When you cover the Coyotes, there is no offseason. While Canadian writers retreat to their summer cottages on lakes, and American writers use up all those accrued Marriott points, the news keeps flowing in the desert in what we now call arena season. This summer may turn out to be the most extreme example of that annual tradition. In order…...
For 23 of the Coyotes’ 26 seasons in the Valley, arena location has been a crippling handicap to their financial and on-ice success. On Tuesday, the Coyotes may finally put those struggles to rest. In a special election for propositions 301, 302 and 303, Tempe voters will decide the fate of the Coyotes’ proposed arena and entertainment district along the…
The final Coyotes prospect report of the season will be a condensed one. Only four prospects are still active in their respective leagues’ postseasons, we just wrote about one of those guys, and I didn’t want to bug coaches or players during their postseason runs. That approach afforded me the opportunity to talk to a member of the Coyotes development…
The Coyotes monthly mailbag has built a reputation for offbeat ledes. This month, I asked you to mimic my weird ways by requiring one of your maximum-of-two questions be something non-hockey related. Props to you. You were creative. We’ll get to those in a minute, but first I want to talk to you about the world helium shortage. I promise…
A Stanley Cup playoffs song. It’s the most wonderful time of the year There’ll be much goal-horn blowing Red lights will be glowing The playoffs are here It’s the most wonderful time of the year I like the MLB playoffs and the later rounds of the NBA playoffs. I really like the NFL playoffs, but I love the Stanley Cup…...
When 26-year-old Lars Hepso stepped on the ice for his first practice as the Coyotes’ new skating coach in 2018, he was greeted by a veteran staff of strong personalities that included Rick Tocchet and John MacLean. MacLean indoctrinated Hepso in a manner that only Mac can master. “I was told, ‘You have five minutes. You have this small space.…...
Last week, we checked in on all of the Coyotes prospects who were already engaged in, or were preparing for their respective leagues’ imminent postseasons. In the March edition of the Coyotes prospect report, we checked in on three guys who are making a push for the postseason: recently recalled Tucson Roadrunners forward Nathan Smith, Roadrunners defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok, and…...
Coyotes fans who have followed me for a while know that I have a few crusades that I pursue with fervor. I don’t like poorly reasoned, factually flawed or poorly informed arguments. I don’t like lazy content such as trade grades or mock drafts. I don’t like ketchup on hot dogs, I don’t like IPAs anywhere, and I don’t like…...
It started as a joke last fall. Every Coyotes fan has heard it. Did you hear the latest about the Yotes? They’re playing in a 5,000-seat college rink. At least it can hold all of their fans. The joke was recycled so much over the following months by unwittingly unimaginative people that it lost all effect and humor. Then word…...
It would be a painful piece of irony if 4,600-seat Mullett Arena cost the Coyotes the opportunity to draft Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli or Leo Carlsson. When Arizona rallied from a two-goal, third-period deficit on Sunday to force overtime against the Cup contending New Jersey Devils, it improved the Coyotes’ record at home to 14-11-3. Compare that to the other…...
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