Phoenix Coyotes The Season That Was

Just a little less then one year ago the Phoenix Coyotes entered the toughest part of their franchise history. Going into Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection under the power of Jerry Moyes. From there many twists and turns would occur both on and off the ice over the span of the next 11 months. From Jim Ballsille offering some 200+ million dollars for the franchise to Dave Tippet coming in as head coach with only 2 weeks remaining in the pre season. But with all the distractions of trying to find a new owner whether that would be Jim Ballsille, Jerry Reinsdorf, or Ice Edge Holdings inc, one thing is for sure the product on the ice was not affected by all the off ice distractions. With game 6 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals just hours away from getting underway I would like to take this time to thank everyone one of those players who contributed in some way to the success of the Phoenix Coyotes. Whether it being the 50 wins or the 107 points, how many people would have thought that the Phoenix Coyotes, the team who most destined to be a lame duck franchise at best in the off season, would end up with so many wins and points, and finishing 4th in the tough Western Conference. Maybe the fantastic job by General Manager Don Maloney. Whether that means him bringing in Verron Fiddler, Jason LaBarbera, or Taylor Pyatt in the off season or bringing in Wotek Wolski, Lee Stempniak, or Derek Morris at the deadline, the job this guy has done with such a limited budget is fantastic. A lot of the team success has to be pointed at head coach Dave Tippet and his staff. From day 1 of training camp when Ulf Samuelson was running the practices I could tell that there would be something different about this team, and I was right. So if the season does happen to come to an end against the Detroit Red Wings let me be the first one to say thank you to all the Phoenix Coyotes, and their supporters for a great season. You may get emotional I know I will no matter how it ends, I ask you to stand up and give those guys a standing ovation at home for the great season they have given us this season.