Keep Your Heads Up, Coyotes. . .

So the season that was successful, ground-breaking, and franchise record
setting, came to a not-so-happy ending for the 2009-2010 Phoenix Coyotes Tuesday night.

So what.

Woah, now, don't confuse the passive attitude with non-interest or disrespect. It's
neither!

Rather I don't want in any way to disrespect the team for all they did this season. To focus on the end and not the journey, in this case, would take away from all they accomplished. (And, man, did they accomplish a lot!)

Look, we'd all be in a much better state of mind if the Yotes powerplay didn't go dry in 5 out of 7 games, if regular season Lee Stempniak didn't forget how to score in the playoffs, and if Shane Doan didn't get so seriously hurt.

But...that's not the way it rolled. Sometimes all good intentions and better teams just don't get you there.

I think the Coyotes played well, and on many nights, as well as they could have. Games 5 and 7 didn't follow that mold. Many people thought they'd go down in 4 or 5 games.

Instead a squad of young, mostly inexperienced players took the two time
consequtive Western Conference champs to 7 games.

Hell, I thought the Coyotes would win in 6 games. Felt very confident in fact. Sometimes the good, and perhaps the better, teams fall.

Just ask Washington.

____________________________


Anyway, think of the positives of the playoffs.

Shane Doan got back there. True it was only for 2+ games and he was severely injured. But think back to game 1. When he was told to have fun before game 1 he said, "don't worry I will," with his trademark, glorious Doan-ish smile.

Keith Yandle took a big step towards joining the next ranks of breakout defensemen in the league. His game 1 performance was dominant. The only bad news, he won't be a silent weapon much longer. He's too good.

Matthew Lombardi and Martin Hanzal stepped up in the faceoff circle. Vital parts of this team. Hanzal, in fact, had a masterful performance, even in games the Coyotes did not play well. Guy is sometimes a little penalty prone, but he is young and learning.

Ilya Bryzgalov may not have had his best games at all moments but the guy
carried the team as best he could when the once steady, well-disciplined
defense in front of him fell. He will only grow from this. He's too good a goalie to not get the chance to experience more playoffs and improve in big games.

And Petr Prucha, the oft-scratched, rarely counted upon in do-or-die situations in the past (well, at least in New York), had the best night in his young playoff career in Game 3. A key assist on his tempo-setting first shift, a goal that undressed 6-time Norris winner Nick Lidstrom, and a well deserved first star of the game honor. All on a nationally televised game. And when their captain was injured, it was #16 that skated with Lombardi and Woltek Wolski. Think someone has gotten
their confidence back?

Anyway, I think we should focus on that. Not the powerless powerplay, not the
defensive lapses, not the things we can't control. (And that seemingly the team could not control either).

They got a taste now. They will be hungrier next year. Get the nerves out of their system now, and work to fix what they can - like the powerplay. This team will be in good shape. I'm confident.

And the cool thing about it all. They did get there. It may not have been MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, but it was mission accomplished.

A team no one thought would even contend - did. And they did all of their fans proud - the fans that have supported for years, the fans in Phoenix, and the fans from afar. They did us proud.

So bravo to them. And thank you. I don't think we'll ever forget this season in the desert. It was truly something to marvel at and there are no words to describe how happy I was and satisfied I am to have been one of the many taking their journey with them.

Thank you, 2009-2010 Phoenix Coyotes. We'll see you next season.

Speaking of Petr Prucha. . .

He nets an assist on the franchise record quickest goal in playoff history 29 seconds in, plays on fire all night, and, oh yeah, scores the game winning goal - as the Coyotes beat Detroit in Game 3 of their best of 7 series. He was named #1 Star of the Game!

=)

Here are some photos. And a link to a great article on nhl.com. Get the Hankies out. (Again, not Lundqvist here).

"I finally have my spot in the lineup," said Prucha, who had 30 goals for New York in 2005-06 and 22 the following season before falling out of favor with the coaching staff. "It's always good to feel that you're important for the team and you can make something on the ice. I feel great."

"That was huge," Prucha said. "First shift, we had a 1-0 lead so we calmed down a little bit and took the momentum from them. We just kept going."

"That line, they compete hard, they do good things with the puck," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said. "When they chip in with some goals, that's really a bonus. They play against top players all the time. They're a group that really works well together."

"He's been a very good player for us all year," Tippett said. "I thought the last couple of weeks of the (regular) season and the first three games of the playoffs, he's been very good. Great work ethic. He's relentless on the puck, and that's what we need from that whole group."

"It's great for our confidence," Prucha said. "They stole one game from us in our house, and now we were able to do it in their house and we still have one more opportunity to do it one more time."

Confidence, right? All about a little confidence. =) *Oh and you are always a Star to us, Pete!




Go Yotes Go!

Why To Root For Phoenix/Coyotes Preview. . .

Phoenix Coyotes Preview!

Okay, as if it hasn't been alluded to enough on twitter and here - the
Coyotes are a great story.

An outstanding story.

A phenomenal story.

Ask anyone - okay almost anyone - to predict this team would have the year
they did. And they'd be lying if they said they knew.

This is a small rundown of what they did.

Team:
107 points(4th)
50 Wins (4th)
29 home wins (Tied for 3rd in league with Chicago, behind Washington and Vancouver)
9 game winning streak - tying a franchise record
36-3-3 record when scoring 1st goal (amazing!)

Best of the Best:
Goals - Vrbata (24)
Points - Doan (55)
Assists - Doan (37)

Bryzgalov:
42 wins (3rd)
8 shutouts(2nd)
2.29 GAA(6th)
.920 Save% (T-8th)


107 points. (They had 79 last year!)

Good for 4th in the league behind Washington, San Jose, and Chicago. (Last year - they were 25th!)

This is the best season in franchise history!!

Read that again.

Their record against those teams, for those curious. Washington - 1 loss. San Jose - 2 wins, 1 loss, and 3 shootout losses. Chicago - 3 wins, 1 loss. (By the way, each of those three losses was by 2 goals.)

Not half bad.

_________________________________

If you haven't had the pleasure of watching them play, this is how they do it.

Solid goaltending. Defensive zone pressure. Unparalleled puck support.
Scoring from defense, scoring from an unlikely source of players. A team
concept. A true team support system.

In short, and since 1994, the most complete team I've had the pleasure of
watching.

The coolest part? They play so well so often. They are that good. Even cooler? When they aren't playing good enough - they don't need to be told. They know it, and they work to correct it.

Refreshing isn't it?

There are no superstars here. There doesn't need to be. They have an arguable candidate for best captain in the league, a Vezina worthy goalie, and a guy who is all but assured of the Jack Adams as coach.

But they have something else. Something perhaps intangible. This us-against-the-world. This pack mentality. This if you score I am as happy for you as if it had been me deal. A true sense of team. Of having everyone's back. Of the greater good of the team.

I figure I watched in full around 60 games, but part of around 78 this season. So I
feel I know this team well enough to speak to them.

The reasons I think they can and will beat Detroit are:

1) They never give up. This team has been down 2, 3, 4 goals and they've come back. And its not as if this was once or twice in October. All season. They can never be counted out.

2) There is always someone to step up. When Upshall went down, Vrbata
stepped up. When he slowed down, Lombardi picked up his game. When scoring slowed overall again, Lee Stempniak showed the world their is life beyond Toronto. This team may not have scored the most goals, but they've had the most balanced scoring in what they've had. True getting it done the team way.
_________________________

Look, is playing Detroit my favorite matchup for the Coyotes? No. But not my least favorite. That would have been Vancouver. As good as the Coyotes have been Vancouver has made them look not as good on given nights. But Detroit is still Detroit, I'm not so blind to see that.

However, I really feel people easily dismissing this team are looking at how great Detroit has been (and still is) and forgetting just how good the Coyotes are.

And yes, the Coyotes have not done this - this playoffs thing - as a team. But I think the most important thing is that their heads be in the right place. I trust Shane Doan. I trust Adrian Aucoin. I trust Dave Tippett. I trust these guys will help keep the younger guys in check.

One game does not a series make.

I think Detroit will get a game or two in there. It may even be tonight because it may just be "TOO MUCH" for the Coyotes in Game 1 with the crazy home crowd and the first White Out in way too long.

But the other thing I alluded to about the Coyotes. If they make mistakes tonight, they will come out a better team for it on Friday night for Game Two.

_______________________

Coyotes fans, enjoy and embrace. Your team is phenomenal and I've loved being able to root for them on this journey! Rangers fans, when you are done rooting against New Jersey (or Philly), Pittsburgh, etc, root for the Coyotes! They are the feel good story of the year.

One last thing and then we'll drop the puck. Why not the Coyotes?! Even if you don't think they have ANY chance of beating Detroit....has this team not obliterated everything almost every person thought of them THIS ENTIRE YEAR!?

Why not them?!

Why not the Coyotes?!

Join the Pack! ~ Go Coyotes!

Let the playoffs begin!

Thoughts on the Rangers and Coyotes. . .

Too much to type on Twitter right now, so the blog lives for a night.

Tonight was the first night, for sure, that I thought the Rangers were done. Over. Finished. Kaput.

No lack of credit to St. Louis, but there was no reason, to me, the Rangers couldn't have gotten it done. And had they come out big after Drury's criticism of the team's "maturity" level after Tuesday's Habs diabacle, I thought maybe - maybe! - they'd have a shot.

But they didn't.

Hank looked shaky. The team failed to score 5 on 3. The team scored 3 goals and did not win. And after they scored their 3rd goal to tie, they gave up the go-ahead goal less than 2 minutes later.

Sound familiar?

A tale too often told at the Garden.

And one fans just do not want to hear, see, live.

And yet, they do. We do. I did.

I don't know what to say to it. Hank has kept the Rangers in games they should not have been. But tonight, he wasn't sharp.

The Rangers woes are the same they've had most of the season, save a few games. They can't score when they should. They can't hold a lead (or in this case tie). Their defense is pedestrian, at times.

I want this team to make the playoffs, surely. But they HAVE to win. They HAVE to do something about it. They CAN'T LOSE their way to the playoffs. They don't have that LUXURY this year.

So the NYRs wait until Sunday when they face off against the team they are trying to displace - Boston.

A very, very interesting and IMPORTANT matchup Sunday has turned out to be.

Look, I'm a Rangers fan. I will always hope they figure it out and find a way. I just think the chances got a lot slimmer tonight. I just don't feel there is any magic left. Sadly.


THE YOTES-

Which brings me to - the Phoenix Coyotes.

I know some people probably have no idea why I am so happy for this team. Although to me it's very clear. My favorite player got exiled there. Exiled to a team that had an uncertain future. But a team that, we have seen, is a very VERY VERY very legitimate team.

And as much as I root for his team because it is HIS team, I have grown to love this team. I think I respect Shane Doan more than almost anybody in this entire league. I think Bryzgalov got over-shadowed in Anaheim and finally - finally! - has been given his own true chance - and lived up! I think it's BRILLIANT - (and feels like it was done once, once, upon a time in New York. Cough 2005-2006) in New York?) - to have a plethora of Czechs on your team.

I also think they are a true example of a team. They never quit. They can be down 4-0, 3-0, 4-2 late in the game, and they keep going. They believe they can, and very often, they can. They rally around one another, in defeat, and in glory. They have unlikely heroes - like Aucoin and Korpikoski in the shootout, Lee Stempniak - the guy who just joined the team at deadline and has contributed significantly to their offense after it.

They do not score a ton - they score as a team. They display amazing puck support in a pack mentality way, and they make up for one another's errors. They have one of the most defensively strong games I've ever seen - and yet they are anything BUT boring.

Sure, the Coyotes have lost games 4-0, 3-0, but those are the extreme minority. They've shown they can win in almost every way - tonight's come from behind 4-3 SH win, as an example.

This team is 33-3-2 when they score first. (Read that again please). 33-3-2. Anyone in any phase, stream of life, wishes they had that type of consistency.

The Coyotes do.

And I'm proud of them.

I am a Rangers fan, promised in my heart years ago, and I will not relent.

BUT, I have never, ever, been the person that cannot hope, want, wish, and enjoy good for other teams. And if there is any team that I get to do that for - it's that team in the desert.

The team that since one Pete Prucha got traded last March, I followed more closely. The team that I followed even when he didn't play. The team that has now stopped being made up of Vernon Fiddler, Taylor Pyatt, Radim Vrbata, and NOW, to me, is made up of Fiddy!, Py-Py, and Vrby!

I do love this team. If Pete does not remail after next year (although I hope with all my heart he does, because they love and appreciate him) - I care for this team and know more about this team and its players that ANY team I've followed during the last 16 years save the Rangers. And the NYRs have left a lot of room for following other teams, especially come playoff time. This is the closest I've ever gotten to another "love."

Again, take nothing from New York. I'll love them forever. But loving the Coyotes too - means I get to feel more of that passion. And I need that. I love and appreciate that.

Tonight, the Coyotes set a franchise record for wins in a season with 44. Congratulations to them. A team that I, even despite the love, didn't think had it in them, even though I hoped and (biasedly) felt they maybe did. They are amazing, and wonderful, and I am proud to have followed them 99% of the time since March of 2009.

Bandwagon? It's been said.

Us Prucha fans jumped on before their was such a thing.

And we love #16.

But we LOVE them all! All those in maroon and white. All those in the desert. We support...and we believe.


_______________________________________________________

P.S. 1 - Why - Why? - does it seem all these young college basketball athletes get it. Get the fleeting joy, the startling defeat, more than the hockey professionals. The joy, the sorrow, on their faces. That is what I love about sports. I miss the innocence. I really do.

P.S. 2 - I am sincerely and with extreme regret, sorry this blog has been so dark. I won't make promises for this season. I've been very busy, and very distracted. But...I am sorry. And I hope - hope! - going forward into the summer and next year, that it will be regularly updated once again. Who knows? Way things look, it may be an unofficial Coyotes board come playoff time! ;)

Rangers/Coyotes Preview. . .

Well, for those who read NHTProductions (those who have stuck through the time where the blog has been dark) they know we don't do game previews here. It's just never been a part of the lineup.

However, considering these are my teams, the two teams I watch night in and night out, I thought I'd take a few minutes and preview tonight's tilt in the desert between the New York Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes!

RANGERS:
Last 10: 3-6-1, Lost 4
Road Record: 12-10-3
Conference Standing: 9
Division Standing: 4
Goals For: 138
Goals Against: 150
Most Goals: 29 (Gaborik)
Most Points: 61 (Gaborik)
Top Goalie Stats: Hank - GAA: 2.40, S%: .920, Wins: 22, SH: 2


COYOTES:
Last 10: 5-4-1, Won 2
Home Record: 20-8-2 (3rd best behind VAN, CHI)
Conference Standing: 4
Division Standing: 2
Goals For: 147
Goals Against: 141
Most Goals: 18 (Upshall)
Most Points: 39 (Doan)
Top Goalie Stats: Bryz - GAA: 2.35 S%: .918, Wins: 28, SH: 5


Since losing 3 games in a row earlier this month, the Coyotes have won five of their last seven games, including four of their last five at home.

After winning two in a row and scoring a combined 14 goals in those games two weeks ago (v. MTL and TBL), the Rangers have dropped four straight, two at home and two on the road.

The Coyotes had a thrilling 5-4 comeback win on Tuesday night versus Detroit. They trailed 4-2 late in the game, but scored two goals in the final 1:30 to tie the game. Captain Shane Doan then won the game on a beautiful goal against Jimmy Howard in overtime.

The Rangers had what many would argue was one of their poorest efforts versus Carolina on Wednesday night. They generated just four shots in the first, and went down 2-0 in the games beginning minutes. After scoring to make it 2-1 early in the second, the Rangers gave up the 3rd Carolina goal just 41 seconds later, putting the game handily out of reach.


THE SKINNY:

The Rangers are fundamentally unsound. They shocked everyone by scoring 14 goals in those two combined games versus Montreal and Tampa Bay but since their 3-1 win in Boston on January 10th, they've been shut out FOUR times, and have scored only four goals in their other three games, all losses. They think the West coast trip is coming at the perfect time, but the Rangers have not shown to be good on West Coast trips in recent memory. Avery talks about needing to get the team on the same page, and Prospal talks about needing to practice more. The main problem is that they can't score, and if Gaborik isn't scoring, which he hasn't been, this team has proven exactly what they are: not good enough.

The Coyotes, after struggling in early January and seeing the brilliant Ilya Brzygalov become slightly less brilliant, have looked much better as of late. For those that don't know them, they don't score tons (although they have scored more than the Rangers) but they play as a team, and get goals when needed, from different sources in different games. They play tight defensively, provide strong puck support, and play a team game that doesn't give opposition much room to move. If they get down, they feel they can come back (ie: Tuesday's game versus Detroit, and a game against the Islanders where they trailed 4-0 and came back to get a point). Even more so, when they do things wrong and they don't play "Coyotes hockey," they know it and they don't need to be told what to correct. They are the team that everyone (almost) was surprised about and that no one expected to still be around, but they are. Their biggest difficulty will be if leading scorer and team leader Scottie Upshall is out for any length of time.


FORMER RANGERS:

Korpikoski scored both Phoenix goals in Phoenix's loss to the Capitals a week ago, and was one of two Coyotes to score in the shootout win versus Calgary Thursday night. He's been what Don Maloney calls one of his nicest surprises. He's not flashy, but he's good on the PK, strong on the puck, and has gotten A LOT of big shootout goals for the Coyotes this season.

Team favorite Petr Prucha has been a big part of Phoenix's top line this season. Often matched against the other teams best lines, they play shutdown, in addition to providing much needed offense. Vrbata is second in goal scoring with 16, and Prucha is 4th with 11. It really has been a resurgence for the former Ranger in Phoenix as he has scored more goals than he did in any season since 06-07 and has seen his shooting percentage rise to it's highest point in the last three seasons. A renewed confidence has shown in increased puck control, cycling, and something that may surprise Rangers fans: faceoffs. Prucha takes a good amount of his lines faceoffs, even with having someone like Martin Hanzal, on his line and has done well enough to be called upon more as the season has progressed. A smile always on his face, he's fit in well and easily with his hard-working team in Phoenix.

Rangers draft-pick Jason LaBarbera (3-4-1 in 10 games) will get the start for the Coyotes tonight against his former team.


FINAL THOUGHTS:

Overall, nothing looks overly promising about the Rangers road trip into the West against three really tough opponents that begins tonight. This could be a blowout game for Phoenix if their sticks are hot, and even if they aren't, the Rangers haven't exactly proven they can light the lamp recently, so this may prove to be a 2-1, 2-0 type game in the end.


WHO AM I ROOTING FOR?:

Well I can't be disappointed EITHER way, but I think the one thing all Prucha fans can hope for is that he has a great game against his former team. A hat trick would be the ultimate, but any goal would be nice.

Honestly, if it's a good game, as good as I've hoped it'd be all season as I looked forward to it, I'll be happy.

Yotes: Prucha on the Rise. . .

Helmet tip to the good folks at 5-hole.com for putting together a "Prucha Goal Watch" on their site. I was going to do the same, but you know what they say about great minds...

Anyway, in all its glory, you can view Prucha's 9 - count 'em 9 - goals so far this season - Prucha Goal Watch!

In short, and this will be short, I've kept up with the Coyotes about as much as any Rangers fan in New York could. I watch all the games I possibly can (probably 95% so far in some capacity) and even if I miss, make sure I watch Prucha's shifts on the games I Tivo.

My conclusion:

The kid is okay.

He's more than okay.

He's great.

What started after trade deadline last season - a quiet, slow, building of confidence with puck carrying, movement in the offensive zone, using the boards, etc - has now grown into the most full out confidence I've seen from the Czech forward in, well, let's just say way too long.

The Coyotes system is perfect for a guy like Pete. Not saying other ones wouldn't be, but this certainly has given him an opportunity to play a role and be productive, even if he doesn't score.

Coyotes players swarm, provide excellent puck support to one another. If one guy loses it, someone is right behind them.

Prucha works in this. He's the type of player that if he loses the puck, he does everything to get it back, and to his credit, he very often does. Now, he gets it back for teammates too. He backchecks and often is caught making a great defensive play because he's so fast (you listening TR?). On the powerplays he and his Czech mates create a great down low cycle on the puck.

It's refreshing. Truly refreshing.

But the biggest difference as of late - two lovely and glorious goals earlier in the season: one on butt, one on stomach, notwithstanding - has been his ability to do all the above AND shoot the puck.

When Prucha scored his 8th of the season versus Vancouver on 12/29, he had scored more goals than any year since 2006-2007 when he scored 22. And his shooting % was higher than it had been since then as well.

Earlier in the year, he was getting robbed by goalies, literally highlight reel robs.

But he didn't quit. Like we'd expect any differently? Please.

He never quits.

So he stuck with it and he's now shooting, and shooting with a confidence. The more goals he scores, the more the confidence rises.

His goal versus Edmonton on Tuesday, versus former coach Tom Renney, was another example of such. He was passed the puck in the slot and he shot, without thinking, just shot. Puck in net. Goal #9 on the year.

It's refreshing he's shooting. It's wonderful he's scoring.

But best of all, it's just the best thing in the world that he's happy and he's playing.

Good stuff in the desert. And #16 is a big part of that.

Thoughts As We Close Out the Year. . .

So far this hockey season, there've been some cool things going on, and some not so cool things. When I think back on the first part of the 2009-2010 season, these are some things that come to mind:

* Injures. Injuries to key players. Freak injuries.

* Teams like Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Colorado being among the Western elite, while perennial favorite Detroit struggles.

* Carolina going from being a super hot playoff team in May to pretty much being out of playoff contention already the following fall.

* The non-surprises among the league's leading scorers to date, like Ovechkin, Crosby, and Thornton (most points since 2005-2006 season by far), coupled with the one Rangers fans were praying would be included but didn't know for sure - in Gaborik -, and the outright surprises: can you say Tomas Plekanec?

* Players hitting milestones, like Brodeur finally (seriously finally) passing Terry Sawchuk, and as recently as Shane Doan's 1,000th game. Both players hit their milestones having played ALL games with their respective teams, which is commendable.



And on a personal level with my favorite team and one of my favorite teams to follow:

* The Rangers had one of their typical years. Start fast, get hopes up, come back down to Earth (crashing actually), and slowly pick up the pieces amid a winter doldrum. But you know what. Screw it. I like this team. I like this team better than I liked last years team. Yeah, the captain may lack some sense of captain gene (although he does have five points in his last five games!), the team is still saddled and inevitabley ruined by contracts bigger than Sather can count to, and they still throw out crap efforts against teams (*cough* Islanders) they should be psyched to play.

BUT - they've got a goalie who wears his heart on his sleeve. Win, lose, shootout - don't tell me that Hank doesn't care. They've got Marian Gaborik, a healthy Marian Gaborik, who is as advertised and more, dazzling us fans with his every move. We've got a young defense corp, the youngest being a 19-year-old Del Zotto who makes me pray to everything holy that he never leaves the red, white, and blue. And you have a mix of Avery (even if he needs to mix it up more), of Prospal (the steal of the year), and Artem Anisimov (who I am so excited to see come into his own). It's a great team - well maybe not a great team - but my team and for the most part, they are SO much more fun to watch than last year.


And as for the Coyotes, if there was ever going to be any good coming from my favorite player being traded, it was the pleasure I'd had in following my adoptive team. I miss Prucha being in New York, surely, but nothing has made me happier than seeing a once confident and happy hockey player I so loved watching AGAIN BE that confident and happy hockey player. Nothing brings me such joy.

As a bonus, I've gotten to watch a team that I have really grown to like over the last nine months have a really kick butt first half of their season. They have the right mix, the right players, and the right system for the players to buy into. Credit management, credit coaching, credit anyone - but they are incredible and they are fun to watch.

I never contemplated being a fan of two different hockey teams to such an extreme. Surely I followed many - the Stars when Pat Verbeek and Manny Malhotra were there, the Sharks when Adam Graves went West, the Maple Leafs back in the early 2000s becauase those were some fun teams to watch. But I can honestly say even though I haven't gotten to watch all the Coyotes games real time, I've Tivoed them all. And since there is no rooting interest of rivalry between the Rangers and Coyotes, I pretty much want them to win each and every night. It may have started for Prucha, but it grew into a genuine love and appreciation for this team. And it opened up a whole new group of Twitter/blog friends, who I enjoy sharing the experience with, countries apart.

Hockey is for everyone, they say.



____________________________________________

Lastly, I haven't put much stock into this End of the Decade stuff, but...since it's floating around, I'll put in a few of my best and worst memories of hockey during this time. It's a hard task and I'll forget tons, but it's been a remarkable 10 years for the best sport in the world. So glad to be fan!


Best Memories:

- Messier returning to the Rangers in 2000. He ended up where he was supposed to be.

- The FLY Line

- The 2002 Olympic games - the most enjoyable I've ever seen.

- The game at the Garden on November 5, 2003 when Messier passed Howe in points. He needed two points to do so and ended up scoring two goals, the second being an empty netter with less than 5 seconds to go. I remember sitting there, numb, just knowing when he got the puck that he was going to do it, right then and there. That was, probably, my only moment of seeing live what was the once (and on some level always) great Messier having one of the great moments he seemed built for.

- Watching Jagr and Prucha, et al, during the 2005-2006 season, my favorite season to date.

- Jagr eclipsing Rangers records for goals 54, points 123, and Prucha getting 30 goals as a rookie, and a record 16 power play goals, that year.

- Seeing Jagr's hat trick, in Pittsburgh, at Mellon arena, in a 6-1 Rangers win over the Penguins in 2005.

- Seeing what I thought was a fantastic 7 game final between Carolina and Edmonton, led by an unsung hero in goal for Edmonton in Jussi Markkanen.

- Starting to listen to the Team990 in Montreal one boring day at work early in 2007 and being blessed with entertainment for the last almost three years.

- Roszival's OT winner at the Garden versus Buffalo in Game 3 in 2007. (The most important a game has felt in the Garden in a long time).

- Jagr's masterful performance in Game 4 versus the Penguins on Garden ice in the second round of the playoffs 2008.

- Getting to see five retirement ceremonies during the decade - Richter, Messier, Leetch, Graves, Howell and Bathgate.

- The 100 year ceremony in Montreal on December 4th. That may have just been one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

- Even though it's early, getting to watch Marian Gaborik play night in, night out. Rangers fans were blessed, BLESSED, with Jagr. We are now getting to be blessed twice.

- The pleasure of getting to watch some of my favorite non Rangers, like Trevor Linden, Mike Modano, Alex Ovechkin, Pat Kane, et al, play hockey.


Worst Memories:

- Richter's consequtive knee injuries and concussion and the inevitable end to a great career.

- The day Manny Malhotra was traded.

- The day Brian Leetch was traded.

- The day they announced they were cancelling the season on 2/16/05.

- The day the Rangers signed Chris Drury and Scott Gomez because every team needs two incredibly overpriced and very often useless centers.

- The day the Rangers let Jaromir Jagr walk even though he and Hank rebuilt this franchise from disaster.

- The day the Rangers signed Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival to the mind-numbingly stupid contracts.

- The day the Rangers traded Petr Prucha.

- The day the Penguins won the Cup.

- PJ Stock leaving the Team990. Some of my greatest days were spent listening to him, but may he enjoy the time with his family. Our loss, their gain. All the best to Peej - one of the true GOOD guys!




Again, I'm sure there is more...of course there is, but these were top of mind. Here's to TONS of wonderful new hockey memories to be shared in the new year and decade to come.

I'll be out of computer range for a few days, although I may tweet from time to time. So as much as this blog has been quiet (continued apologies for that beyond my control and the laziness which was not) it will remain quiet throughout the end of 2009. Hopefully next year, lots more chatter and lots more hockey.


Wishes for a healthy and happy 2010! Thanks for reading! ;)

Peace.

State of the Union at NHTProductions. . .

As we bustle through the season of holiday fun, snow, and hockey, thought I'd take a few minutes out to make another clarification, if I may so bold as to do so.

Last night on my twitter feed I got a comment (we won't say complaint) that I wasn't talking enough about the Rangers and to stop spending so much time talking about the Coyotes.

First I got annoyed. It was very clear from the beginning - to me at least - that even though the Rangers logo appears and that the Rangers are #1 (in our hearts, not in the standings) that Natural Hat Trick Productions was always a hockey blog. A hockey blog with a Rangers flavor and favortism, but a hockey blog.

After the annoyance faded, I actual agreed on some level with the person who commented. I engage in A LOT of Coyote conversation. It's true. And the thought has crossed my mind that someone "following" me may be a little annoyed by it if they follow for "Ranger" or "NHL" news.

However, I can't apologize and I don't think it should have to change.

When the trade that rocked some of our worlds in March sent Petr Prucha - the like him, love him, don't care about him, but don't hate him bundle of energy - to the desert, my rooting interests changed. Or rather were added to.

I'm still a New York Rangers fan. But I had a player I cared about deeply go somewhere else. Somewhere you can't visit all the time. Somewhere that, with a BIG thanks to technology, you can only watch on TV and communicate about on the internet. Thankfully, it's still possible to root. To be a fan.

Thus I found a new team to follow. They don't replace the Rangers. Please. But I'm not one of those people that felt that you couldn't follow other teams when the Rangers weren't playing, or when they were not in the playoffs. I spent years following Dallas, San Jose, and the rest of those perennial playoff teams during the Rangers dark era. I did. And no regrets, and no apologies.

So why should there need to be apologies for spending evenings, late evenings, sometimes til 1am or beyond, chatting with people who like the Coyotes, like the Rangers and watch the Coyotes, or like both? Why? The greatest thing, besides the fact that "pepperpot" gets to play hockey (guess who was on during the last few minutes of a tie game? guess who was taking faceoffs last night?), is that it's opened up a whole new group of hockey friends to share the experience with.

If Prucha does not go to the Coyotes, I may root for them, hope well for them, but I do not watch them, I do not follow them so closely. He went, so I do. But it's really more than him. It is. I always respected Shane Doan. Don't know if it's possible not to. And I wanted well for the team. They are a fun team. A fun group of guys that, perhaps like Pete, did not get the chance to play somewhere else.

And they are doing a fantastic job there. Very enjoyable team to watch. They hustle, they support one another, they almost never back down from a game they are losing in. And I say what I am going to say next with love - they are more enjoyable to watch than the Rangers are right now.


If I'm apologizing for anything here, it's that with watching essentially every Rangers game and every Coyotes game, there has become little to no time for watching any OTHER team. And that does hurt. I have such a devoted interest to all hockey, and on a weekly basis there are many games I wish there was time to watch. I'm apologizing that the "Game of the Week" segment disappeared. I'm apologizing that the Flyers have fired their coach and I still have not seen them play a game yet this year! (Although that one may be on Versus a bit).


Before this "few minutes" gets to be more than it needs to be, the person who made the comment had a point. And while I will not stop at the late west coast hours chatting on twitter with fellow Rangers, Coyotes, and Prucha fans - my advice, btw, is to just ignore my twitter account during those late hours - I can make sure to add some more Rangers content to NHTProductions. Absolutely.

So to the random person who made the comment. Thank you. I won't apologize or change what I am doing regards the Coyotes, BUT, I'll be better about not forgetting my Rangers team either.

Around the League: Some Early Season Surprises. . .

I know it's still early in the NHL season, but there were just some things that you couldn't have possibly predicted happening.

The Good:

-The Avalanche have opened up to a 10-1-2 record with 22 points and are leading the NHL. The Avalanche. Yes, that team from Colorado who went into the season with big goalie questions and in the wake of the retirement of staple and gentlemanly captain Joe Sakic. I believe someone said if you say you saw this coming - you are lying! I very readily admit I picked them to finish dead last in the West. But if they continue at this clip, they may bulk up enough points by Christmas to make that almost impossible. I mean anything can happen (see: quick start in the first place), but you'd have to admit the Avs have a lot to be proud of, the best of which is the play of young kids Ryan O'Reilly and Matt Duchene. Craig Anderson deserves credit as well, but he's less of a shock to me. He was a solid goalie in Florida when called upon too.

-As of today (*pre-tonights games) and despite the blech performance last night on the Island, the Rangers lead the league in goals for, with 47. Read that again if you have to. The masters last season of 2-1, 1-0 wins or losses, they have scored enough goals in the early going to average 3.6 goals per game. Now, that won't last, especially if they turn out crap-fests like they did last night, but for a team that couldn't score, they are getting ice production from the expected in Gaborik, the surprises in Prospal and Kotalik, and the extreme feel-good-story of young d-man Michael Del Zotto. Trust me, losses are a lot easier to take if the team is at least scoring goals and not just letting them in. We've seen the alternative and I'll take losses by way of 6-4, 5-3, just about every time.

The Bad:

-Now I was not one of the people suggesting they'd be a playoff team, but no one could have expected the Maple Leafs would have been this bad out of the gate. Could they? It took them 9 games, but the Leafs finally won their first game of the campaign, 6-3 over Anaheim on Monday. They are 1-7-2 in their first 10. We all predicted they'd have a problem scoring and that they'd spent the majority of the off-season addressing their defensive concerns. Sadly Burke's mixture has not seemed to create anything workable at the moment. Yes, much blame can fall on Vesa Toskala, the once great San Jose backup, who sadly, cannot seem to stop a puck. (For the record, I do not understand what he is going through, but it's upsetting to watch. I really thought he had a chance to rebound this year and this start has to have wiped away any of what little confidence he had left). The other guy I sympathize with is Ron Wilson. Ron Wilson is a smart guy, a smart hockey man, and I feel for him being in this position of what seems like no win. Literally, no win. Komisarek, on the other side of the Habs/Leafs rivalry this season, has been trying everything he can and he can't seem to make a difference. Opening night I thought he endeared himself to the fans with his energy, although at times misguided, but ten games in, he may be wishing he never left the belle province. The good news is that Phil Kessel is coming. The bad news is...it might not make much of a difference.

-In the tale of the second to last conference teams, Anaheim and Florida were both teams I had as being about equal to last year. On a last minute prediction whim, and for lack of other options, I put Florida in the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. Were Chris Pronger and Jay Bouwmeester really that vital to their former teams? In Anaheim, both goalies have GAA's of over 3.00, and their supposed top guys of Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan have not seemed to realize the season has in fact started yet. Niedermeyer, Selanne, and Koivu are a combined -18. As for the Panthers, both goalies have GAA's of well over 3.50, and Steven Reinprecht is leading their team in points with 5-2-7. Stephen Weiss is the only other guy on the team to have more than two goals; he has 3. And with injures a plenty, none looking worse than that to David Booth, I don't know where the help comes from.

The Feel-Good:

-I'm not going to sit here and say I'm either surprised or not surprised with the start the Phoenix Coyotes are having. They are 7-4-0 and have knocked off San Jose, Detroit, Columbus, and Pittsburgh on their way. That's been impressive. Very impressive. Perhaps more surprising than fans could have hoped for. And Ilya Bryzgalov, the other one time super Pacific division backup, is having a masterful start to the season. .917 save percentage and 1.97 GAA are his numbers. (Note, backup Jason Labarbera's are even better at .952 and 1.59). If we're being honest, that part surprised me a bit. Not because they are not capable, but because you just never know what you are going to get with goalies (see: Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur, and Cam Ward - Canada's Team Canada perennials and hopefuls. The guys getting it done for them on the scoresheet are guys you need to be the leaders in every regard - Ed Jovonovski (4-6-10) and captain Shane Doan (3-7-10). Those not appearing on the scoresheet as much are still getting it done on shots, energy, and undeniable work ethic (Upshall, and Czechs - Hanzal, Vrbata, and Prucha). This team had the pieces to be good; I truly believed that. Their fast start is just making those outside of their fanbase take notice of a team that is playing some really good hockey and that deserves every bit of success it has.

Yotes: Some Prucha Return Video Clips From Phoenix Broadcast. . .

Big helmet-tip to Amy Jo over at YotesGurl for these clips. Tell me the first one doesn't make you cry, the second one doesn't make you laugh!

How do you not cheer for the little guy with the big heart?!






There's a phrase that goes something like, mourn not to long that he is gone, but rejoice forever that he was.

Rejoice in that NY had Prucha for 4 wonderful years. And mourn not, because the kid is where he can be happy once again.

Five Things About the Rangers/Yotes Game. . .

With a confused mind and a heavy heart, you get....

* How great for Enver Lisin to get a goal and an assist versus his former team? Good for him for gaining the trust of Torts and being, let's say, much better than in his first handful of games. Guy has a good personality and has gotten some insurance goals for NY. Happy for him to have that moment.

* Important win for the NYRs, any way you slice it. Could not have been good to lose 4 in a row - no matter how many NYR supporters had mixed emotions as their adoptive desert dogs rolled into the Garden tonight. (And yes, I am very much among them.) They needed to get back to what made them good, and I think they made strides in that effort tonight. Have a few games coming up that are very win-able. They need to keep the streak going.

* Another night where Prospal, Kotalik, and Gaborik continued to prove their worth. We knew the potential for Gaborik, but I am happy with the production of Kotalik and Prospal. Even better? They seem to be so happy when they score, when their teammates score. It's a good thing to have a team you feel good about.

* Del Zotto - two more assists. It's too early to even really legitimately contemplate, but the guy is getting serious league recognition for being the offensive-go-to-guy on defense. A brilliant thing, one I don't think we, as fans of the NYR, thought we'd be seeing again so soon. Great story. So proud of such a talented young kid.

* As much as we (me, me, me) wanted Prucha's return to the Garden to be an amazing, unforgettable one, it wasn't much to speak about. During warmups, he tossed some pucks to his fans. He got his very much and always fondly remembered "Pruuuuuus." And he hustled. There is not a game I remember where the little pepperpot did not go-go-go. I wish he scored a goal. Hell, I wish he scored 14 goals. It didn't happen. But it's important that my adoptive Coyote team, like my favorite NYR team, gets back to what got them there in the first place -good neutral zone play, with minimal turnovers. And rock solid goaltending. Here's hoping they do well against Columbus in 2 nights. As much as I looked forward to tonight and wanted the best, I am just as happy it is behind us and I can root for my favorite team, and my favorite team to root for again. It's too hard having them both interconnect.

Til Wednesday...

Why We Root For The Phoenix Coyotes. . .

In anticipation for my favorite team battling my favorite team to root for tomorrow night from the World's Most Famous, I thought I'd take a few minutes to break down just why it's so easy to root for that lovable team from the desert - the Phoenix Coyotes.

To clarify, as much as we'd all love to think that I only started wishing well for the Coyotes when the little pepperpot and my favorite player - Petr Prucha - was traded there last March, that is simply not the case. I'd like to reference my Western Conference Predicitons from last October, where I said:

Coyotes - The desert dogs. Hmm. I really like their chances at being one of those bottom three surprise teams to squeeze into the playoffs. They almost did it last year and I was rooting for them, trust me. I think having Ilya Bryzgalov for a full year in nets might make the difference. He is a premiere goalie when he's needed to be, and I see him really making a difference for this young team. Shane Doan quietly had a big numbers year last year. And never count out Ed Jovanovski to help on the power play. Peter Mueller had an impressive rookie campaign as well. Honestly, I think things are looking brighter in Phoenix and perhaps, bright enough to bring the maroon and white into the promised second season. Out of the could-be-there, these might be my favorites.

So, even long before Prucha started donning maroon and white, I wanted this team to succeed. And why not. What would anyone have against this team?

No one would wish what happened during the tail end of last season, this summer, and the continued ongoing struggles on anybody.

Over the summer, you don't know where you are going to be laying your head come the fall.

If you work on the organizational side, there's the very real fear that the team, your job, is not going to exist in a few months.

If you are a free-agent, do you want to stay there, do you want to go play there?

If you've been there all your career - do you know what you are going home to? Where home is even going to be?

And if you are a fan - is your team going to be there tomorrow? The team you love and root for? Or are they going to go the way of the Nordiques, the Whalers, the ....Jets?



Nope, I don't wish that on anyone, but that's exactly what the fans, players, and members of the Coyotes organization had to endure and in many ways they still very much do.

The season has started, of course, and they can focus on the statistics of on-ice performance, but the underlying problems and fear don't go away just because it's not front page league news anymore.

Try to imagine it, if you will. As a New York Rangers fan, I'll admit, it's hard. It's no secret the league doesn't like the Rangers (and no, not talking about a conspiracy here, but rather Bettman's hatred for the way the Rangers don't want to play by the lets-all-do-things-the-same-way rules).

But despite that, there's never been one moment in my entire hockey life where I didn't feel 100% certain that I'd have my favorite team around to root for - the next season, 10 seasons from now, 60 years from now.

Teams like the Rangers - baring anything totally beyond comprehension, they are here to stay. Original Six teams with rich history and fans than span generations. Traditions from decades of another lifetime. The Rangers were always here. They always, it seems, will be here.

Other fans of other teams are not so lucky. I think some people, in their ignorance or bliss, fail to realize that. They jest about the relative lack of fans in Phoenix/Glendale, but they are simply unable to put themselves in the shoes of the fans that do exist. The fans that are simply not sure what the future will bring.

I can certainly sympathize. And I know I am not alone. I can't imagine what it would be like to not have my favorite team around.

The Coyotes have been in Phoenix for 14 years. 14. That's longer than some of us may have even been fans of our own teams, I'm sure.



But that's not why we root for them. Not exactly. And again, no, it's not for #16.

It's something the players have alluded to. It's something they realize as the great truth.

They, as players, can only control one thing. How they play the game on the ice. They can control their work ethic, their attitude, their conditioning, and the way they do their job.

No, they cannot control every goal scored for or against, every win or every loss. But they can go out there and know they are all fighting for the same thing. The same goal. Winning. Playoffs. Giving the fans that do exist and that do love the team, giving them something to cheer about.

And the 2009-2010 Phoenix Coyotes are doing that in spades. Their best start since the 2000-2001 season. 6-3 on the season, and a recent 4 game winning streak - they are playing strong and playing where it counts.

A 3-0 win in Pittsburgh against the defending Stanley Cup champions got some league attention, for sure, but it's been the consistent work ethic and never-say-done attitude that has propelled the Coyotes to such an impressive start.

An attitude by a GM who said, we're not just keeping warm bodies here, we're showing everyone we have what it takes and we are playing to win.

An attitude from a new coach that has something to prove and whose style of play may just be the perfect remedy for this team.

An attitude by a goalie once heralded the best of backups who needs desperately to be the guy to stand behind a sometimes low scoring team.

An attitude of a captain who has never said a bad word, is the perfect role model for both young and old teammates, and who deserves success perhaps more than any other.

An attitude, that is shared, seemingly, by every person that dons that sweater.



For many reasons they came to Phoenix, but for one reason they are standing together.

What better story than this team proving to everyone that picked them to finish 30 of 30, to everyone that never gave them any chance to be a decent team, let alone a
good team, that they are better than most peopled wanted to give them credit for.

What better story would there be, I ask, than this team doing well. Than this team controlling the ONE thing they can control.

That's why we root for the Coyotes. I know that's why I do.

Yotes: And Prucha Ties It. . .

Apparently another gutsy play but the good guy -

My Game of the Week ~ Blue Jackets/Coyotes. . .

You may have wondered why it was Saturday and there had not been a "My Game of the Week" post, but...come on...you seriously cannot be surprised that this, the highly talked about homecoming of the Phoenix Coyotes team, would be my game of the week.

Not that I wouldn't have been watching anyway, but all this meant is that I was not flicking to other games. (Note to self: scheduling MGOTW on a Saturday will not be a normal thing - too many other games went unseen today).

Anyway - here you have the random thoughts of the night as they were jotted down by NHTP. Please note, this was the Columbus broadcast of the game on Fox Sports.

*Columbus team was very complimentary of Phoenix, Shane Doan, and Peter Mueller. Said they were not getting enough credit for what has been a very good start.

*Because of the Columbus broadcast, I did not get to see the opening intros, sadly. They did however say the building was "electric" and it was great to see the Coyotes using their situation as a rallying cry.

*The anthem was one of the best renditions of the American national anthem I have heard in a while. Very moving.

*When I saw Prucha on the bench I did in fact scream. It's a weird relationship we have with athletes, through the glow of TV or the space of an arena. And having a favorite athlete is something even more difficult to describe. I was devastated he was hurt and wanted so badly for him to be able to be a part of this. There is such a personal connection to some players and, for me, Prucha is one of those you can't help but want to cheer for. It was a big sigh of relief when he threw a hit and completed his shift.

*Phoenix, they say, has more leadership on D this season, with a sprinkling of young talent up front. The average age of the Coyotes is now 28. Maloney has done a good job to make the team more well rounded and slightly older.

*Among tonight's scratches, former Ranger Lauri Korpikoski. "Good little player, guy will fit right into the system here with Dave Tippet. Good speed."

*Upshall absolutely nailed Tyutin with a hit that brought the crowd up.

*The All-Czech line for the Yotes tonight was Prucha, Lang, and Vrbata. They talked about the "glorious opportunities" they had Wednesday in Pittsburgh. They have "good puck control and they love to score goals." Yes, they do!

*I'm not sure if Mikeal has changed the pronunciation of his name but all night it has been Bod-i-ker to the Columbus group.

*Tonight was the 3rd home opener Columbus participated in. San Jose, Vancouver and now Phoenix. Ken Hitchcock called it "the third circus."

*Easy goal for Rick Nash on a tic-tac-toe play. He has made a good career of playing against this Coyotes team. (Just remember than goal in January of 2008 that made highlight reels!)

*Stat #1 - Most Road Goals in 2008-2009. Nash/Parise/Vanek all had 23. Eric Staal and Ovechkin had 22.

*Winnik and Fiddler were so close on a short handed chance. Fiddler then got high sticked. "Fiddler went down like he was shot." "Went down like there was a sniper up here in the press box." "A Fiddler in Nashville. How beautiful is that." hehe

*I realize I still like Columbus and will root for them to do well. But it is just plain odd to not see Manny Malhotra on this team. I still don't get that one.

*Columbus liked the Phoenix situation to a "soap opera that has now gone the other way." They said - again - Maloney has done so much to get some positives here by piecing together players.

*Kristian Huselius favorites - Athlete: Roger Federer, Vacation Spot: Paradise Island, Food: Filet Mignon

*Fiddler took down Nash after a faceoff. Nash continued yapping at Vernon from the bench.

*Okay, if anyone can explain the girls in red feathered outfits on the ice during the intermission, I'd be much obliged.

*If you can believe it, 7 years ago today Rick Nash scored his first NHL goal. They showed an interview clip of him. He wanted to stay in Columbus because he loves the city, the organization, and he felt "unfinished business." Wants the fans to get to experience more of playoff hockey. He really wants to be "the leader to lead it."

*Nash also said he thinks it's good to have more young players be captains in the league because the league is so young and he feels it may be easier for young kids to talk to a younger captain, and that it's easier for him, as a young captain, to relate. I hadn't really thought about it that way at all. Interesting take.

*Stat #2 - Highest +/- since 2007-2008 season. Pavel Datsyuk +74, Nicklas Lidstrom +72, Duncan Keith +64, Jan Hejda +48, Johnny Oduya +46. They said how Hejda is underappreciated in the league. That may be true but personally I'm still trying to figure out how Johnny freakin' Oduya is on this list!

*I don't know if the PHX team is nervous but they are not looking insync. Their powerplay (they had tons on the night and even 5-3 time) is better than it shows tonight.

*Prucha tap tap taps his stick to the ice to try to trick the Columbus player into giving up the puck. I've seen him do it before. Didn't work, but it's a clever try.

*"Jackets are all over them like a wounded Coyote right now." Umm, yeah...

*83% of texters to the Columbus broadcast think Rick Nash will score more than 40 goals this year. I am not going to bet against him for that.

*Garon has been THE difference in this game, especially on the PK. He has made so many saves, some very good. The best one, "a game saver" on Martin Hanzal while the Coyotes were shorthanded. "Gotta be good to be lucky." Garon was both tonight.

*Adrian Aucoin breaks his stick in anger after Umberger is able to put in the empty netter to seal the game.

*Garon stopped 36 shots and got a shutout in his debut with Columbus.

*The announcing team called this the first win over Phoenix in 2 seasons. Which confused me because maybe they didn't win last year, but that game between these two teams where Nash had THAT goal I was talking about - Columbus did win that game and that was January of 08. So...?

*Although the real 3 stars of the game were Garon/Brzgalov/Nash, the Columbus broadcast gave Upshall the 3rd star for "heart and soul" and bringing "a lot of energy to the team."


Overall thoughts - the game was hyped. I heard the atmosphere was electric. Unfortunately that did not come across on TV. It was a good broadcast, but there was nothing special. It was very slow moving for me. A lot of that had to do with Garon and the Blue Jackets completely taking the energy from the Phoenix team. And that happens. There was nothing much more the Coyotes could do in terms of taking shots - again 36 on the night. You'd like to think one or two would have gone in, but Garon was just a wall tonight.

I wanted better for them, but games like that happen. You run into hot goalies. Either way, a night spent watching hockey is never a night I regret.

Go Yotes!

Yotes: Prucha In Pittsburgh. . .

Well if you thought you knew what was going to happen when the Penguins went into Pittsburgh tonight - think again.

The Coyotes put together a gutsy full team effort and took advantage of a penalty plagued Penguins team to win 3-0 over the defending champs.

Pens announcers on radio and TV kept praising the Coyotes fight, saying they were a complete team, giving the Penguins no time and space to do anything.

The highlight of the night and my early "Goal of the Year" favorite was from a very familiar face. In case you missed, this is what you would have heard:

"Shot taken by Vrbata. The rebound - they score! Petr Prucha scores from his BACK, as he's able to poke it past Brent Johnson to make it 2 to nothing.

Isn't that what Petr Prucha brings you? We've seen it when he was a member of the New York Rangers. Maybe he's not feisty. Sometimes he is and he has been, but he's got great hands.

On the first goal, he was the screen and the second goal he is lying on his kneesand he's able to keep track of the puck as he's knocked down, intertwined with Mark Eaton in front of the cage. Even though he was hog tied, he got it up over the glove of Brent Johnson. It's 2-0 on two powerplay goals by the Coyotes. What a goal!"

"So Petr Prucha is on the board for the first time with the Coyotes this season. That's his 6th goal in 29 games against the Penguins. Doesn't sound like much but I bet if you look he has more goals against Pittsburgh than any other team. He really loves playing against the Penguins.

And maybe the Rangers knew that. They would even plug him into the lineup against Pittsburgh even after he'd been scratched for a several games before that.

Petr Prucha has given the Coyotes a 2-0 lead."

And later on:

"You don't want those two on a 2 on 1. Vrbata and Prucha. They are two of the most talented players on this hockey team. Nice move by Prucha to move it from forehand to backhand."

Ignore the Prucha gushing - okay, don't. relish in it! you know I will! - this was a complete team effort but a team that is not getting enough credit.

I'm thrilled anytime they win. But even more when they win like that. And against the Penguins - a team that under Bylsma has only lost once on home ice. Until tonight that is.

Take them seriously folks. The Penguins are going to.

And the Penguins announcers warned that Phoenix is "making a little bit more noise than people expected."



Damn straight they are.

Playing Catch-up on the Rangers and Yotes and More. . .

*Author's note. Things are still pretty busy and even though I still got to watch some hockey these last few days =) - I was still caught out of computer range for a few days. I hope that'll be temorary, but if there's not as many updates as I'd like to make, that's why.*

So the Rangers opened their season! To a strange pre-game presentation that included Blue Man Group (to which I said ?????) and no player introductions, which I had the following to say about.

Simply it was very Tortorella. Very much how I'd expect him to want this team to be. No names. The name on the front being more important than the name on the back, and all. As much as I always look forward to those pre-game player intros, I didn't mind them playing up the whole one team united angle, if that's what they were aiming for.

The game was good. It wasn't without it's moments, but what game isn't. Del Zotto's gaol was the cherry on top. The fans went nuts for this kid and it was great to see.

Dubinsky appears to be getting showered with boos and not only Doos by the fans, which I guess to some degree is understandable. I'd never deny that considering he was the ONLY guy who could play with Jagr after Nylander was shown the door, that he was one of the most valuable players here, and I know he is worth more than some of the other players on this team (to remain nameless) and that he knows it to, which is why I can't disagree with him on his holding out. It's a players decision and I would never argue for or against, that's all I am going to say.

Except that I don't care what he did as long as he keeps scoring goals. This team needs that!

The powerplay movement has looked better. I mean, truthfully, I'm not going to be so dumb as to say that the powerplay can't possibly be any worse than the previous year - been there, done that, see 08-09 NYRs - but can I just say what a relief it is not to see Gomez, Drury, Naslund, Rozsival, and Redden come over the boards each and every freakin' time.

Whew!

Hank looked brilliant at times last night. Which he'll need to be that and more at times to get the Rangers through the rough patches.

Overall, thought it was a good effort and a good team win.


Yotes/Kings!:

Which brings us to the Coyotes and Kings who opened up their season in Los Angeles. The Kings looked kinda flat and Quick looked rather pedestrian in nets, but damn those Coyotes were flying.

To quote the Kings broadcast team:

"Phoenix is a very fast team. They are going to move the puck around because they skate so well...Phoenix's forwards can absolutely fly."

"Everyone in the NHL can skate, but the Coyotes, they have a speed on their team that is so effective."

"The Coyotes have come to play tonight; that much is obvious."

And it was obvious to me. Maybe, just maybe, they really can use all the horrible drama that has been happening as a springboard to becoming one of the most unified teams in the league.

Boy, would I love to see that!

They got off to a good start last night, being relentless with their puck pursuit.

The pepperpot - Prucha - was hitting like, well, like only he can. Good energy from him and the team tonight. Noticed two things in particular about his game.

One was on a play around 7:40 into the 2nd when he was passed the puck and dodged through what looked like at least two Kings to take a sweeping shot on net. Not really sure how it stayed out but the important thing is his continuation to keep control of the puck and to take the shot. Anything can happen.

And it did on Vrbata's goal, where the Czechs teamed up for some magic. Pete's first point of the season. Smiling I'm sure.

I certainly was.





Around the League:

The big questions/thoughts on my mind.

Umm, Vancouver, two big losses in a row. What happened to the Stanley Cup parade?

Florida looked pretty good overseas, no?

Will this Versus thing get figured out soon? I know a few Rangers fans who are not going to be happy missing the Rangers/Devils game tomorrow?

Ray Emery - legit?

Alex Ovechkin - something to prove? Yikes!

Yotes: Petr Prucha Signs 2-year Deal. . .

Details forthcoming. This was a tag-on to an article about the Steven Reinprecht trade.

Needless to say, I am elated! =) True, he's still far away, but he will get the best opportunity to shine there.

Now, if they could only work out the rest of the hullabaloo going on there.


*Update:



Here's the official announcement on coyotes.nhl.com.

“We are pleased to have signed Petr to a new contract,” said Maloney. “He is a former 30-goal scorer and an emerging young offensive talent who competes hard every night. We look forward to Petr bringing a combination of speed and skill to our lineup.”

I'm not going to go into some long-winded Prucha defense rant. At least not tonight. ;)

But I am going to say that I think this is

a) fantastic news
b) very good for him
and
c) very good for the team

Prucha, in his short time in the desert, brought energy and a fantastic work ethic to the Coyotes club. He was praised by Wayne Gretzky, by the broadcasters, and by his linemates for it.

I personally think that if given a full year, where he can continue to build the confidence that he had started to re-gain, I think he can be a stable, effective player for that team.

Do I think 30 goals is a lofty dream? Yes, perhaps. In my getting to see Pete play in Phoenix, it seemed to me that he'd definitely end up being more of the set-up guy to the Lombardis and the Upshalls than the guy scoring goals on his own.

I truly hope that that line is able to be resurrected in Phoenix next year. They were a joy to watch - three guys completement each other so.

Either way, and regardless of point totals, Phoenix locked up someone today who takes the ice each and every night with the goal of doing all he can do to make his team successful and setting a good example for his teammates.

If only more players looked at the game that way...

Yotes: An Uncanny Trade Deadline Rarity. . .

Darren Pang: "I've never, in all my hockey years, seen three players that came from three different teams be on the same line and have as much chemistry as those three guys right there: Scottie Upshall, Petr Prucha, and Matthew Lombardi. And they stick up for one another. They battle hard for one another. Their on ice synergy is uncanny. You think about it. You are at trade deadline, you bring in three individuals that are all positions that compliment. A left wing, a center, and a right wing and. . .[good natured laughter].

Strader: "Yeah it's incredible."

Pang: "It's uncanny."

You know, it's funny. In the month I've watched Petr Prucha on his new team, I've had similar thoughts. How odd is it to have one of the most consistent lines for the Phoenix Coyotes, be made up of three guys who all came from different teams? It is odd. It is remarkable.

And it's been a pleasure to watch.

Pang: "You see how fundamentally sound that line is. And Petr Prucha makes such great defensive reads. He's always around the puck, always supporting the puck."

Please, seriously, someone go get Tom Renney - RIGHT NOW - and have him read this blog! (kidding, kidding...)


The three of them do have a ton of synergy. A similar mind set. And they come to each other's defense too.

When Pete got knocked into the boards, Scottie Upshall was after the guy smacking him with his stick.

When Gauthier and Upshall (two former Flyer guys) got into a little tussle, it didn't take long for everyone to see the little fireball, Prucha, skate and throw himself onto the pile of guys, coming away with someone.

Pete's the kind of guy that has always done that for his teammates - any of his teammates. This next statement is not a swipe at any Rangers, BUT, it's nice to see his current teammates do the same for him.


Prucha gets smashed again to the boards.

Pang: "He gets hit hard doesn't he, Prucha? And then he just gets right back up."

"All three of those guys - Upshall, Lombardi, Prucha. They get hit, they get up. They go right back to work."

You may ask why I am writing all this, why I continue to keep track so closely of my favorite Ranger departed and where he is now.

I can say, with absolute certainty, that even in the games that the Coyotes have lost, I have had much more enjoyment from watching their team and their effort than I have from watching the Rangers team and effort this spring.

Look, I am - was, always will be - a Rangers fan, but when pepperpot Prucha became a departed Ranger, I got the opportunity to follow a new team. A team that has a lot of young guys, a lot of spark, and are a lot of fun to watch. And Prucha, along with Lombardi and Upshall, have played a BIG part in that. Not just for me, but for Phoenix. They have, all three of them, put up really nice numbers since trade deadline for their new team. And they've looked like they've been playing together for ages.

Which brings me to my next thought. What does it take to get them all to stay there next year? Prucha and Upshall are both RFAs after this season and made comparable money (1.6 versus 1.23 - apx). Lombardi has one year left on a 1.8 million dollar deal after which he is a UFA.

If you are the Phoenix Coyotes, do you want to keep them there? I say, based on what I've seen so far, you'd have to assume yes. Gretzky loves these type of players and while there is a plethora of extra guys, not one of these guys has seen the press box yet.

It's funny too. Strader pointed out a week or so ago that the Coyotes had some 30+ year old vets - the Doans, Klees, Jovos - and some 19 and 20-year-olds - the Turris, Boedker, Mueller crowd - but they lacked anybody in between. That, he said, was another reason GM Don Maloney went after guys like Upshall (25), Prucha (26), and Lombardi (27 ). To provide that balance between the veterans and the rookies. And biased though you may think I am, I think they've filled the role admirably.

So if I'm the Coyotes, I'm thinking yes. I'm thinking these three guys have the right attitude, the right talent, and the right chemistry. And they will not break the bank.

If I'm the players, I say, why not. You fight perhaps your whole career to find chemistry with players. When you get it, you want to hold on to it. If one player makes the others better, and it goes around full circle, you think they'd want to continue that, even for one year, to see how it goes.

Now, that might not be the way all professional athletes do think or will think, but if I were Coyotes management, I'd work hard to make sure all three of these guys were in the desert next season.

**On edit, I just finished skimming/watching the Coyotes/Kings match from Saturday night. Perhaps the first insight into one of the uncanny three's feelings in Phoenix. In being asked about Phoenix and if he's thinking about if he wants to stay next year, Scottie Upshall said:

"This is a great opportunity for us young guys coming in, with a little different atmosphere, more chances to show what you can do. And right now I'm getting to play with some great players and things are good here. I can only say good things about the opportunity I've had and I'm excited about this."

On playing for Wayne Gretzky:

"It helps to have Gretz on the bench patting you on the back when you make good plays and send you out there in key opportunities. It says a lot. I'm excited. I'm back to having fun and playing good hockey."

And there you have it.


**Author's note: Sorry for this being a few days late. Original quotes above were from Phoenix's 2-1 win versus Los Angeles on April 2nd. Following Upshall quote from 4/4/09.**

Rangers in Brief:

In Rangers news, I agree 1000% percent with all Larry Brook's wrote in today's NY Post. I would comment on it, but you know what, he did it perfectly, so I don't need to just yet. I'll bookmark that article and use it when I analyze the Rangers season in a week (or two, or maybe perhaps even three).

Four Games (or More) in Rangerland. . .

I am not really sure what to say about tonight's game. I think the game kind of speaks to the season on a whole, no? Lack of powerplay production and brief lapses in judgement come back to cost the team.

The powerplay has been absymal for an entire season, or two, or three. (But who's counting.) It had a short revival under Tortorella but has since slipped back into its Renney-like ways. I don't even know what to do to correct it, but...it's been a problem for too long. And if the Rangers fail to make the second season, it will be a BIG reason why they do not.

I was listening to a Coyotes broadcast (what, who, me?) and they discussed special teams index. How you add a team's PP and PK numbers to get their STI#. The Rangers - last I checked - were 1st on the penalty kill, and 29th on the powerplay. That makes their STI# a 30 and puts them right smack in the middle of the league. The worst score would be 60. And the best would be 2.

Now, I don't know about you, but I think I'd gladly give up the #1 penalty kill unit for some powerplay production and average out around #10 for each, making a STI# of 20. Anything has got to be better than this.

I talked to my father and said the Rangers have the worst schedule to end the season of anyone in the league. He asked who scheduled the games that way. A fair question, but in this case, a mute point. (Come on, who didn't think the home and home against Philly to close the season was a brilliant idea in October? I thought it would be exciting. I now think I'll be physically ill come April 12th.) However brilliant it once seemed, it does not look so nice, however, when this team, I would guess, needs to win 3 out of its four remaining games, and every game looks like the hardest of the year.

Disaster. They are primed for potential disaster.

What's worse - they put themselves there. With a two month mental break in the middle of the season and one too many la-de-da games against teams they could have and should have beaten cleanly.

I'm not going to say this team is done. They probably played the hottest team in the league right now tonight and they remained close to them until the end. They may have lost this game anyway just because Carolina, is indeed, better.

Perhaps they'll get lucky and win big on Saturday. They may yet surprise us all. Or maybe, instead, only 2 wins will be needed to secure a playoff berth.

But, the point remains, that for a team that started as well as they did, they probably never thought this was going to happen. It shouldn't have happened.

Not blowing that 3 goal lead in Atlanta last week would have been good about now, no?

Not blowing that 4-0 lead against Washington before Christmas would have been good now too!

The points all matter!!

But we can't go back. Well, scratch that, we can and certainly will disect this team's many missteps when the season does end, but they can't. They have to look forward, to four of the toughest games of the year. All must wins for them.

Four games (or more) in Rangerland. . .



Around the League/Yotes:

So last night former Rangers first round draft pick, Al Montoya, did something that is rarely done in the NHL. He not only got the win for Phoenix in his first ever NHL start, but he posted his 1st NHL shutout in the process.

Last person to do so - Mike Smith in 2006 when he was with Dallas, against the Coyotes ironically.

But just how rare are shutouts for some? Apparently Coyotes color analyst Darren Pang never had one in his entire career.

It took Al Montoya only 60 minutes.

Congratulations to him. When the players gathered to congratulate him, he got healthy hugs and taps from everyone, but bigger ones from Yandel, Boedker, Bryzgalov, Dawes, and captain Shane Doan.

I paid particular attention to Dawes's reaction because they must have seen a lot of each other in Hartford. Dawes, it looked like, had a lot of things to say to him.

But my favorite was from captain Shane Doan.

Now I have admired that guy for a while, probably since the whole unjustified French-Canadian backlash he saw back in 2007 at the World Championships. The guy is first class - a great hockey player, leader, and captain. I think he's a perfect guy for the young guys on this team to look up to.

His reaction was his typical - good humored laughter and smiles. Montoya must have been tense; he said he didn't relax until 3 seconds to go and the empty net goal that Phoenix was able to secure. But here you have one of the most highly respected captains in the game, giving you hugs and laughing with you like he's your best friend in the world. It was a great thing to see and put a smile on my face too.

Now for those of you that would say, oh well, it's against Colorado and they aren't a good team. Fine. Yes. But they all count and he looked very poised in making his 23 stops. Goalies can get shutouts when teams only get 11 shots on. They all count, folks.

And for those who are like, flash in the pan, he never worked in New York, or whatever else there is to say. Look. There are all types of fans. I choose to be happy for former Rangers who find good elsewhere - unless I never liked them anyway, or they are in direct competition with the Rangers now. Al Montoya ended up behind Hank on the depth chart here. I'd rather have Hank, make that very clear. So why not be happy that a guy that we touted is doing well somewhere else, if he wasn't going to get the chance to play here.

Same reason I am happy to see Jamie Lundmark do well in Calgary. Not everyone progresses at the same pace. Not everyone sees perfect opportunities right away. I'm glad to see them both where they are this year.

Once again. Kudos Al!

Yotes: A Second Life In The Desert. . .

Prucha is merely one of a handful of guys seeing new life in the desert for the Coyotes since trade deadline day, but he is most certainly the player we, as Rangers fans and devote fans of the Ranger departed, are most happy to see succeed.

Last night's telecast of the Stars/Coyotes game on Versus began and ended with discussion on our Petr Prucha. The final notes being one of dramatic fashion.



But before we get there, let's start, as we should, at the beginning.

Dave Strader (Phoenix) and Daryl Reaugh (Dallas) had the call of the game, so that meant perhaps more introspective on Phoenix than may usually happen in a Versus telecast. (Note: Keith Jones in studio said it was a perfect time to get "reaquainted" with the Coyotes; a team you can bet he hasn't watched all that much unless they were on VS in the fall).

Dave and Daryl focused on three Phoenix players to start the game - Scottie Upshall (3-4-7), Matthew Lombardi (5-4-9), and Petr Prucha (1-5-6). Those are their point totals in their 12 games with the Coyotes since trade deadline. That's 9 goals, 22 points, and a combined +3.

Now, those who have been watching the Coyotes from back East - and I am not alone - know that this line, although together for perhaps games three through maybe six of that span, have not played non-stop together. BUT, they have almost always, and from the beginning, looked very much in sync.

The announcing team credits that to the fact that they "play the right way, the way that Wayne Gretzky wants the entire roster to play. They compete hard for pucks and are gritty in the offensive zone."

Tonight Phoenix's uncontested top line played no differently.

Upshall scored two goals, both assisted by Lombardi and Prucha, and both in a similar tic-tac-toe fashion. One a nice passing play in close and the second coming into the zone with Lombardi dropping the puck back for Upshall to take the blast from the point.

Prucha was a main topic of conversation for Daryl and Dave. Here are some highlights.

Daryl: "This is one area where Petr Prucha can help the Coyotes. His rookie season with New York, he was dynamic on the powerplay. Obviously [he] has faded in that department and out of favor in New York. But his second life [is] here in the desert."

Dave: "He played a lot of that season with Jaromir Jagr and Marty Straka. When I asked him about scoring the 30 goals, he said, well, you know, it was a lot easier playing with those guys."

This has always been a hotly contested battle between Prucha supporters and, well, let's just say those that say he was lucky in who he played with. But I hold true, and goodness knows if I had time I'd review the video tapes I have floating around, to prove my point, but he did not always play with Jagr, certainly not when Nylander and Straka were Jagr's linemates for the majority of that season.

Now Prucha may have scored his powerplay goals with benefit of Jagr, as did many other guys in this league. But he played five on five with guys like Steve Rucchin, Marty Ruchinsky, Petr Sykora. Those are nice players, but Petr paved his own path, make no mistake. It was not without his own talent and effort that he got to 30 goals in this league.

Daryl: "Good little play by Petr Prucha on that faceoff. He won the draw and then made himself available for the tip in after. Remember back in his rookie year. He was right in the conversation with Crosby and company, scoring goals at similar rates. And then he fell out of favor in New York and could never work his way back up the ladder to be a regular guy with the Rangers."

Dave: "He basically told the New York media that he wasn't very good at English. I did and interview with him last week and he's a wonderful young man with a sense of humor. His English is far better than he would lead you to believe. He just explained to me the biggest problem for a lot of guys like him is being properly understood or understanding the exact question they're being asked. He's always worried about being taken out of context."

Daryl: "You can speak on the ice. You don't need any language down there and he's getting every opportunity here. He's looked good tonight."

As the game went on, they kept coming back to the top line, calling Prucha "relentless," and saying how its the tenacity of the entire line that makes them tick.

Look, we as fans of Prucha don't need to be told how fantastic he is. We know. We always knew. But it provides insane pleasure for me to hear other people say it.

It was too long in New York between hearing wonderful things about Petr Prucha. His determination and good attitude were never in question and continually lauded by media and teammates alike. But what about the fact that he is a legit and talented hockey player. That got lost, as so much else sometimes does in New York.

But back to the game for a minute.

Dallas, a team desperately trying to make the playoffs, although time nor points are in their favor, continued to come on hard especially in the late stages of the game. They scored first, and Phoenix scored twice to take the lead after one. The teams traded powerplay goals, and both took a few too many penalties. Phoenix appeared to collapse late, causing a 5-3 lead to evaporate and force the game into OT.

Where none other than Petr Prucha stepped on ice for some four on three action, after Dallas was called for a trip in the extra frame.

It took only 53 seconds into overtime when our favorite departed got in a good position after the faceoff, crept up close to the net, and scored the Coyotes first overtime winner of the season.

And the first overtime winner of his career.

Let's watch it again (and again...and again...) :)




For post game interviews, including a short one with a happily, smiling Prucha:




Gretzky said, "The three of them play the game the way the game should be played."

We as fans can't help but nod in agreement.


Here are all game highlights, as Enver Lisin also notched two goals and an assist in the total team effort:




Lastly an official write-up from Coyotes.com:

Petr Prucha: "It's a great feeling."


Petr Prucha is playing hockey again - a game he loves. As fans of his we have to love and embrace that. He's got to be at his happiest when he's playing a game he loves. And playing the game with more poise and confidence than I have seen him play in years.

As much as we all hate to admit it, this resurgence we are seeing - it sadly could not have happened in current day New York, the way things are now.

Instead it had to happen under a different sky, for the color of another team. A second life in the desert, perhaps.

He may be further away, and that's a painful reality, but if anything can help bridge the gap of 3000 miles, it's the joy of seeing our favorite player smile again.