When Olli Jokinen was traded to the Coyotes at the NHL Draft last year, the Coyotes felt they had that big, strong, offensive-minded centerman they had been craving.

It didn’t work, for whatever reason. There was chemistry that was missing. The big Finnish centerman was trying, but it just wasn’t working. He has another season at $5.5 million, so the assumption is trading him to Calgary was a salary dump.

Part of the problem is my fault. When we got Jokinen, I led the charge saying this is the BIG, STRONG, 35-goal centerman the Coyotes have long been searching for. It is not Jokinen’s fault. He arrived as billed. He WAS, and WILL be a 35-goal scorer that is 6-foot-2, 210 pounds. He is a very gifted hockey player that has lead Finland to International Hockey Titles. He was the Captain in Florida and prior to that was the third overall pick of the Los Angeles Kings. I like the guy. His teammates liked the guy, especially the older players.

The issue was chemistry. This is not Shane Doan’s fault, although he is such a stand-up guy, he will try to take the blame. Everyone was searching for the right combination on the ice. Wayne Gretzky tried every forward with him. The Coyotes have a lot of first- and second-year players. Those players are going to be real good. The assumption was that Jokinen could lead the charge, despite the inexperience he had around him, which isn’t always an easy task with the many proven, veteran players that are in this league.

The coaches tried playing him with Doan, Peter Mueller, Dan Carcillo, Enver Lisin and Kyle Turris, to name a few. It was apparent from my broadcast perch, some 200 feet away, that there was little cohesion.

At the end of the day, the trade deadline can be a magnet.

It is an opportunity to make a move, see what is out there. Some years there are teams that really like what you have. In other years, there is nothing to offer. Many teams liked Jokinen and for good reason.

This is about the Calgary Flames. They tried last year at the deadline to get the big Finn. They have a coach in Mike Keenan that did a great job in getting the most out of Jokinen when both the LA Kings and the NY Islanders could not. That is sports. That does not mean it is a sell-off. What it does mean is it is a good hockey trade for both teams.

Jokinen scored two goals in his Calgary debut playing with Jarome Iginla and Mike Cammalleri.
Scottie Upshall scored a goal in his debut for the Coyotes, while Matthew Lombardi was strong on key faceoffs, and was very good alongside Doan and Petr Prucha

Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney and Assistant G.M. Brad Treliving maintained composure and patience at the deadline. They were out of time on Derek Morris as the Boston Bruins failed to give anything back, other than a draft pick. If it was a sell-off, Maloney would have just taken a pick. Instead, he was magnificent in communicating with Glen Sather and the New York Rangers for Morris. Morris had to waive his no-trade clause to agree to go to New York, as it was not one of his preferred teams. He will do great there and played 16 minutes, paired with former Coyote Paul Mara in his first game. Morris was a good player and person for the Coyotes. He also is looking for a long-term deal that the Coyotes didn’t see as part of their future plans. That is the business of pro sports.

So let’s take a closer look:

Morris goes to the Rangers for three players. Is that a sell-off? They ADDED three players. They subtracted $3.95 million (Morris) and added $4.487 million (Nigel Dawes, Dmitri Kalinin and Prucha), who are 23, 28 and 24 years old as compared to Morris at the age of 31. I personally had five players from the Boston Bruins dressing room take me aside and tell me they couldn’t believe how many good, young players the Coyotes added at the deadline, including the three from New York. The Rangers got a solid, reliable player that will be highly motivated and excited to be with a great organization like the Rangers. This is the first time Morris has played for an Original 6 team. There is something special about that.

The Coyotes were credited by almost every analyst as a “winner” on trade deadline day. Usually that means a team is out of the playoffs and “sells” every player they have for draft picks and prospects. Maple Leafs G.M. Brian Burke walked by our broadcast booth in Boston and told Dave Strader and me that Maloney was the first star on deadline day. Jay Feaster, the former G.M. of the Tampa Bay Lightning, told a national audience on TSN that Maloney and the Coyotes were the winners of this day. They were the winners for making good hockey moves. All the trades that were made were good trades for BOTH teams. That is the key. NY, Philadelphia and Calgary got players they needed as well. That is the sign of some good dealings.

The Coyotes moved Jokinen and a third-round pick to Calgary for Matthew Lombardi, Brandon Prust and a first-round pick in either 2009 or 2010, depending on Calgary’s choice.

Lombardi makes $2.35 million next season and Prust makes $525,000. Jokinen will make
$5.5 million next year. Plus, the Coyotes got the first- rounder. You will like these well- tested kids from Calgary. Now the Coyotes have financial flexibility to add some key unrestricted free agents on July 1.

On to Philly. The very popular and likeable Carcillo will be greatly missed because he brings moxie and gumption to the ice. I will also miss this energetic player and person. At the end of the day though, it was hard to figure out where he fit in the lineup. He admitted he was struggling with his game and confidence as he had zero goals in his final 14 games in a Coyotes uniform.

Last year, it looked like he may become a solid No. 2 left wing. He wasn’t going to be a No. 3 checking-line winger, as that was not in his makeup. He showed flashes of tremendous upside and I know Philly will love him. He seemed born to wear a Flyers jersey. When you see him in it, you will understand.

The Coyotes received a strong skater and player that can get up and down the ice in a hurry in Scottie Upshall, the former first-round round pick of the Nashville Predators. The Coyotes basically swapped salaries, paying a little more for Upshall. Carcillo does have one more year left on his deal, while Upshall is a restricted free agent. As he showed in Boston playing alongside Turris and Joakim Lindstrom, he isn’t afraid to get involved and has a nice scoring touch. There was good chemistry with the four lines. He scored a goal, had many good hits and played with tenacity.

Mikael Tellqvist went to the Sabres for a fourth-round pick. He was a great team player who will be missed by everyone. It was time to change the hand though as Josh Tordjman needed to see some NHL pucks. He has been great in the American Hockey League now for four years.

So, at the end of the day, watch the Coyotes play. Don’t just read someone’s written opinion and buy into the money and the selling of players. Evaluate their game and team speed and skill level.

All players, trainers and fans forge relationships with players and it is never easy seeing guys go. But make your own evaluation and then tell me this is a “sell-off.” You won’t see it that way. These were hockey moves to make the team better. Those can sometimes be hard decisions, but the best for the players and in the end, the fans that only want to win.

- Panger

There will be plenty of debate from outsiders as to what the right move was for Kyle Turris, the third overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Turris is going to be a great NHL player for many, many years to come. That is not the question.

The question is, in order for Kyle to progress, is it better for him to stay in the NHL, and not play meaningful minutes, sit in the press box and watch and learn? Or is progress accelerated by going to San Antonio of the American Hockey League, play for a team that is on a pretty good run lately, play on the power play and upwards of 20:00 per game?

There are those who will say this will be the best thing that happens to Kyle…when he looks back at it years from now.

Right now, he must be thinking many things, and going down to the AHL likely isn’t something he thinks will be one of the best things that is going to happen to him…in his lifetime!

There are those that thought, before the season, that the Coyotes would have been best suited leaving him in college at Wisconsin for another year. They wouldn’t be wrong. Nor would they be wrong in saying that the experience he is going through right now (the AHL) is the best way to develop Kyle or any other up-and-coming highly-touted prospect.

I believe it is a case-by-case, team-by-team situation that must be considered.

Wayne Gretzky is so good with young players. They will all look back years from now and really understand how he protected them, took pressure off of them and nurtured them. Some veteran, career coaches would never be that way. They may not be that patient and they may not be that secure in their jobs, in this business of winning hockey games.

Turris never thought for a minute that he would spend time in the AHL. Why would he?

If that were the case, why would he leave the University of Wisconsin?

That leaves us with this. And this is my opinion right now. This was not or would not have been my opinion two months ago. This IS the best thing for Kyle. He will be a much harder hockey player next season. He will come into camp a tougher player with more edge and less naivete. He has gone through a few tough moments this season, experiences that he would have to go through next year, if it were his first season. But it won’t be. This is. This is where the progress begins for a player that will be in this league, the NHL, for the next 20 years.

He was a healthy scratch his first game in his hometown against the team he grew up watching and dreaming about playing for, the Vancouver Canucks.

He had to be crushed. He wants to play and be a player that the coaches and his teammates will count on.

Now he gets the word he is going down to the AHL. There are many fine, young players in the AHL. It is a breeding ground, a place where stories unfold and later on in your career, they become more magnified, more fun to tell. I know. I was there. It was way more fun getting to the NHL with the guys you went to war with in the IHL (back then) or the AHL. Once you get to the NHL, it is ALL business. Every day. Every game.

We would have seen, and do get to see, the character of a person when they get sent down. Do they sulk? Do they mope around? Do they perform like they couldn’t care less? And even worse, do they go down and treat it with such a lack of respect that their peers know it? That is an insult, and no player likes to be insulted.

When I was rehabbing a torn ACL, I remember going down to Indianapolis of the IHL, with Darryl Sutter coaching. I had been in the NHL for almost three seasons. I made sure I went down there with a great attitude, helped out the young guys, and learned from Sutter. When I was in my first season of pro hockey, we were based in Milwaukee, and most of our players had only played in the higher AHL, not the IHL. Boy, did a lot of the players have poor attitudes. And we stunk because of it. I never forgot it. I swore I would never be THAT player if I went down, and I wasn’t.

So, you’re wondering about Kyle… or Kevin Porter or Viktor Tikhonov earlier?

Have no fear. They all have great attitudes and want to prove that they are NHL players.

Look at Tikhonov against Calgary. Two goals and raring to be a player. Porter is simply a great kid and is going to be a tremendous two-way player in the NHL. It will be all in good time.

Turris took this demotion the way you would expect. He wasn’t drafted third overall just based on his skill set. It is about character. It was about how much he wants it. He is oozing passion for the game, and it shows.

He scored two goals and added one assist in his first AHL game. He added an assist in his second game. In his third game on Monday, he notched two more goals and another assist. That’s the way to go down there and tell the hockey world that this is just a small bump in the road, and yes, every player is stronger for time spent in the minors. You appreciate everything about the NHL. It is the very best league in the world.

- Panger

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks with Dave Strader and Darren Pang on Fox Sports Arizona Wednesday night during the 1st Intermission about the current state of the Phoenix Coyotes.

Click to hear the full interview courtesy of FSN Arizona:

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- Todd

Parity is everywhere.  It has been in the NHL since the lockout of 2004-05.

So by now the players, coaches, media and fans are all very much aware of how difficult it is to make the playoffs.

There are roughly 30 games left.

In the Western Conference, as of the writing of this blog, there are six teams within six points of the eighth and final spot. The 14th-place team (Colorado) is six points away with Nashville and LA, while Vancouver is only one point back and Phoenix, Columbus, Edmonton, Minnesota and Dallas all have the same amount of points, 53. Only two games ago, the Coyotes were holding the fifth spot in the West, only to lose two consecutive games by 2-0 scores, and three overall…..and Holy Jumpin!…right in the 10th spot.

Wayne Gretzky has been saying it for two months now. Don’t get too excited. You win a few and you are in the playoff picture. You lose a couple or three, and you are right below the line. You just can’t get too high, nor can you get too focused on the line that separates the playoff teams from the outsiders. You also can’t lose more than three games in a row. You have to manufacture points, no matter how tough.

You really have to learn from experiences. Last season when the Coyotes were looking strong and were right in the hunt, they narrowed down an actual number that was needed to make it. They openly spoke of “HUGE” must-win games, and when they didn’t win them, well, the morale, from everyone involved in the team, went south. You could see it on everyone’s faces and in their demeanors. How could you not show it? It was much too black and white. The problem with that is when you lose. What is there next? When you say it is the biggest game of their lives, and they lose, what do you do the next day? How can you get them to re-group and re-energize?

The game was in Vancouver, a must-win that ended up being a tough, hard-played, 3-1 loss. They played well. Very well. The next night in Edmonton, the Coyotes battled back to tie the score 4-4 in the third period, only to lose focus and the game 7-4. For all intents and purposes, the season, and the team morale, was done.

The lesson is much clearer now than it was then. You can’t give up. As the Coyotes lost steam and the playoff poise needed, the Oilers took that win from the Coyotes and battled so hard, they came from below the Coyotes and nearly snuck in. They missed it by just three points. I am sure they learned an awful lot from that experience. They will be in the race until the bitter end this season, I guarantee it.

The Coyotes will too, as Wayne Gretzky has an uncanny knack of keeping things in the present. He also learned from last season and that is why he analyzes the game so well, especially after losses. He breaks it down as a simple matter of fact.

The last few games, losses at San Jose and vs. Buffalo, the power play has gone 0-13.

The effort and spirit of the team was excellent. The execution on the PP was not. He doesn’t take away all the good things that were done, he gets right to the point.

Big players that get on the PP have to be big players. They have to be difference-makers at important times. He will play the heck out of Olli Jokinen and Shane Doan in games at Nashville and at Detroit.

He will also put rookie Kyle Turris on a line with Jokinen and fellow rookie Mikkel Boedker, as they ended the last game against Buffalo with many good chances.

It doesn’t get any easier for Gretzky and company, but maintaining an even, business-like approach for every game, and for every morning the team wakes up and looks at the standings, will be essential when it comes to making the playoffs.

- Panger

So here we go! Back to back. Nashville to Detroit. This won’t be easy.  But, despite the fact that the Coyotes have been shut out in their last two games, their is cause for optimism. Outside of the power play, they have played well.

I talked it over with Darren Pang upon our arrival here in Music City. We talked PP, the amazing return of Steven Reinprecht, the emotional high of the Super Bowl and the Boss…

Click to listen:

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As a bonus – here is a special Super Bowl segment celebrating the weekend with the Arizona Cardinals.  This will air tonight during our broadcast:

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See ya Tuesday night on Fox Sports Arizona!

- Todd

The NHL’s Winter Classic was a blast. It is very difficult to compare it to being at last year’s snow-filled, majestic afternoon in Buffalo where Sidney Crosby scored in the shootout to win the game for Pittsburgh in front of 72,000 passionate fans.

This outdoor classic at Wrigley Field combined everything. It started with a village. A community. Addison, Clark and Waverly. It started out with old-time hockey bitterness, as Detroit’s Dan Cleary was hit cleanly by Brent Seabrook of the Hawks. Cleary ended up in the Hawks bench. That set the tone. The day was a great one. The Wings showed why they hold the Stanley Cup.

It was a pleasure to be there, an honor to be a part of the two outdoor games in the USA. The Blackhawks, Red Wings and the NHL could not have been more organized or looked so good.

OK, that’s over with now, and the season really begins.

How will the Hawks respond? They have been the talk of the NHL, along with the Bruins, and they have been preparing for the Classic all season long, only to lose the game and consecutive games against the team they emulate, the Wings.

Will they have gas in the tank to challenge for the Central Division title? Or, will this deflate them? Can they dig down deep enough for the rest of the regular season?

They sure played well in their next home game after the Classic, beating a tough team from Calgary, 5-2, on Sunday night.

They are a young and hungry organization that is lead by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, but there is much more to this team than just two highly-skilled players. The Hawks have underrated Patrick Sharp to go along with speedy Martin Havlat, a potential UFA. They have a Calder candidate in Kris Versteeg as a top-six forward, and he is a good one.

They have a future Selke Award candidate in David Bolland, a former second-round pick from the London Knights that has been patient in developing an NHL game and a role that gets the trust of his coaches. He and the Coyotes Martin Hanzal will be contenders for that award for the next 10 seasons, in my opinion.

On the blue line, they have a great tandem in Seabrook and Duncan Keith. Keith does the skating and when he gets in trouble he dishes it to Seabrook, who has some good hockey sense. They complement each other very well. They signed Brian Campbell to a huge UFA deal, and he adds an element of offense, flair, and hockey sense to go along with a great deal of experience in the playoffs.

Before the season began, the question I asked Hawks General Manager Dale Tallon was a simple one: “What are you going to do with $13 million worth of goalies and who will play?”

Dale told me both Cristobal Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin would play. I will never be that naive to think he really figured that in the early days of January that would be the case. Heck, they told Khabibulin to stay home during training camp at one point. They thought he may even work out a deal in Russia.

Just goes to show you, patience and timing are essential. The best goalie is Khabibulin. That is simply my opinion. He has presence in the net. He can carry a team. He has shown that, although there have been injuries and inconsistent times in the past with Khabby. He was also on a losing team in a losing environment at the time. When he signed there originally, he thought they were going to be winners. They were not even close then, but the building blocks had started. This core of players lost a lot of games together, and now they are eager to be winners … together.

The Blackhawks locker room at Wrigley Field. Cristobal Huet is a solid goalie. He can get on a roll, as he did last season with Washington late in the season. He can also get into funks, and sometimes takes a long time to get out of them. He is a quality person that works hard though, and they are a darn good tandem.

The Coyotes and Hawks will play in Glendale on Tuesday, Jan. 6, in a re-match of a December game in Chicago, in which the Hawks gave the Coyotes a thumping. Versteeg fought Kyle Turris in final seconds of the game and got a one-game suspension for it.

It will be an enormous game for both franchises after the Coyotes lost a four-point game in Anaheim on Sunday night in a battle for second place in the Pacific Division. They didn’t compete hard enough against a team that was without Teemu Selanne, Corey Perry, Francois Beauchemin and Kent Huskins.

What team will have the most gas in the tank as the real season begins? It begins on Tuesday in the desert. I can’t wait.

- Panger

The Phoenix Coyotes were well represented at the recent Winter Classic with both Darren Pang and Dave Strader joining the NBC Sports broadcast crew.  Take a listen to this feature I did with Dave on his experience calling the game at Wrigley Field.

Click to play:

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Audio courtesy of NBC Sports.

- Todd

I am on the plane, heading to the Windy City for the Outdoor Classic, and am getting more and more excited about the game!  I felt the same way last year, nervous, excited, not sure what to expect, broadcasting outdoors.

But this one IS different. Yes, I now know what to expect from the elements of an outdoor game, but this is closer to my heart. The Windy City. I lived in Chicago for 20 years. My son and daughter were born there. Loyola Medical Center in Maywood Illinois, saved our son,Tyler’s life. Twice. How can this not be a special place? We have some of our best friends still in this city. It will always be a special place.

I have been in broadcasting since I retired from the NHL in 1990. I played my last NHL game in the 1989 playoffs as a member of the Hawks, as we went all the way to the Western Conference Finals against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Calgary Flames.

My career ended a year later. I was 26 years old.  I tore an ACL before game 5 in practice vs Calgary in 1989 and re-habbed it with current Hawks trainer Mike Gapski.  He was awesome. We went hard at it and I came back to the ice in roughly 4 1/2 months. My surgeon was Dr. William Clancy, a man and surgeon that was way ahead of his time. We were aggressive and proactive and they did a great job of getting me back on ice in time to re-join the organization in time for the 1990 IHL regular season ending and the Play-offs with the Indianapolis Ice.

I had the pleasure of playing for Darryl Sutter, one of the very best Hawks leaders, as we won the Turner Cup Championship.  I was back in Chicago for the summer and training hard as I really thought I could get back in the NHL for the next season.

I hit a major road bump. I re-injured my knee a month before training camp. Should never have been playing tennis on clay courts!  Back to the Alabama Medical Center for repairs, and my career was in serious jeopardy. I hurried back from Alabama, where Dr.Clancy performed his 2nd surgery on my left knee, and 3rd overall on that same knee. I had to get back as the Hawks were having a going away party at Butterfield Country Club, for the recently traded Denis Savard.

Savvy is truly one of the very best. Love the guy. He deserves a lot of credit for this great young team in Chicago. He put his heart and soul into the franchise.  He was a great teammate and friend. He was my neighbor and we drove to the Stadium for many practices. Full of life. Smoked a lot of cigarettes. Still had great energy. He loved getting on the ice. He loved to dangle, laugh, deke you out of your jock strap and then do it again.  He was just traded to Montreal for Chris Chelios, a Chicago native that grew up loving Stan Mikita, Dick Butkis and the Chicago Bears.

As I get ready for the Outdoor Classic, I remember these things.  I remember how great a man Bill Wirtz was. He was loyal. He loved his players. He was a tough businessman. He taught you about loyalty and doing the little things the right way.  My 1st position with the Hawks when I retired was with WBBM News Radio 78, as they were the flagship station of the Hawks, the Mighty Blackhawks…you know the song.

Our studio before and after the game was in a small room, with a small bathroom in it. One night the Hawks weren’t very good and my partner, Brian Davis, started the show by having his mic nearly in the toilet, and he flushed it as we started the show….. ” Well….that about sums up the Hawks play tonight….”  We answered phone calls after games and tried as best we could to explain why Mr Wirtz wouldn’t put the Hawks on home TV. Tough to explain, but we did the best we could. Mr Wirtz would personally call me and say I was doing a ‘fine job’ with the callers. He always said, “I know it can’t be easy…”

Now its the Outdoor game in Chicago.  Wrigley Field.  Mark Grace and the boys. The Cubs. The summer sun beating down on the most loyal fans in all of sports. The ivory and bricks.

This morning I get up and look out the window of the Drake Hotel and for miles I see the shore and the Gold Coast. Oak Street beach is right below my window. A classic winter day as I get ready for the game.  I step outside and the brisk wind grabs my attention. It is the wind. Its not that cold, only 3 days before the game, but the wind will be the challenge for sure.

NBC did a great job last year in Buffalo letting the elements tell the story. The game was the story. The snow coming down. The players were cold and constantly wiping their eyes, face and visors if they had one on. Darryl Sydor started the game with one on, but ended the game without it. Too much maintenance, and dangerous as well as it was tough to see, even a few feet in front of you.

Our producer, Sam Flood, is an experienced hockey player himself, and makes sure the game is the main topic of conversation on the air. He allowed us, as broadcasters, simply tell the story. What is the wind like? What adjustments do the coaches have to make? Are the goalies able to see the puck? These are every analyst dream position to be in. Just relay the story to the audience. What a pleasure it was to be in that environment and hopefully the weather let’s us just tell the story.

Last year there were 72,000 passionate fans that wouldn’t leave their seats, all bundled up and trying to be as warm as they could be. It was truly a sight to behold. At one point, singing Neil Diamonds “Sweet Caroline”…and it sounded good!  Between the benches with skates on made it unique, as I hopped over the boards many times to interview a player, show the viewers the built up snow on the ice and how they have to battle the elements. I even tossed a snowball at the main men behind the mic’s, Doc Emrick and Ed Olczyk, a former teammate of mine with the Hawks, before he was traded to Toronto.

The fans love this stuff.

Casual fans love to see an outdoor stadium with grown men playing the sport they love. The same way most of these guys competed as kids. We all started out on outdoor rinks or ponds when I was growing up. In the elements. In the snow. Facing adversity. Laughing. Competing.  I can’t wait to get to Wrigley.

Several years back, I was up in the scoreboard and my duty was to change the score as the Cubs were struggling. I had to place the old tin #’s in the right spot. It was hot and muggy. It was so cool to be up there. What an experience that was.

In a few days I am able to see the 1st NHL game played at Wrigley and I can’t wait. No need for anyone up in that old scoreboard.

The Wings and the Hawks. The defending Champs vs the Contender, a real legitimate contender. Datsyuk and Zetterberg against Kane and Toews.  Outdoors.  Let the temperature drop and let the game begin!

- Panger

Take a listen to our Winter Classic preview with hockey expert, Darren Pang.  Darren will be heading to Chicago for another outdoor classic hockey game with NBC.  I sat down with Panger to get his thoughts on being a part of another special hockey moment … this time at the famed Wrigley Field.

Click to listen:

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Be sure to watch this classic on New Year’s Day.

- Todd

Hanzal will win the Selke Award, just a matter of time.  NHL.com recently did a “Coyote Ugly” story, highlighting the struggles of 2nd year players Martin Hanzal and Peter Mueller. I like to think when I watch a player game in and game out, practice in and practice out, that I have a pretty good feel as to whether that player is playing well or not playing well.

The Coyotes went into the season with a plan. They committed to 4 fresh faced rookies, to go along with 5 key sophomore players, with Mueller and Hanzal the centerpieces on their roster, as far as sophomores are concerned. That is more responsibility than any other team.

There have been definite stretches where Mueller has struggled. He worked hard in the off season, adding muscle and bulk, going from 206 lbs to 216 lbs. As a team, they determined that was too much so he has worked his tail off , getting his weight down and moving his feet quicker. As a result, he has created far more energy and increased his scoring chances per game. He has to continue to do that consistently, and the goals are certain to come. He is that good with the puck. Last season he came on and scored 22 goals. He spent lots of time on the point on the PP, scoring 7 PPG’s in the process. He also had 3 ROAD hattricks, pretty good stuff.

Last season, he could also be hidden by his coach, Wayne Gretzky, especially on the road , where Gretzky has been a master with his younger players. This season? Different story for a few reasons. Teams know who he is. He can’t hide. He gets to see the other teams best defenseman and best defensive forward. He has 5-10-15 pts at this point, below expectations by both Peter and the team. This season, the 1st 27 games, will add a few layers of skin to Peter for the future and all for the good. He is a difference maker in the best league in the world. He will score in bunches and when they start, it will take a long time for them to stop. I see it in practice and in games. I talk to the other teams goalies about the Coyotes players they have their eye on. Peter is at the top of the list.

In my conversations with Peter, I remember quickly how it went for me in my 2nd full season as an NHL’er. The criticism is far more stinging from the coaches, the expectations are higher, and the responsibilities to your “younger” teammates changes you for the better. So, while Mueller’s season is going to have to improve for this team to get in the play-offs, it hasn’t been as “ugly” as the headline puts it.Not even close.

For Martin Hanzal to be included in this column is baffling.

I know the “Western” National Hockey League doesn’t get as many eye balls as our friends to the East…but come on.  Hanzal will win the Frank J Selke Award. It may not be this season, but he will garner attention. I say here, he wins it next season.

As a 2nd season NHL player that played only 1 season of WHL hockey and then to the NHL, he will only get better and stronger on his 6’5 220 lb frame.  He is as good in his own zone as any centerman in the NHL. What position is the hardeset to break in at? Many say it is on the blueline. Hard to argue.

I for one, believe it is at center ice. The responsibilities are far greater than that of a defenseman. There is more confusion in your own zone, especially with so many cycles down low. A centerman has to win face offs, not lose his man, be down low in his own zone, often spending the whole shift from the hash marks to the boards. Then , if you get out of your zone, you are the guy that gets the puck through the middle of the ice and makes a play for your wingers.you need to create offense as well. Go for a line change, and do it all again.

Then there is Hanzal. He doesn’t get to do that against the other teams sophomores, or 18, 19, and 20 year old players.  No, he does that against the NHL’s BEST players. Every night.

If you are going to suggest a player is struggling and making it a headline, you better do some homework, watch some games and then ask some players he plays against.

In the West, he faces Joe Thornton, and did so all of last year as well, as a rookie. The Coyotes have a winning record vs the Sharks in the last 2 years.While Big Joe remains a very top player in this league, I can assure you he has had all he can handle in the 2 games this season against the Coyotes. The series so far is a 3-2 win and a 3-2 loss. We highlighted the two the entire game and could see that Hanzal was in his kitchen.

He does it the old fashioned way. He rarely takes penalties. He has a great reach and stick. He separates great players from the puck, not an easy thing to do.He brings a great attitude to the rink, he wants to win. He plays that way.

I mentioned Thornton. Lets continue with Ryan Getzlaf, Anze Kopitar and any one of the 3 headed monsters at center ice for the Dallas Stars. All in the Pacific Division. 6 games a season against them.
Last season, Hanzal had 8 goals and 35 points.

2 weeks ago he scored 3 goals against the Leafs and has 6 goals and 10 assists on the season, while defensively, is minus 1.

That includes a recent game in Chicago that was a team embarrassment, losing 7-1 and giving up an astonishing 6 goals at even strength.  There are going to be nights like that for every player and team, as bad as it seemed at the time. Young and old go through it. We all have.

I can assure you that sophomore players Peter Mueller and Martin Hanzal will be at the other end of that score more than they will be at the losing end, in their NHL careers.

They are both special players that take pride in winning and care about their jobs on the ice.  To say they have been “Coyote Ugly” is extremely misleading and disrespectful to what they and the team are accomplishing.

- Panger