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Archives For March 2012

Why Roy? Tippett Has Been Outstanding

March 27, 2012 — Leave a comment

“Last year we went up to Quebec City to do a piece for the Heritage Classic, and we interviewed (Patrick) Roy.  And I asked him off-camera about going to the NHL, and he told just a hilarious story . . . he said, ‘Last summer, I was out golfing in July and I said to myself, ‘Is the owner happy with me here?’ and I said, ‘Yes, because I am the owner.’ And he says, ‘Is the GM happy with me here?’ and I thought, ‘Yes, because I am the GM.’ Is the coach happy with me here? Well, yes, because I am the coach. I won’t get that in the NHL.” – Elliotte Friedman on the March 23, 2012 episode of Prime Time Sports (FAN590) recalling an anecdote about Quebec Remparts owner, general manager and head coach Patrick Roy.

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It’s not so much an elephant in the room as it is the Coyotes in the desert for the NHL.

Along with all the whispers and rumours about a new locale for the Desert Dogs is the presumed done-deal that is Patrick Roy taking over bench duties if the team heads from Quebec City.

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In Montreal Canadiens, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes
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All Intent, No Purpose

March 23, 2012 — Leave a comment

The puck rattled around the boards to his corner and in one motion he batted it down the ice.  A second later, a blow came to his upper chest, catching him on the chin, thrusting his head into the glass.  He didn’t stagger, but he caught a number.  22.

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A cross-ice attempt to hit him breaking down the right wing came in behind him.  Ricocheting off the dasher, it flew over his head. Tracking it through the air, the puck moved to an area behind him. He turned his head. It was met with an elbow. He went down in a heap, was helped from the ice to the bench, he sat, slouched and then headed to the dressing room, not to be seen on the ice again that evening.

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These two accounts are, no doubt, how both the Chicago Blackhawks Duncan Keith and Vancouver Canucks Daniel Sedin will recount the events of Wednesday night. In a game that had all the feel of a playoff atmosphere — the two teams have met each other in the NHL’s annual chase for glory each of the last three seasons — it was bound to happen. Something. Some talking point. You could feel it from puck drop, from check to pass, as soon as both teams hit the ice, there was always going to be something to talk about.

Two days later, you never thought it would be this.

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In Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Vancouver Canucks
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Coyotes Deserted By Potential Lockout

March 23, 2012 — Leave a comment

Coyotes Captain Shane Doan knocks Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows to the ice. (Image Courtesy Canada.com)

Hope may be high in the desert right now as the Phoenix Coyotes head toward another playoff berth, but a desert storm may be coming in the form of a lockout.

After a work stoppage claimed the 2004-05 NHL season, the league and its fans rejoiced when talks saw the league, and its players, walk away with a brand new collective bargaining agreement in July of 2005. That agreement was set to end in the summer of 2011, with the NHLPA having the option to renew it through 2012.

The NHLPA renewed, and with CBA talks scheduled to begin again this summer, the fear is another lockout could be coming. With player salaries climbing, some owners looking for additional revenue sharing, and a salary cap floor that is keeping small market teams from making money, it looks as though it could be a long off-season for NHL fans.

For Coyotes fans especially, another work stoppage is cause for concern.

“A lockout would probably kill the team,” said Heather Frackiewicz, a Coyotes season ticket holder and high school french teacher in the Phoenix area. Continue Reading…

In NHL, Phoenix Coyotes
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