The signing of Shane Doan to four more years in Phoenix is more significant than some may think. Mind you this is on a much smaller scale, but I compare the potential loss of Shane Doan to Yzerman having left Detroit. Yes I can already hear some of you sighing. Let me just start with this; Doan has only played for this franchise his entire career just as Yzerman did. I understand the pressure or desire to win doesn't compare to the fans in Detroit, but the Coyotes "fans" did show up in record attendance for last years playoffs. Bandwagon comes to mind but it's not so different in other markets as well. Much like the fans of Washington and Pittsburgh, many didn't show up until they started having success and actually winning games. Unlike those two aforementioned teams, Phoenix really doesn't have a "superstar" player to draw in fans. It has been a complete team effort and the leadership and loyalty of Shane that has turned this team around.
I'm not mentioning Don Maloney or Dave Tippet as I am speaking about the players at this time, but I said from the start when Tippet was hired this team would finally have structure and a system to work from. Tippet has been Maloney's other great signing and is not underestimated.
Shane has been nothing short of a consummate professional in Phoenix. He is absolutely crucial to them having success. If he were to have jumped ship, who would wear the "C" and lead this team next year (if there is a season that is)? It's been a revolving door of players who have left and then come back, or just flat out left. The ONE true constant has been Shane Doan. Younger players see that and hopefully that makes them want to stay and build a future with the franchise. Yandle, Hanzal, Ekman-Larsson and Boedker are players that come to mind when thinking of the future of this team. They see what Doan is doing or has done and hopefully they will follow a similar path. Goodbye Kyle Turris, who needed you anyway? It's kids like him that could have proven to be a cancer in the locker room. Good move by Maloney to rid the team of that headache.
Success makes it fun for the players and puts the fans in the seats. I know there are true Coyotes fans out there; I just hope the "others" show up in the regular season as they did during the playoff run to the conference finals last year. I have witnessed first hand the frustration of this franchise and believe me when I say, the media is NO help whatsoever. I live here and it infuriates me watching all of the local news channels. More times than not do they not show any Coyotes highlights if mentioning them at all. They were the best team of all the major sports last year and the Suns still got more publicity. I'm irritated just typing this. I could go on but now I'm getting off the subject.
Let me end this by saying thanks to Shane Doan for staying in Phoenix. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with his wife and kids and not wanting to relocate the family, but it shows what kind of character this guy has. He gave up more money in bigger hockey markets to sign an extension here. I only hope last year wasn't a fluke. They did make the playoffs the last few years, but it was a lot of fun watching the Coyotes exceed many expectations last year. Doan wants to have success here and it surely has not been easy, but it is well deserved.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Upcoming Season
To start, all this talk about another lockout has completely bored me. It's time for both sides to get through this and start preparing for the upcoming season. I don't care who is right and who wants what, both the players and the owners have way more money than I do so what do I care. Let's just play hockey.
With that said, let me express my disappointment with the Red Wings off-season. Losing two top four defensemen is a blow to your team no matter who you are. It just so happens that the Wings lost arguably the best of this era to ever have played that position in Lidstrom. I honestly believe only Vladimir Konstantinov could have been slightly better than Lidstrom if not for the tragic accident that ended his career. Not offensively but certainly defensively. If you think Kronwall can hit you have to know that Konstantinov could absolutely demolish people on the ice. Secondly, losing Brad Stuart and his toughness is going to be difficult to replace. The free agent market wasn't exactly that impressive and I hate to say it, but I'm glad they didn't overpay for Ryan Suter. Yes he was the best defensemen on the market, but at that term and price it just seems ridiculous. Brendan Smith looks to be the future of the Wings on defense. My guess is in a couple of years he will be running the power play. Giving up a first round pick to reacquire Kyle Quincey and watch him struggle was tough to take. Let's hope he immediately turns into a top four defensemen like they think he will.
My concern with the Wings has always been scoring and toughness. Mikael Samuelsson and Jordin Tootoo weren't exactly what I had in mind though. My first thought was here they go bringing back another player in Samuelsson who was OK at best. My reaction was indifferent if you will. With Tootoo it was more of a "What"? He is agitating but I can't say I ever pictured him in a Wings uniform. I honestly thought Steve Ott would have been a better fit. Good for Buffalo in picking him up. On the upside, I am thrilled that Hudler walked. Too small and can't skate. Enough said. His 25 goals will hopefully be covered between guys like Cleary, who will hopefully stay healthy this year, Bertuzzi, Helm and Abdelkader. Gustav Nyquist will hopefully get a full year in. He showed a lot of potential last year. The interesting pickup is Damien Brunner. If he can play half the game he played in Europe he might be able to toss in 20-30 goals. I still think they need a true power forward who can score and throw some weight around, I just don't know who that is. Once again, the teams success will depend on the two best two way forwards in the league, Datsyuk and Zetterberg. I didn't say arguably because there just isn't an argument to be had. They are the two best with Datsyuk having the edge.
Another reason I want this season to be played is because of the Winter Classic. Actually, I am more excited about the alumni game. Having Fedorov and the Russian five, Ciccarelli, Coffey, Chelios, McCarty and Robitaille playing again. Need I say more? Geez I miss watching those guys play. You can have crybaby Crosby, I would take any of those guys over most of the players today. Ovechkin has that same star power as Fedorov or Bure back in the day. You just can't not watch him when he is out there.
So much to talk about but I will save it for another time. Listen, my favorite team is the Red Wings but this blog is certainly not just about them. I am also a Coyotes, Sabres, Capitals, and even a Wild fan. It is all about hockey. I will be posting whatever is running through my mind at the time, good and bad, and welcome all of your comments. Til then.
With that said, let me express my disappointment with the Red Wings off-season. Losing two top four defensemen is a blow to your team no matter who you are. It just so happens that the Wings lost arguably the best of this era to ever have played that position in Lidstrom. I honestly believe only Vladimir Konstantinov could have been slightly better than Lidstrom if not for the tragic accident that ended his career. Not offensively but certainly defensively. If you think Kronwall can hit you have to know that Konstantinov could absolutely demolish people on the ice. Secondly, losing Brad Stuart and his toughness is going to be difficult to replace. The free agent market wasn't exactly that impressive and I hate to say it, but I'm glad they didn't overpay for Ryan Suter. Yes he was the best defensemen on the market, but at that term and price it just seems ridiculous. Brendan Smith looks to be the future of the Wings on defense. My guess is in a couple of years he will be running the power play. Giving up a first round pick to reacquire Kyle Quincey and watch him struggle was tough to take. Let's hope he immediately turns into a top four defensemen like they think he will.
My concern with the Wings has always been scoring and toughness. Mikael Samuelsson and Jordin Tootoo weren't exactly what I had in mind though. My first thought was here they go bringing back another player in Samuelsson who was OK at best. My reaction was indifferent if you will. With Tootoo it was more of a "What"? He is agitating but I can't say I ever pictured him in a Wings uniform. I honestly thought Steve Ott would have been a better fit. Good for Buffalo in picking him up. On the upside, I am thrilled that Hudler walked. Too small and can't skate. Enough said. His 25 goals will hopefully be covered between guys like Cleary, who will hopefully stay healthy this year, Bertuzzi, Helm and Abdelkader. Gustav Nyquist will hopefully get a full year in. He showed a lot of potential last year. The interesting pickup is Damien Brunner. If he can play half the game he played in Europe he might be able to toss in 20-30 goals. I still think they need a true power forward who can score and throw some weight around, I just don't know who that is. Once again, the teams success will depend on the two best two way forwards in the league, Datsyuk and Zetterberg. I didn't say arguably because there just isn't an argument to be had. They are the two best with Datsyuk having the edge.
Another reason I want this season to be played is because of the Winter Classic. Actually, I am more excited about the alumni game. Having Fedorov and the Russian five, Ciccarelli, Coffey, Chelios, McCarty and Robitaille playing again. Need I say more? Geez I miss watching those guys play. You can have crybaby Crosby, I would take any of those guys over most of the players today. Ovechkin has that same star power as Fedorov or Bure back in the day. You just can't not watch him when he is out there.
So much to talk about but I will save it for another time. Listen, my favorite team is the Red Wings but this blog is certainly not just about them. I am also a Coyotes, Sabres, Capitals, and even a Wild fan. It is all about hockey. I will be posting whatever is running through my mind at the time, good and bad, and welcome all of your comments. Til then.
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