How the Lack of Media Attention Influenced the Phoenix Coyotes' Season

Sports journalists are idiots.

They think they know everything about sports, but in return they don’t know squat.

At the beginning of the season, a popular topic that is selected amongst journalists is previewing the upcoming season. The reason why journalists make predictions is because it attracts readers, which is the goal for any journalist, they want to get their opinion spread out amongst the World Wide Web.

In return, readers respond back with comments of their own and that is how conversation is engaged between a journalist and a reader. If the reader enjoys what the writer says, they will likely return the favor by becoming a fan of the writer.

That is the magic trick behind Bleacher Report, if you didn’t know that by now. What makes Bleacher Report stand out amongst other sports web-sites is that it attracts so many viewers in their community.

While the NHL isn’t as popular of a subject compared to NFL, NBA, MLB, MMA, Wrestling etc, it does attract some of the most loyal and die-hard fans that you will ever meet.

Hockey fans are their own breed, and on Bleacher Report, this ice breed has over 4,130 members in the NHL community. On any given day, you will find discussions such as what team will land Ilya Kovalchuk or the previewing the upcoming Winter Olympics.

One topic that rarely gets discussed is the Phoenix Coyotes.

It is no surprise either, after surveying every team’s community on Bleacher Report only the Florida Panthers have the least amount of members on Bleacher Reports community than the Phoenix Coyotes.

While this might not be breaking news to anyone that has followed the Coyotes this season, we are used to the lack of attention.

The only times that the Coyotes received attention was during the rough times for example the Coyotes filing for bankruptcy on May 5. When the Coyotes beat the Anaheim Ducks in a shootout back on Apr. 11, many wondered whether this would be the final home game that the Coyotes would ever play.

A lot of Coyotes fans questioned the future of the organization when names like Jim Balsillie has offered to purchase the bankrupt team only to move them to Hamiltion, Ontario, Canada. However, the NHL said no to Balsillie as the NHL purchased the Coyotes in hopes of selling the team to an owner that would keep the Coyotes in the desert.

The next time the Coyotes received media attention was nine days before the start of the season when Wayne Gretzky stepped down as head coach.

While this didn’t surprise the Coyote fans instead this only caused excitement for the Coyotes. While Gretzky is considered the greatest hockey player of all-time, he wasn’t the greatest coach of all-time.

Instead, the Coyotes went out and found themselves the right man for the job in Dave Tippett who was let go by the Dallas Stars after failing to make the playoffs for the first time under Tippett’s coaching.

Tippett has vastly improved the Coyotes. Last season the Coyotes finished their season with a 36-39-7 record, with 55 games into the season the Coyotes are 32-18-5 almost matching the total amount of wins the Coyotes received last season.

If Tippett doesn't win Coach of the Year honors this season, something is very wrong. Then again, with "all the media attention" that the Coyotes receive I wouldn't be surprised either.

After all the offseason distractions, nobody gave the Coyotes a chance to believe that they would compete according Bleacher Report’s very own Puckpassion, who ranked the Coyotes as the 13th best team in the Western Conference.

Puckpassion believed the Coyotes would finish as high as ninth. “Whether you want to call them the Phoenix Coyotes or the future Hamilton Coyotes, they still are the same old Coyotes. A team that lacks an offensive punch, good defense and the right coach to guide them into the playoffs.”

That was written back in August.

Even ESPN’s very own Scott Burnside ranked the Coyotes 29 out of 30 teams, “The office mess has bled into the locker room with the resignation of coach Wayne Gretzky. New bench boss Dave Tippett is a fine coach but hasn’t had much time to get this squad ready for competition,” said Burnside back on Sept. 28.

Despite the lack of media attention, the Coyotes did what they had to do to win back their fans, win games. It all started on opening night when the Coyotes returned to the ice to pay a visit to division rival the Los Angeles Kings. With seven new Coyotes in the lineup the Kings outplayed the Kings winning, 6-3. Four days later the Coyotes shut out last season’s Stanley Cup Champions the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-0.

Still no media attention.

When Shane Doan played in his 1000 career game all with the Phoenix Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets, an accomplishment that is so rare in any sport with free agency and trades, it is an accomplishment in itself to play 1000 career games in the big leagues where a lot of players careers are cut short due to injury or not good enough to make the team.

Instead, Doan has established himself as "The Captain" of the Phoenix Coyotes just like how former New York Rangers Mark Messier will always be referred to "The Captain" for the Rangers. What did his 1000 career games do for Doan this year? He got snubbed from making the Canadian Olympic team thanks to Steve Yzerman.

It is in my opinion if Doan had played for a high market team such as the Detroit Red Wings or the New York Rangers that Doan would have been selected to the Olympics this year.

However, I am not upset with Yzerman’s decision. Instead I am thankful. If Doan got injured in the Olympics the Coyotes hopes of making the playoffs would vanish as there is no person more valuable to the Coyote organization than Shane Doan.

Sure, you can argue that Ilya Bryzgalov is the Coyotes Most Valuable Player this season, and you might possibly win that argument. Bryzgalov has emerged this season as one of the most dangerous goaltenders in the NHL as he is currently tied for third in shutouts with five.

Heading into January, there wasn't a hotter goalie than Bryzgalov he was considered a candidate for the Vezina Trophy but Bryzgalov struggled in January as backup goalie Jason LaBarbera received a lot of ice time in January.

When Bryzgalov dominated in net helping the Coyotes set a franchise record for most victories in the month you would have never known unless you read the Arizona Republic newspaper where Jim Gintonio has done a fantastic job covering the historic season for the Phoenix Coyotes.

What is historic about the Coyotes this season?

Oh yeah, that’s right the media doesn’t talk about the Coyotes so you wouldn’t know.