I watched a game for a change. Detroit hosted Chicago at Joe Louis Arena. And what a poor host they were, not dressing up half the top end of the roster. Ended up losing, naturally. Well, all this of course was due to massive string of injuries the Wings are dealing with. It really seemed that they had taken their AHL affiliate and put them against the defending champions. Out: Holmström, Filppula, Modano, Cleary, Stuart. In: Emmerton, Kindl, Miller, Mursak, Tatar. That had to have an effect. Detroit has been great in bringing up new talent, but all in one batch just doesn't work. Chicago on the other hand seemed to roll out very solid team where the superstars Hossa, Kane, Toews didn't even have to put out their best effort for a comfortable win. This really looked like NHL team taking on an AHL team from time to time. And that Chicago's powerplay sure produced beautiful goals!
Couple of topics of interest from the Saturday's round. Saku Koivu returned to Montreal as an Anaheim Duck after delighting the Candiens' fans for over a decade as a leading player and the first European captain ever. And what a classy welcome these people gave him! I really had the chills running up the spine watching 22.000 people stand and cheer this great player for a minute and a half. I can't imagine what it felt like for Koivu himself. He's truly one of the greatest hockey players in Finnish history and it's great to see him appreciated like this. Hopefully he still has some juice left with the other elderly Finnish gentlemen playing for sunny California this season. Ducks to the playoffs!
On the nastier side of incidents, Marc Savard was flattened again on a heavy hit on his head. The moments I've seen from his play this season haven't really resembled the peak times of this great setup wizard. The long absence was visible in the game speed and maybe as the little voice somewhere reminding to keep looking back for merciless opponents. Well, a moment of caution forgotten and here he is again, being evaluated for concussion symptoms. Hopefully it ends up being just a nasty scratch, and Savard is able to return soon and eventually find his game. If it on the other hand is another concussion, it's really time to retire. As a top notch player of long career he's a multimillionaire anyway. Nothing bad in settling down somewhere in peace and taking it easy for the rest of his life. All the best to Marc Savard.
A quick note also on the possible return of another of our beloved neighbors, Peter Forsberg. It sure would be right for him to have the ankles in game shape and to end his career on couple of respectful seasons in the NHL. Forsberg sure would have been among the all time greatest without the nagging injuries. Damn, he was such a threat in 2008 with one properly functioning foot.
2011/01/24
2011/01/18
No good, start the dance
Clever rip off from Prodigy, right? Well they might have had something else in mind, but I'm referring to fighting in hockey. There's a topic that always stirs up some discussion.
For some reason, somewhere along the history of the sport, fights have emerged as a part of the game. This is mostly in NHL however, other leagues and international play have much less of fighting. Partly due to heavier penalties and partly to the less physical style of play.
It's actually somewhat weird that it's become such integrated part of hockey. There's practically no fighting in other physical team sports. And if you really stop to think about it, it's pretty weird to have guys bashing each others faces, slipping on their skates and wearing all sorts of cumbersome padding to make the act even trickier.
However, it's an everyday comment in the post game articles that someone started a fight when the team was out of focus in the game to lift the spirits. And the fight is even often given the credit on changing the course of the game. Well, attitude and motivation have big impact on the game of otherwise very marginal differences.
Anyway, it seems that most teams have at least one player in their rosters who's expected to drop gloves on request and otherwise stay out of the way in the game of hockey. These guys fight their counterparts on the other teams, and the unwritten code of ethics says that the professional pugilists don't engage the actual hockey players. Sometimes the game gets so heated that the amateurs join the fights between themselves too. Resulting often in minor cuts to face and missing weeks of action with knuckles broken on hits to the helmet or something similarly stupid.
I wonder how these fighters eventually end up on the game? When the kids are playing on the junior games, is there someone taking notes on exceptional aggression and tendency to get into fights? Then with years of training through different levels of hockey, these guys crack it into the NHL and create a career with 1.000 games, 1 goal, 3 assists and 2800 penalty minutes? Or are these the eternal prospects, who just never cash in and are then given the option to stay as the "team mascot" or start thinking about going back to school for another profession?
Anyway, fighting in hockey is a complicated issue. It sure doesn't provide a good example for the young audience on solving matters. On the other hand it does bring a sort of a looming threat of getting ones ass kicked if the game's gentlemanly rules are not obeyed. Maybe it keeps the stick swinging and dirty checking in control, maybe not. My guess is that we'll find out in the coming seasons with some sort of zero tolerance experiment with fighting in NHL. Remains to be seen..
I'll end this post with couple of fellow Finns in the action. These are somewhat odd clips of the topic, but definitely interesting. The first one is Ville Peltonen having a retaliatory fight with the mammoth, Evgeny Artyuchin. This time David pretty much gets bashed by Goliath. Hats off to Ville for the courage though, the guy is some 50kg heavier and a foot taller.
The second one is our own pest Jarkko Ruutu ending the fight with Dion Phaneuf before it begins. Sometimes insult beats injury, big time. Enjoy!
For some reason, somewhere along the history of the sport, fights have emerged as a part of the game. This is mostly in NHL however, other leagues and international play have much less of fighting. Partly due to heavier penalties and partly to the less physical style of play.
It's actually somewhat weird that it's become such integrated part of hockey. There's practically no fighting in other physical team sports. And if you really stop to think about it, it's pretty weird to have guys bashing each others faces, slipping on their skates and wearing all sorts of cumbersome padding to make the act even trickier.
However, it's an everyday comment in the post game articles that someone started a fight when the team was out of focus in the game to lift the spirits. And the fight is even often given the credit on changing the course of the game. Well, attitude and motivation have big impact on the game of otherwise very marginal differences.
Anyway, it seems that most teams have at least one player in their rosters who's expected to drop gloves on request and otherwise stay out of the way in the game of hockey. These guys fight their counterparts on the other teams, and the unwritten code of ethics says that the professional pugilists don't engage the actual hockey players. Sometimes the game gets so heated that the amateurs join the fights between themselves too. Resulting often in minor cuts to face and missing weeks of action with knuckles broken on hits to the helmet or something similarly stupid.
I wonder how these fighters eventually end up on the game? When the kids are playing on the junior games, is there someone taking notes on exceptional aggression and tendency to get into fights? Then with years of training through different levels of hockey, these guys crack it into the NHL and create a career with 1.000 games, 1 goal, 3 assists and 2800 penalty minutes? Or are these the eternal prospects, who just never cash in and are then given the option to stay as the "team mascot" or start thinking about going back to school for another profession?
Anyway, fighting in hockey is a complicated issue. It sure doesn't provide a good example for the young audience on solving matters. On the other hand it does bring a sort of a looming threat of getting ones ass kicked if the game's gentlemanly rules are not obeyed. Maybe it keeps the stick swinging and dirty checking in control, maybe not. My guess is that we'll find out in the coming seasons with some sort of zero tolerance experiment with fighting in NHL. Remains to be seen..
I'll end this post with couple of fellow Finns in the action. These are somewhat odd clips of the topic, but definitely interesting. The first one is Ville Peltonen having a retaliatory fight with the mammoth, Evgeny Artyuchin. This time David pretty much gets bashed by Goliath. Hats off to Ville for the courage though, the guy is some 50kg heavier and a foot taller.
The second one is our own pest Jarkko Ruutu ending the fight with Dion Phaneuf before it begins. Sometimes insult beats injury, big time. Enjoy!
2011/01/14
Plus and minus
Let's stop for a second to take a look at the often neglected statistic, Plus/Minus. This in the end often really points out some valuable guys for the team's overall success. The defenders who just refuse to give up any goals on their shifts and the forwards, who stay out of the spotlight and remain on the defensive position while their star-linemates rush out to score taking some risks. The everyday grinders on the team, but damn good ones.
Well, let's not forget my nationality bias. I just happened to see two fellow Finns in the top-3 of the NHL Plus/Minus stats. After realizing none of the Finns made it to the all-stars game, this brings some pride back.
Check out Toni Lydman, probably playing the year of his career. Leading the pack in the stats while playing for rather inconsistent Ducks. He's been contributing offensively pretty well all season, as expected, being a pretty mobile and talented defender in general. But apparently he's been stepping in and out of the rink at the right times too to join the celebrations and just shaking his head in the bench while opponents score. Lydman has been a very solid defenceman all his career and it's good to see he's thriving also in the new team. Maybe there's something in the company of fellow Finnish veterans Saku Koivu and Teemu Selänne that keep up the spirits. All of the three are actually playing on a high note.
And Ville Leino of Philadelphia Flyers is sitting on the third position. He's having a great season following an amazing entrance during last year's playoffs. Okay, he's playing with Briere and Hartnell, who definitely know what they're doing on the ice. So good company doesn't hurt either. However, to lead the trio in Plus/Minus shows that he's been contributing positively also outside the box. Very nice to see Leino succeeding. I paid attention to his skills already in the Finnish national league years back. For a while it seemed that his speed on skates wasn't enough for international level or NHL, but it seems he's either found the speed or adjusted well on the other aspects to succeed on the top level.
Looking at the others in the top of Plus/Minus charts points out two things; the most successful teams and the odd men who somehow elude goals against. The best stats for a player outside the current playoff teams is at 22. position for David Backes. Everything is easier when you're playing for a good team..
I have to end this post with the honorable mention to one of the all-time best Finnish forwards in NHL, Jere Lehtinen. He retired this season and finished his great career at +176 in under 900 games! Compare that e.g. to the long time linemate, super star Mike Modano, who's running his incredible career at +115 in over 1400 games. Dallas Stars will definitely miss Lehtinen if they make it to the playoffs. He just never gave up.
Well, let's not forget my nationality bias. I just happened to see two fellow Finns in the top-3 of the NHL Plus/Minus stats. After realizing none of the Finns made it to the all-stars game, this brings some pride back.
Check out Toni Lydman, probably playing the year of his career. Leading the pack in the stats while playing for rather inconsistent Ducks. He's been contributing offensively pretty well all season, as expected, being a pretty mobile and talented defender in general. But apparently he's been stepping in and out of the rink at the right times too to join the celebrations and just shaking his head in the bench while opponents score. Lydman has been a very solid defenceman all his career and it's good to see he's thriving also in the new team. Maybe there's something in the company of fellow Finnish veterans Saku Koivu and Teemu Selänne that keep up the spirits. All of the three are actually playing on a high note.
And Ville Leino of Philadelphia Flyers is sitting on the third position. He's having a great season following an amazing entrance during last year's playoffs. Okay, he's playing with Briere and Hartnell, who definitely know what they're doing on the ice. So good company doesn't hurt either. However, to lead the trio in Plus/Minus shows that he's been contributing positively also outside the box. Very nice to see Leino succeeding. I paid attention to his skills already in the Finnish national league years back. For a while it seemed that his speed on skates wasn't enough for international level or NHL, but it seems he's either found the speed or adjusted well on the other aspects to succeed on the top level.
Looking at the others in the top of Plus/Minus charts points out two things; the most successful teams and the odd men who somehow elude goals against. The best stats for a player outside the current playoff teams is at 22. position for David Backes. Everything is easier when you're playing for a good team..
I have to end this post with the honorable mention to one of the all-time best Finnish forwards in NHL, Jere Lehtinen. He retired this season and finished his great career at +176 in under 900 games! Compare that e.g. to the long time linemate, super star Mike Modano, who's running his incredible career at +115 in over 1400 games. Dallas Stars will definitely miss Lehtinen if they make it to the playoffs. He just never gave up.
2011/01/11
It's all about individuals
Here we go again. A bit provocative title, but nevertheless.. Picking up the blogging after a long pause results in a yet another post containing a little bit about everything. And thus nothing in any particular depth. Try to bear with me. Comment, and impose focus.
I briefly mentioned Ilya Kovalchuk in the previous post, but I believe his case is worth ripping open a bit more. I haven't had enough time to actually watch through that many NHL games lately and the highlight clips don't really cover that much of the big picture. However, I've seen Kovalchuk play in several international games in the past and continue to be impressed. I've always liked the speedy forwards and this guy can really fly. And at least on international tournaments, Kovalchuk has been the number one forward in team. No hard feelings, Ovie, but he has delivered.
I don't think that the guy has actually lost his legs, skills or that booming shot. He's just landed to a completely wrong team. Kovalchuk needs to be treated like a superstar, his heroics admired, his shorcomings forgiven. That's a guy who just cannot find the motivation in being "one of the guys". In Atlanta it worked, even sharing the spotlight with Marian Hossa and Dany Heatley. The Devils are just so boring in so many apects. They need to set up a "fun line", combining the Star with some young prospect with great talent and admiration to Kovalchuk's style of play. Throw in some veteran playmaker with good legs and let the guys play offence. Back this combo up with the most solid defencive pair you've got and hope they end up on the scoring end more than on the receiving. Kovalchuk will never be the leader in plus/minus category. His task is to inspire the team with the flashy magics. This season's ship has sailed for New Jersey, but they'd still have a decent period to break in the new top line for the next season comeback.
Keep your eyes open in Edmonton. They have a lot of promise in their young roster and the next years should see the team rising in the rankings like mad. Time is limited however, since these young stars will end up asking for big paychecks after the intitial contracts expire.
Pay special attention to Linus Omark. He has proven himself to be just a natural threat in the offencive zone on Swedish league, international games and AHL. He should be given all the time to break in the NHL too. Whoever gives him that will reap the rewards later on. The only mistake here is to not let the guy have fun in the rink. To require some old-fashioned honour code on behavior or some other lame bullshit like that. This guy is an entertainer and he'll let the actions do the speaking. It does take some balls to play around like he did in his first shootout in the big boys' league. Scolded by some grey ones, but cheered by so many more. And that was just showing off, not talent. If you want a quick tour to this guy's hockey sense and skills, browse YouTube. There's a plenty.
I'd say if a young player entering NHL has the balls to act like a showman, let him. If he then fails to deliver in the games, that's a personal downfall. It's not the team that looks foolish, just the poor guy who dived in the deep end without the proper tools. If on the other hand, the guy succeeds, a cult and a following will soon be established and kids on the frozen ponds will carry on trying to imitate the tricks he's displayed. In the modern worls, star players can start from the top, if they got the goods. No need to grind their way over there through pain and sacrifice. Let's leave that for the less talented, but stubborn fellows.
And as an end note to General managers and team owners. It's not the tightly knit teams and strategic mid-ice traps that people come to watch in the games. It's the magic that superstars bring in the game, witnessing something unreal. Leaving the arena in awe, shaking their heads and muttering "Still cannot understand how he did it.."
But don't go shopping or drafting for Kovalchuks if you're not willing to let them shine brighter than the others.
I briefly mentioned Ilya Kovalchuk in the previous post, but I believe his case is worth ripping open a bit more. I haven't had enough time to actually watch through that many NHL games lately and the highlight clips don't really cover that much of the big picture. However, I've seen Kovalchuk play in several international games in the past and continue to be impressed. I've always liked the speedy forwards and this guy can really fly. And at least on international tournaments, Kovalchuk has been the number one forward in team. No hard feelings, Ovie, but he has delivered.
I don't think that the guy has actually lost his legs, skills or that booming shot. He's just landed to a completely wrong team. Kovalchuk needs to be treated like a superstar, his heroics admired, his shorcomings forgiven. That's a guy who just cannot find the motivation in being "one of the guys". In Atlanta it worked, even sharing the spotlight with Marian Hossa and Dany Heatley. The Devils are just so boring in so many apects. They need to set up a "fun line", combining the Star with some young prospect with great talent and admiration to Kovalchuk's style of play. Throw in some veteran playmaker with good legs and let the guys play offence. Back this combo up with the most solid defencive pair you've got and hope they end up on the scoring end more than on the receiving. Kovalchuk will never be the leader in plus/minus category. His task is to inspire the team with the flashy magics. This season's ship has sailed for New Jersey, but they'd still have a decent period to break in the new top line for the next season comeback.
Keep your eyes open in Edmonton. They have a lot of promise in their young roster and the next years should see the team rising in the rankings like mad. Time is limited however, since these young stars will end up asking for big paychecks after the intitial contracts expire.
Pay special attention to Linus Omark. He has proven himself to be just a natural threat in the offencive zone on Swedish league, international games and AHL. He should be given all the time to break in the NHL too. Whoever gives him that will reap the rewards later on. The only mistake here is to not let the guy have fun in the rink. To require some old-fashioned honour code on behavior or some other lame bullshit like that. This guy is an entertainer and he'll let the actions do the speaking. It does take some balls to play around like he did in his first shootout in the big boys' league. Scolded by some grey ones, but cheered by so many more. And that was just showing off, not talent. If you want a quick tour to this guy's hockey sense and skills, browse YouTube. There's a plenty.
I'd say if a young player entering NHL has the balls to act like a showman, let him. If he then fails to deliver in the games, that's a personal downfall. It's not the team that looks foolish, just the poor guy who dived in the deep end without the proper tools. If on the other hand, the guy succeeds, a cult and a following will soon be established and kids on the frozen ponds will carry on trying to imitate the tricks he's displayed. In the modern worls, star players can start from the top, if they got the goods. No need to grind their way over there through pain and sacrifice. Let's leave that for the less talented, but stubborn fellows.
And as an end note to General managers and team owners. It's not the tightly knit teams and strategic mid-ice traps that people come to watch in the games. It's the magic that superstars bring in the game, witnessing something unreal. Leaving the arena in awe, shaking their heads and muttering "Still cannot understand how he did it.."
But don't go shopping or drafting for Kovalchuks if you're not willing to let them shine brighter than the others.
2011/01/10
First half of the season
Well, since I'm back, I might actually write something about hockey too. Thanks for reading.
Last season ended with Chicago taking over and bringing the cup back to original six. That sure was an impressive run. The roster they ended up having in the end of the season would have probably taken twice the current salary cap on this season's paychecks. Really impressive team, very solid all around and even some superstars either peaking (Hossa) or still in the making (Kane, Toews). Sorry, fellow defencemen, no one really counts us as superstars. But this is so last season, I'll move on. Lots to cover in one posting.
2010-2011 has started with somewhat traditional pace. The strong ones are still strong and the rest try to keep up. New Jersey Devils is the exception confirming that rule. What a sorry bunch. And some sort of a wake up signal for the GMs shopping superstars for decades. Come on Kovalchuck!?
Vancouver, Philly, Detroit are leading the pack with very solid rosters. Tampa, Pittsburgh and Washington follow up close with superstar centered approach. I'd be surprised if the eventual champion isn't one of these. And if it's the Lightning, that'll count as a surprise also.
I'd say that the biggest surprise so far is Dallas Stars. They've been good in the past, but the current names on the roster aren't really this good. I can feel happy for the fellow Finn Kari Lehtonen in the goal. Finally playing healthy for a longer stretch and hopefully going through the whole season without surgical operations. Brad Richards is seriously pumping air in his future contract. If the guy is really this good, everyone wants him. Learn from this on playing the last year of your contracts, kids!
The players then. Sidney Crosby seems to have pushed some extra to leave the Sid-or-Alex discussion behind him. No question, he's the one this season. Hopefully he'll come back from the concussion soon. Superstars keep the game entertaining. Ovechkin has somehow slumped (well, against the expectations at least) with the whole Capitals team. Haven't seen the 8-2, 9-3 scores from them lately, but some grinding of 2-1 victory over the Oilers or something instead. Not impressive victories at all and thus not going to be enough in the springtime. Have to improve. Ovechkin barely leads the shots on goal stats? Alex, everyone expects more. Fill in the buckets of ice for the sore wrists!
Steven Stamkos has proven to be a hell of a sniper. Playing with a great playmaker like Martin St. Louis is definitely a recipe for scoring. Maybe the second half will show some slowing down on this duo, but they'll carry on the impressive start for top-5 finishes in the scoring race if nothing dramatic happens.
Gotta love the Sedin twins. It's hilarious to see these guys post point for point and while competing wich each other, making a serious case for taking over the scoring in the whole league. Semi-casually, low-key, the Swedish way. Those Swedes.. The supporting cast in Vancouver seem to be improving every year too. The energetic defensive forwards have started posting big points and all of a sudden this is the team to beat in the league. Some say that Vancouver is one of the nicest cities in the world, probably the cup wouldn't mind ending up there either.
Well, the defenders then. Hats off to misters Bufyglien and Lidström. Big Dustin is wiping the ice with the rest on the scoring race. And old Nick is as good as new. Those Swedes..
Ohh.. this post is bloating. I'll cut off here and continue with the rest of the observations later on another post. There's plenty to cover, I've built a whopping backlog. Later then.
Last season ended with Chicago taking over and bringing the cup back to original six. That sure was an impressive run. The roster they ended up having in the end of the season would have probably taken twice the current salary cap on this season's paychecks. Really impressive team, very solid all around and even some superstars either peaking (Hossa) or still in the making (Kane, Toews). Sorry, fellow defencemen, no one really counts us as superstars. But this is so last season, I'll move on. Lots to cover in one posting.
2010-2011 has started with somewhat traditional pace. The strong ones are still strong and the rest try to keep up. New Jersey Devils is the exception confirming that rule. What a sorry bunch. And some sort of a wake up signal for the GMs shopping superstars for decades. Come on Kovalchuck!?
Vancouver, Philly, Detroit are leading the pack with very solid rosters. Tampa, Pittsburgh and Washington follow up close with superstar centered approach. I'd be surprised if the eventual champion isn't one of these. And if it's the Lightning, that'll count as a surprise also.
I'd say that the biggest surprise so far is Dallas Stars. They've been good in the past, but the current names on the roster aren't really this good. I can feel happy for the fellow Finn Kari Lehtonen in the goal. Finally playing healthy for a longer stretch and hopefully going through the whole season without surgical operations. Brad Richards is seriously pumping air in his future contract. If the guy is really this good, everyone wants him. Learn from this on playing the last year of your contracts, kids!
The players then. Sidney Crosby seems to have pushed some extra to leave the Sid-or-Alex discussion behind him. No question, he's the one this season. Hopefully he'll come back from the concussion soon. Superstars keep the game entertaining. Ovechkin has somehow slumped (well, against the expectations at least) with the whole Capitals team. Haven't seen the 8-2, 9-3 scores from them lately, but some grinding of 2-1 victory over the Oilers or something instead. Not impressive victories at all and thus not going to be enough in the springtime. Have to improve. Ovechkin barely leads the shots on goal stats? Alex, everyone expects more. Fill in the buckets of ice for the sore wrists!
Steven Stamkos has proven to be a hell of a sniper. Playing with a great playmaker like Martin St. Louis is definitely a recipe for scoring. Maybe the second half will show some slowing down on this duo, but they'll carry on the impressive start for top-5 finishes in the scoring race if nothing dramatic happens.
Gotta love the Sedin twins. It's hilarious to see these guys post point for point and while competing wich each other, making a serious case for taking over the scoring in the whole league. Semi-casually, low-key, the Swedish way. Those Swedes.. The supporting cast in Vancouver seem to be improving every year too. The energetic defensive forwards have started posting big points and all of a sudden this is the team to beat in the league. Some say that Vancouver is one of the nicest cities in the world, probably the cup wouldn't mind ending up there either.
Well, the defenders then. Hats off to misters Bufyglien and Lidström. Big Dustin is wiping the ice with the rest on the scoring race. And old Nick is as good as new. Those Swedes..
Ohh.. this post is bloating. I'll cut off here and continue with the rest of the observations later on another post. There's plenty to cover, I've built a whopping backlog. Later then.
Phoenix rising
Whoa. It's been a while. I did lost the initial interest in blogging due to the fact that it's pretty hard to get anyone over to read my rants with the amount of data in the Internet. However, to my delight, now that I came back I can see that at least some visitors have passed by. It seems that our friend Google has picked up this blog too and thus it actually can hit some searches on the topics.
So, the rising Phoenix is not as much the one from Arizona, but instead the blogger, yours truly. I'll try to get a grip on this writing business again and come up with some more pseudointelligent analysis at least couple of times a month. The sport of ice hockey is way too exiting to not write about.
Please comment on any of my stuff if you enjoy (hate?) it. That'll definitely boost my appetite to push further.
For anyone ending up on the page looking for some insight in the Coyotes, I'll apologize for the lame chapter following this.
Since the bright moments last season, it seems that the Coyotes have again fallen down to the company of other insignificants. Okay, Shane Doan is posting personal point streak records, goalies are sometimes able to pull the team through some wins. That still won't add up to anything than an early summer vacation. Hopefully the financials get sorted out soon and the team gets some spectator magnets to start up a whole new era of greatness for the franchise. Well, previous being in Winnipeg ages ago with one special Finn entering the career that'll end up as one of all time greats. But this season: you seriously cannot have Keith Yandle as the leading scorer at the half season mark!
So, the rising Phoenix is not as much the one from Arizona, but instead the blogger, yours truly. I'll try to get a grip on this writing business again and come up with some more pseudointelligent analysis at least couple of times a month. The sport of ice hockey is way too exiting to not write about.
Please comment on any of my stuff if you enjoy (hate?) it. That'll definitely boost my appetite to push further.
For anyone ending up on the page looking for some insight in the Coyotes, I'll apologize for the lame chapter following this.
Since the bright moments last season, it seems that the Coyotes have again fallen down to the company of other insignificants. Okay, Shane Doan is posting personal point streak records, goalies are sometimes able to pull the team through some wins. That still won't add up to anything than an early summer vacation. Hopefully the financials get sorted out soon and the team gets some spectator magnets to start up a whole new era of greatness for the franchise. Well, previous being in Winnipeg ages ago with one special Finn entering the career that'll end up as one of all time greats. But this season: you seriously cannot have Keith Yandle as the leading scorer at the half season mark!
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