Phoenix Coyotes
For all the headlines the franchise had made off the ice, it's the Phoenix Coyotes on ice product that should be making the news.
Led by a core of young, talented hard working players, and solid goaltending by Ilya Bryzgalov, the Coyotes have been one of the biggest surprises in the NHL this season, and continued their winning ways tonight defeating the Leafs 6-3 in Toronto, denying the Leafs of their fifth straight win on home ice.
Petr Prucha score twice for the Coyotes, while Vernon Fiddler, Paul Bissonnette, Scottie Upshall and Radim Vrbata all tallied singles for Phoenix. Â Jamal Mayers, Phil Kessel, and Alexei Ponikarovsky replied for Toronto.
A couple of deals went down today, involving some players you might be familiar with:
- Anton Stralman was traded from Calgary to Columbus, for a 3rd round pick. Yes, you read that correctly.
- Ryan Hollweg was signed by the Phoenix Coyotes to fill their need for an enforcer following a preseason tryout with the team. Yes, you read that correctly, also.
Some quick links and discussion points for a quiet Tuesday night. Plenty to talk about including the highlights of a Burke media scrum at the grand opening of the Mastercard Centre for Hockey Excellence (MCHE), the GM's speak out on the Phil Kessel situation and the possibility of an offer sheet, rookie tournament video highlights and the latest developments in the ongoing Phoenix Coyotes ownership drama. [more…]
Hitting the links bright and early on a Thursday morning: Jim Balsillie and the city of Hamilton get new life, Kadri's WJC tryout experience, an update on the Justin Pogge situation, Leafs sign a young defenseman, a mid-summer recap of the offseason festivities, and the Marlies coaching staff announced. [more…]
This time of year pretty much everyone is doing a mock draft of some sort. So, with one week to go until the Entry Draft, I figure it's time I chip in with my two cents on what may or may not unfold with the top 10 picks come June 26.
Note that the draft projections listed here are made based on current draft positions, and are not reflective of any possible trades involving the top 10 picks.
Judge Redfield T. Baum has ruled that Jim Balisillie cannot use bankruptcy law to force his purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes.  The judge has also ruled that the NHL's relocation requirements do not violate anti-trust legislation.
The interview between league Commissioner, Gary Bettman, on Toronto radio station, FAN590 segment "The Game Plan" featuring Doug Maclean and Jack Armstrong, was a first hand look at the battle the relocation to Hamilton has become. Stating that after Jim Balsillie's attempts at hijacking the Nashville Predators to Hamilton, the commish indicated he sat down with the billionaire outlining what it would take to become an NHL owner.
In the non-surprise of the century, Jim Balsillie put in an offer on the recently-bankrupted Phoenix Coyotes before the ink had even dried on the bankruptcy papers.   With a condition, of course: that he would have the right to move the team to Southern Ontario.
It's not so much the offer that is of note - it's been rumoured for months that he was targeting the franchise - but the timing of it is quite intriguing.  Could there be some legs to those rumours of a second team in the GTA after all?
This proposed offer to purchase the struggling Phoenix Coyotes by Jim Balsillie may be a better possibility this time around. It may seem impossible to fathom another NHL club so close to its flagship franchise, the Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres, but it's not jurisdiction that's at the heart of the issue here.
It's the salary cap, revenue and a return to the dead puck era.
[more…]
NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly was on HockeyCentral At Noon today, and among other topics he briefly discussed the possibility of a second NHL team coming to Toronto.
When asked why Toronto has not been seriously considered to date as a home for another franchise, despite the enormous fan base and subsequent opportunity to succeed financially, Kelly suggested that MLSE was not the source of resistance.
Normally, you would figure that game # 82 on a team's docket, in a season where that team has been eliminated from playoff contention, would be rather meaningless. Â Normally, you would expect it to be nothing more than perhaps an opportunity to give young players a bit of NHL experience before hitting the greens.
But when is normal ever the norm in Toronto? Â Somehow, tonight's season-closing game is still meaningful to the final outcome of the Leafs' season ... as are the final games for the LA Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes, which will be played late this afternoon and tonight.
So you're Brian Burke and it's July 1st.
Who do you go after? And what is the contract you offer?
