Coyotes, Cinderella, and That Prince We Call Stanley

The Phoenix Coyotes got a little lucky in their 4-3 shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks last night.  Not that some of the guys didn't lay it all out there, but when it's all said and done we looked less than good.  Too many turnovers and players that seemed a little dazed and confused allowed the Canucks to nearly skate all over us.  I say "nearly" only because we DID manage to pull out three goals and a shootout win.   Looking back at the game, though, I'm not sure how that happened. 

Well, I have some idea.  Taylor Pyatt, a former Canuck, played a hard game.  Kudos to him for bringing it to his former teammates.  And congratulations on his 100th career NHL goal!

Vernon Fiddler, in all his toothless glory, also showed up for the game.  He played a solid 60 minutes alongside Taylor and Stempniak.

Lee Stempniak may be one of the newest Coyotes, but he's definitely making himself at home.  Maybe he's trying to prove something to himself, the Coyotes, or the team that traded him (or some combination of all of them) or maybe he really is that good.  Either way, it's good to have his energy on our side.  What a great acquisition he's turning out to be!

The fact is, the Coyotes won.  It wasn't the best game they've had but it definitely wasn't the the worst.  And this late in the game, we'll take the points however we can get them.  Of course, if we want to stay in the game we'll have to tighten up our system and start playing solid hockey.  As the weaker teams begin to fall off of the radar, it's critical for the Coyotes to show up at every game and prove, over and over, that they deserve to win.  Cinderella's magical ball only comes once and if she doesn't show up, Prince Stanley will go home with some other bride.

Just my thoughts....=)

 

What Can I Say? I've Been Dropping the Ball.

Hello my fellow Phoenix Coyotes fans! I can't believe that it's been over a month since I posted here. There have been a lot of things going on with the Coyotes since my last post and I'm not sure where to start. So, I'll just jump in and hope you can follow along.

First thing on MY mind is: where in the hell has Bryz's head been? He was smokin' during the first part of the season but has pretty much fizzled since late December. If you want my theory (and who DOESN'T??) his being named to the Olympic team has something to do withit. I hate to say it about my own goalie but...can you say "Choke"? I'm afraid that he is so focused on performing well in order to get prime position on the Olympic roster that he has actually psyched himself out. It does happen, you know. Just not usually for such an extended period of time. Or to a professional athlete. Anyway, I love Bryz and as we can all attest to, he can be phenomenal in the net. But maybe, given the salary he is being paid to protect the net and help the team get to the Stanley Cup, he shouldn't be so focused on the Olympics. Maybe, just maybe, he should get his head back in the real game, with the rubber hits the...ice. Of course, I could be way off here. But you have to admit, the timing is suspicious, right?

Next on my mind...Okay, I have to mention Lauri Korpikoski, who is officially my favorite player. Not only does he play hard when he's on the ice but he is also our most valuable shootout-er (I know, that isn't even a word!). He's easily as fast as Lombardi and Upshall, and even though he isn't racking up the points he's still contributing a lot to the team. Unlike the next person on my mind...

Peter Mueller. While I realize he is extremely popular, I honestly fail to understand why. He doesn't seem to be particularly flashy, fast, or even reliable and he certainly isn't racking up points, either. Everyone has a bad week, month, or even season. But "Muells" drives me crazy. How many missed passes, how many shots will he "fan" on, how many turnovers will he allow before we bench him?? I'm not advocating a permanent benching, but I believe there are other players out there who are more dedicated and hungrier for a position on the Coyotes team. Just my two cents worth...

On to Shane Doan. I don't have a lot to say about Doan, other than I really want him to have a great season. He plays hard every game and is the epitome of an NHL hockey player. And if we're being honest with each other, he's just an absolute doll! He's the kind of guy that all little boys should look up to (in addition to their fathers, assuming they're worthy). As a disclaimer, I must say that I don't know him personally and therefore am basing my opinions on what I have read, seen, or heard. But I doubt I'm wrong on this one.

Well folks, I could seriously go on and on but I will spare you for now. Suffice it to say that I love my Coyotes but am finding myself fairly frustrated with their overall performance lately. And as I prefer to discuss the more personal aspects of the game versus the flooded market of simply analyzing the games, I find it difficult to post as often as I should. So I store it up until I'm ready to bust. Then I post.

Until next time...

P.S. Someone PLEASE tell Tyson that "these ones" and "those ones" are completely incorrect grammatically and quite honestly make him sound kinda like an idiot...love him, though! lol

Random Thoughts on Coyotes Hockey

I haven't been posting on the blog lately and I apologize for that. I assure you that I have been watching the Coyotes--every game, in fact. Sometimes at the expense of other things that I should be taking more seriously.

With that said, here are a few of the thoughts that have been rolling around in my head lately:

First of all, what happened to Paul Bissonnette?? If you've read my earlier posts you know that my daughter loves this guy and therefore asks EVERY GAME where he is. I have searched high and low on the internet for information and I can't find anything at all about why he isn't playing. It is very frustrating. Only in hockey do they withhold information from the fans regarding where a player is or what his injury is. In all seriousness, if a player has an injury just say what it is! Upper versus lower body does NOT cut it...

Second, the Coyotes are really playing some good hockey. I have my favorites, as does everyone else, but for the most part I think every single player is pulling his weight. I could name at least one player that I think is WAY over-rated, but I won't. Everytime I call someone out by name, either for good or bad, he turns around and does the opposite and makes me look bad. Of course, maybe I should mention his name so that he'd finally stop sucking so bad. He also seems to be pretty popular with other fans and I don't want any hate mail.

I've also been thinking that part of the reason "they" say there isn't a hockey market out here is because the Coyotes have not capitalized on the market that is, indeed, alive in Arizona. For instance, I live in the Tucson area. Now, I'm already a fan so they don't really need to cater to me. However, it is amazing how many people down here do not even realize that Arizona has an NHL team! It isn't that these people don't enjoy hockey. A surprising number of them are actually huge fans. But if you live beyond the Phoenix area, you will not find ANY mention of the Coyotes whatsoever. We can't even find Coyotes gear at the sports stores down here! Cardinals: check. Suns: check. Sun Devils: check. Even teams from other states. But Coyotes? Nada, zip, zilch. That, my friends, is a marketing problem.

Last but not least, I've been thinking about the quality of our play-by-play announcer and the color guy. You know, Dave Strader and Tyson Nash. I don't know about the rest of you, but after hearing some of the other teams' announcers, whether on t.v. or radio, I think we should all be glad we have Strades and Tyson. They're knowledgeable, personable, and good at keeping it interesting. Even when it isn't.

Oh, and the last thing I want to mention is that I am enjoying the Hockey U series. I have never played hockey nor have I ever known any hockey players so it's really cool to have someone s-l-o-w it down and show you what everything is. Schlemko does a great job demonstrating and makes my family laugh every time because you can tell he's reading off of a prompter at the end of the segment.

Anyway, I'm sure there is more but that's all I can round up for right now. I'll blog at you later!

Paula

UPDATE: True to form, I mention not knowing where Paul Bissonnette disappeared to and today the Coyotes website reports that he will be playing tonight after being a healthy scratch for the last 8 games!