.
Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced Wednesday that the Coyotes have activated defensemen Ed Jovanovski and Zbynek Michalek off of Injured Reserve.
In addition, the Coyotes re-assigned defenseman Shaun Heshka to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.
Jovanovski, 33, has recorded 5-8-13 in 16 games this season to lead all Coyotes defensemen in scoring and ranks 2nd on the team in points. The 6-foot-3, 218-pound Jovanovski has missed the Coyotes’ last eight games and was placed on Injured Reserve on Nov. 11. A five-time NHL All-Star, Jovanovski has led Coyotes defensemen in scoring in each of the last two seasons. The first overall pick in the 1994 Entry Draft by Florida has collected 123-323-446 and 1,339 penalty minutes (PIM) in 919 career NHL games with Florida, Vancouver and Phoenix.
Michalek, 26, has recorded 1-4-5 in 15 games this season and missed nine games after being placed on Injured Reserve on Nov. 5. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Michalek led the NHL in blocked shots last season with 271 while also leading the Coyotes in average ice time. Michalek has appeared in 358 career NHL games with Phoenix and Minnesota, recording 25-78-103 and 170 PIM.
Heshka, 24, has appeared in eight games with the Coyotes this season and recorded two assists for his first career NHL points. He has also recorded 2-2-4 and 18 PIM in 13 games with San Antonio this season. In 2008-09, Heshka registered 3-23-26 with 25 PIM and a +17 rating in 77 games with Manitoba (AHL). The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Heshka has appeared in 224 career AHL games over four seasons with Manitoba and San Antonio, collecting 16-50-66 with 118 PIM and a +35 rating. Heshka was acquired by the Coyotes from Vancouver in exchange for a seventh round choice in the 2009 Entry Draft on June 27, 2009.
The Coyotes will play the Calgary Flames at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary. The game can be heard on XTRA Sports 910.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 4-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place Monday night.
The loss dropped the Coyotes to 13-10-1 and have slipped to fourth place in the Pacific Division although they are just one point out of second place. The Coyotes have fallen into a pattern of alternating wins and losses in their last seven games.
Jeff Deslauriers made 36 saves for his first NHL shutout.
The Oilers pulled away with a three-goal first period, including a pair just seven seconds apart.
Phoenix wraps up its brief two-game Western Canadian road trip in Calgary on Wednesday.
Watch video highlights of the Phoenix Coyotes 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers At Jobing.com Arena Saturday night.
With the win, Phoenix improves to 13-9-1, just one point behind second-place Los Angeles with a game in hand. Phoenix is 2-0-1 in its last four games.
The Coyotes open a stretch where they play three of their next four games on the road, beginning with a match in Edmonton against the Oilers on Monday.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars at Jobing.com Arena Saturday night.
The Coyotes snapped a two-game losing streak and improve to 11-8 on the season. Phoenix is currently tied for third in the Pacific Division and sits nine points behind the first-place San Jose Sharks, with two games in hand.
Phoenix next plays on Monday when it hosts Tampa Bay.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at Jobing.com Arena Thursday night. This was the first game of a three-game homestand for Phoenix.
The Coyotes have now lost two in a row and four of their last five to drop to 10-8. Phoenix next plays on Saturday when they host the Dallas Stars.
NHL Commissioner Bill Daly addresses the media at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale prior to Thursday’s Phoenix Coyotes game against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Phoenix Coyotes addressed one of the biggest reasons why fans don’t go to games at Jobing.com Arena with the introduction of the Coyotes Express on Wednesday.
The Coyotes Express is a program that offers fans a discounted game ticket and shuttle service from two different East Valley locations to Jobing.com Arena on Coyotes game nights.
This program is a nice start but it will do little do bring more fans out. One reason is that the program is currently only available for seven home games. Of the seven dates, three are Saturday games and another is on a Friday.
Many East Valley fans have said they don’t want to drive home from work, get the family and then head back to Glendale for the Coyotes game. This isn’t a problem for most on Saturday and traffic is lighter on Friday.
Another problem for East Valley families is they get home from games too late to bring kids on a school night. A shuttle can’t fix this issue.
Also, there are only two locations available where fans get use the shuttle: The Arizona State University Main Campus (Lot 16) in Tempe and the Gila River Wild Horse Pass Casino (casino entrance) in Chandler. However, the Wild Horse Pass Casino location will only shuttle fans for weekday games (Mon.-Fri.). This won’t provide any relief for fans in Mesa or Scottsdale.
The Coyotes could see a few more college kids come out since one of the shuttle stops is at ASU, but even with tickets discounted for shuttle users, asking $20 for an upper level ticket or $30 for a lower level ticket may still be too much for a college student.
The shuttles will depart the locations 90 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the Coyotes game, and will leave Jobing.com Arena 20 minutes after the conclusion of the game from Lot E. This strict schedule works in commuter cities but will be a tougher sell in a car dominated city like Phoenix where people are used to coming and going at their leisure.
At least the Coyotes are trying to eliminate the reasons why fans don’t go to games but many of the fans that make these complaints aren’t real fans anyway. True fans don’t use traffic and a tight schedule as excuses for not going to a game. They just go.
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The Coyotes Express offer is currently available for the following upcoming Coyotes games:
Monday, Nov. 16 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Saturday, Nov. 21 vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Friday, Nov. 27 vs. Dallas Stars
Thursday, Dec. 3 vs. Calgary Flames
Saturday, Dec. 5 vs. Ottawa Senators
Monday, Dec. 7 vs. Minnesota Wild
Saturday, Dec. 12 vs. San Jose Sharks
Coyotes Express tickets and maps to the pick-up/drop-off locations are available at www.phoenixcoyotes.com/coyotesexpress. Coyotes Express tickets must be purchased the day before a game at the latest.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 3-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday night at Jobing.com Arena.
With the win, Phoenix improves to 10-6, four points behind first place San Jose with a game in hand. The Coyotes next game is Saturday night in Atlanta to take on the lowly Thrashers.
Watch video highlights of the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche Wednesday night at Pepsi Center. The game featured two of the NHL’s biggest surprises in a battle that was closer than the final score indicates as this was a 2-1 game until the final minute of the contest.
Ed Jovanovski scored the Coyotes lone goal.
Phoenix has now lost two in a row and drops to 9-5 on the season. The Coyotes next game is Thursday night when they host the Chicago Blackhawks.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings Monday night at Jobing.com Arena.
With the loss, Phoenix drops to 9-5 and into third place in the Pacific Division. The Coyotes next game is Wednesday in Denver to play the Colorado Avalanche.
The good news is Judge Redfield Baum today approved the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to the NHL for $140 million ending the six-month saga but Coyotes fans shouldn’t breathe easy just yet.
With the franchise out of bankruptcy court, the NHL now can move forward with finding a buyer but there is no guarantee they will find one that will keep the team in Arizona. Two groups are reportedly interested in buying the team with Ice Edge, LLC maintaining close contact with both the NHL and City of Glendale to work out a lease and purchase agreement. However, part of their plan includes playing five home games in Canada, a plan that the NHL is yet to approve.
The owners of the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon, also reportedly reemerged as potential buyers.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly released a statement regarding the judge’s approval of the sale:
“We are pleased and very encouraged by today’s developments in court. Now that approval of the proposed sale has been entered by the Court, the National Hockey League will work to close the transaction quickly and assume full control of the Coyotes’ business operations. The League also will engage immediately in a process to identify — and expedite sale of the franchise to — new ownership that is committed to the Club’s long-term success in the Phoenix/Glendale area. We do not intend to comment publicly on that process.
“The NHL thanks Coyotes fans for their continued support of the franchise and hopes that today’s developments will provide fans further reason to embrace the Coyotes in order to ensure the team’s long-term future in Arizona.”
TSN reported that the $140 million deal breaks down this way: $80 million goes to the Coyotes’ largest creditor, SOF Investments, $35 million goes to the NHL, $12 million goes to the unsecured creditors, while the remaining $13 million will be dispersed by Judge Redfield T. Baum – who will determine the split between Jerry Moyes, Wayne Gretzky, and the remaining creditors.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 shootout victory over their Pacific Division rival, the Anaheim Ducks at Jobing.com Arena Saturday night. Phoenix (9-4) has now won three in a row and sits just one point behind San Jose for first place in the division, with one game in hand. The nine October wins equals a franchise record.
The Coyotes next play Monday night when they host the Los Angeles Kings.
The Phoenix Coyotes announced a time change for the team’s game versus the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, Dec. 26 at Jobing.com Arena. The game will now start at 7:00 p.m. Arizona time instead of the originally scheduled start time of 6:00 p.m.
The game will be televised locally on Fox Sports Arizona in High Definition.
Bill Daly, deputy commissioner of the National Hockey League, today released the following statement regarding the NHL’s offer to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes.
“In Phoenix today, a tentative agreement was reached among the parties to amend the NHL’s offer to purchase the Coyotes franchise out of bankruptcy, and a proposed order, mutually agreed to by the parties, will be filed with the Court seeking approval of the NHL’s amended bid.
“If there is no objection from the parties involved, and subject to any potential objections and a hearing if necessary, the parties hope to close the sale of the Club to the NHL by Monday, November 2.
“It remains the NHL’s intention upon taking control of the Club to stabilize the Club’s operations and, as quickly as possible, to re-sell the Club to a new owner who is committed to operating the Club in the Glendale/Phoenix market.”
Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan is featured on the cover of the November 2, 2009 issue of The Hockey News, which is currently on newsstands.
Doan is the subject of the cover story in the No Money issue, with focus on Doan’s impeccable character, including a couple of funny comments from long-time friend Tyson Nash.
The story is long and has a few items most fans haven’t heard or read before. It is worth a read.
The Phoenix Coyotes (5-2-0) host the Detroit Red Wings (3-3-1) at Jobing.com Arena Wednesday in the first of four meetings between the teams this season.
The Coyotes are coming off a 4-1 home win over Boston on Saturday. Ilya Bryzgalov was named last week’s First Star by the NHL.
▪ The Coyotes enter Wednesday’s game with a 5-2-0 record and are off to their best start through seven games since the 2000-01 campaign when they began the year with a 6-1-0 record. Wednesday, the Coyotes will look to win for the sixth time in the first eight games of a season for just the third time in franchise history (2000-01 and 1982-83; started both seasons 6-1-1).
▪ Phoenix’s 5-2-0 record on the season has come against quality opponents. Entering play on Wednesday, the combined record of the Coyotes’ first seven opponents was 33-18-3. Buffalo and Columbus, the only two teams to defeat the Coyotes thus far, have a combined record of 9-3-1. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins are off to an NHL-best 8-1-0 start, and their only loss was a 3-0 defeat by the Coyotes.
▪ Wednesday night’s game is Detroit’s first appearance in Phoenix since Jan. 20 of last season, when the Coyotes handed the Red Wings a 6-3 defeat in the final game before the All-Star break.
The Phoenix Coyotes (6-2-0) host the Los Angeles Kings (6-4-0) at Jobing.com Arena Saturday in the second of six meetings between the Pacific Division rivals this season.
The two teams last met in the season opener on Oct. 3 when the Coyotes came away with a 6-3 victory at STAPLES Center. Radim Vrbata scored two goals in the game and Ilya Bryzgalov made 30 saves.
▪ The Coyotes are currently 6-2-0 through eight games this season and are in first place in the Pacific Division. They enter Saturday’s matchup with the Kings riding a four-game winning streak, their longest streak since winning five games in a row from Dec. 31, 2007 – Jan. 8, 2008. The Coyotes have allowed two or fewer goals in seven consecutive games.
▪ The Coyotes are coming off a 3-2 overtime win vs. the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. Adrian Aucoin scored the game-winner in overtime and added an assist while Petr Prucha’s goal with 2:40 remaining in the third period tied the game at two and forced overtime.
▪ Ilya Bryzgalov enters the game with a 6-1-0 record, a 1.26 GAA, a .949 SV% and two shutouts in seven games this season and has allowed just nine goals. Entering play on Friday, Bryzgalov leads all starting NHL goaltenders in goals against average, save percentage and shutouts (2).
Broadcast Information
Saturday’s game will be televised on tape delay on FOX Sports Arizona and can be heard live on XTRA Sports 910 where Bob Heethuis and Tyson Nash will have the call while Luke Lapinski hosts the pregame, postgame and intermission reports.
Promotions/Special Events
Saturday is the first “We Win, You Win” game of the season – all fans with a game ticket will receive a voucher upon entry to the Arena, and if the Coyotes win the voucher can be redeemed for a free ticket to a future game.
All fans in attendance will receive a 2009-10 Coyotes Magnetic Schedule courtesy of Fox Sports Arizona.
Fox Sports Arizona announced Friday it has added eight Phoenix Coyotes games to its telecast schedule for the 2009-10 season, each of which will be offered in a tape delay due to prior live programming commitments. The games will be produced by the visiting team’s FSN television partner and will air the same day immediately after FOX Sports Arizona’s live programming is complete.
The schedule is as follows:
Oct. 24: Kings at Coyotes – 10:45 p.m. (FOX Sports West – HD)
Feb. 10: Coyotes at Wild – 10:30 p.m. (FOX Sports North – HD)
March 13: Coyotes at Hurricanes – 8:30 p.m. (FOX Sports South)
*** this was originally scheduled to be televised live
April 7: Predators at Coyotes – 11:00 p.m. (FOX Sports South)
In addition to the newly added tape telecasts, one other change has been made to the network’s schedule. The Nov. 23 game at Edmonton will now be televised live at 7 p.m.
When it was announced that Mark Cuban was finished with his pursuit to purchase the Texas Rangers, one thought quickly came to mind, “I wish he would buy the Phoenix Coyotes.”
Jerry Moyes: A lifelong Glendale resident, Moyes’ heart started out in the right place. Moyes, a minority owner that Ellman brought in to add capital, essentially traded his interest in Westgate for Ellman’s ownership in the Coyotes to protect his initial investment and keep the team in his hometown. Unfortunately, problems with Moyes’ trucking business, and bleeding the Coyotes to line his own pockets and his trucking company coffers, in addition to further ineffectiveness as a coach and executive by Gretzky, pushed the Coyotes to the brink of insolvency.
Kids:
Phoenix Coyotes Assistant General Manager and General Manager of the San Antonio Rampage Brad Treliving announced today that the Coyotes have officially named Ray Edwards as head coach of the Rampage, the Coyotes’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. In addition, Treliving also announced that Jeff Truitt has been hired as assistant head coach of the Rampage.
Truitt joins the Rampage after spending the 2009-10 season as Director of Hockey Operations for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Prior to working with the Warriors, Truitt spent the past two seasons coaching in the AHL with the Springfield Falcons. On June 17, 2008 Truitt was promoted from assistant coach to head coach, becoming the 10th head coach in Falcons franchise history.
Phoenix Coyotes Captain Shane Doan has been named as the winner of the 2009-10 King Clancy Award.
Phoenix Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett has captured the Jack Adams Award as “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success,” as selected by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association.
Phoenix Coyotes President and Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss announced Thursday the Coyotes 2010-11 preseason schedule.
Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced Thursday that the Coyotes have re-signed defenseman Adrian Aucoin to a two-year contract.
The National Hockey League announced today that Phoenix Coyotes Captain Shane Doan has been named as one of three finalists for the 2009-10 Mark Messier Leadership Award, which recognizes an individual as a superior leader in hockey and as a contributing member of society. It honors an individual who leads by positive example through on-ice performance, motivation of team members and a dedication to community activities and charitable causes.
Voting for this new award was conducted among the 30 Club General Managers and a panel of NHL executives, print and broadcast media at the conclusion of the regular season.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke to the media Friday for his annual pre-Stanley Cup Finals state of the NHL address. Among the topics he discussed was the Phoenix Coyotes ownership situation and he shed some light on a few aspects of the ongoing sale of the franchise.
Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced Monday that the Coyotes have signed defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to an entry level contract. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.
By Ron Matejko
Phoenix Coyotes forward Lauri Korpikoski will represent Finland at the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany, May 7-23.
USA Hockey announced Thursday that Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle will represent Team USA at the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany, May 7-23.
The National Hockey League announced Wednesday that Phoenix Coyotes Head Coach Dave Tippett has been named as one of three finalists for the 2009-10 Jack Adams Award, which is presented to the head coach who has “contributed the most to his team’s success.” Joe Sacco of the Colorado Avalanche and Barry Trotz of the Nashville Predators were also named as finalists for the Jack Adams Award.
The WhiteOut is a tradition where Phoenix Coyotes fans dress in white clothing for all home playoff games. The tradition was created in Winnipeg when the team was known as the Jets, and carried over to Phoenix when the franchise moved to the Valley in 1996 and became the Coyotes.
Excitement for the Phoenix Coyotes is sweeping the state of Arizona and their success is resulting in television ratings for the team that haven’t been seen in nearly 11 years.
As expected, Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was named one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, which is presented annually to “the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position” as voted by the general managers of each of the 30 clubs.
Goaltenders annually receive the Vezina Trophy to recognize best in breed, but there have been rare occasions where their play has been so vital in the success of their team, that the Hart Trophy is awarded to recognize the effort. Most recently, Jose Theodore won both the Vezina and Hart Trophies in 2002. Dominik Hasek (pictured right) won both trophies in 1997 and 1998. Bryzgalov’s statistics are comparable to both players during their MVP seasons.
Phoenix Coyotes President and Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss announced today that the Coyotes’ opening game of their first round playoff series versus the Detroit Red Wings will be televised live on 3 TV (KTVK) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Apr. 14. All of the game coverage will be produced by FOX Sports Arizona.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA — The National Hockey League announced today that Phoenix Coyotes right wing Lee Stempniak has been named the NHL’s First Star for the month of March. Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard was named the second star while Vancouver Canucks center Henrik Sedin was named the third star.
A story in today’s Phoenix business Journal reported that the NHL already as a contingency ownership plan if the league does not find a local buyer by June 10. The story prompted a comment from NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.
The Phoenix Coyotes continued to be the most active team during the NHL trade deadline day by adding more depth on the blueline with the addition of Vancouver Canucks defenseman Mathieu Schneider for defensive prospect Sean Zimmerman and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2010.
The Phoenix Coyotes not only recognized their need for scoring, they did something about it during the NHL trade Deadline by acquiring Colorado forward Wojtek Wolski for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter.
The Phoenix Coyotes made the first move during the NHL trade deadline day by reacquiring defenseman Derek Morris from the Boston Bruins for a fourth-round draft pick in 2011.
Nikolai Khabibulin has been handed an additional charge for a driving under the influence incident in Arizona.
For the second time in a month, a Doan was the victim of an Olympic snub by Canada.
On Tuesday, the Phoenix Coyotes officially announced what MVP Today announced nearly a month ago regarding the team being among an unprecedented six NHL teams that will open the 2010-11 NHL regular season in Europe.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix 1-0 shootout victory over the Nashville Predators at Sommet Center Tuesday night.
The National Hockey League announced today that Phoenix Coyotes Captain Shane Doan has been named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Jan. 31. Ottawa Senators goaltender Brian Elliot was named the second star while Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom was named the third star.
Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that Coyotes forward Scottie Upshall will be out of the lineup indefinitely after sustaining an injury to his right knee during the team’s game versus the Calgary Flames on Jan. 28.
Watch video highlights from the Phoenix Coyotes 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center Saturday night.
Former Phoenix Coyotes goaltender and future Hall of Famer Curtis Joseph will announce his retirement from the NHL at a press conference at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre Tuesday.
Phoenix Coyotes President and Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss announced that the organization will induct former Winnipeg Jets and Coyotes defenseman Teppo Numminen (#27) into the club’s Ring of Honor on Saturday, Jan. 30 in a pre-game ceremony before the Coyotes game versus the New York Rangers at Jobing.com Arena. 
In addition to being a great player, Numminen was well-respected throughout the League and a leader both on and off the ice. He served as captain of the Coyotes during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 campaigns, making him the last Coyotes player to wear the “C” prior to Shane Doan.
The National Hockey League announced Monday that Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is one of its “Three Stars” for the month of December.
Michalek, 27, will be appearing in the Olympics for the first time. He represented the Czech Republic at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship in 2006, 2007 and 2008, winning a silver medal in 2006. 
Lepisto, 25, will also be participating in the Olympics for the first time. He represented Finland at the 2004 IIHF World Junior Championship where he was named the tournament’s Best Defensemen while leading Finland to a bronze medal. He also played for Finland at the 2008 IIHF World Championship.
Fox Sports Arizona announced Friday it has added eight Phoenix Coyotes games to its telecast schedule for the 2009-10 season, each of which will be offered in a tape delay due to prior live programming commitments. The games will be produced by the visiting team’s FSN television partner and will air the same day immediately after FOX Sports Arizona’s live programming is complete.
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