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Coyotes' Prospect - Louis Domingue

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 02:47:00 -0400

This year was the first time I’ve had the chance to catch the Coyotes’ prospect development camp in a couple years. There were a few players that caught my eye, one being goalie prospect, Louis Domingue.

Louis Domingue was originally drafted by the Coyotes in the 5th round (138th overall) in 2010. In that time Domingue has spent his time in the QMJHL. Having started out ‘09-‘10 with the Moncton Wildcats, Domingue was traded to the Quebec Ramparts. After settling in with the Ramparts he posted a .910 save-percentage and a 2.54 goals-against average. Under the guidance of legendary goalie turned head coach Patrick Roy, Domingue continued his strong play well into the next two seasons, wrapping up each campaign averaging a save percentage of .912 and a goals-against of 2.61.

Louis Domingue is noted for his size, at 6’3, Domingue is comparable to Coyotes’ goaltender Mike Smith; taking up much space. Something I noticed about Louis Domingue while attending the Coyotes’ development camp, he was the only goalie to come out of the crease and play the puck.

Head coach Patrick Roy on Louis Domingue, “Big and tall goaltender who covers the net well, and has very quick legs. He has good vision for transition and even owns great puck handling abilities.”

Made the switch to Blogspot

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 01:46:04 -0400

I made the switch to Blogspot a few days ago and loved the layout more so than this site. I’ll try my best to cross post on both sites.

Feel free to read the blog directly at - http://www.ChirpinHard.blogspot.com

I’m also on Twitter if you care to follow me, I always post links once the articles are published. @edmchvz

Thanks!

Lips are sealed, Bett on it.

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 20:25:00 -0400

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman sat down with Sportnet’s Rob Kerr to talk about the upcoming CBA, the draft, rumors and the Phoenix Coyotes.

It was widely reported that Gary Bettman had breakfast with ex-goaltender, Patrick Roy. Roy in recent months has been said to have connections to not only the Montreal Canadiens front offices but to a possible Quebec-based group trying to bring the NHL back to the providence. “Thats whats wrong with twitter,” says Gary Bettman, “a pebble rolling down a hill turns into an avalanche,” in response to news spreading about his short chat with Patrick Roy.

Just mentioning those two names in the same sentence is enough for the NHL conspiracy theorists to start up. Questions of why the two were meeting, and what could it mean for the Phoenix Coyotes, were asked while theories that Roy passed along a list of preferred draft picks that would at some point land into Coyotes’ GM Don Maloney’s hands arose. Now that might be silly to some but for Quebec fans as well as Coyotes fans and even Commissioner Gary Bettman, dealing with these ideas and questions has become par of the course for the last three seasons.

As Bettman said, it has been ten days since anything positive has come out about the Coyotes’ situation in Glendale. In those ten days, the Goldwater Institute challenged the original city vote, a referendum has been sought after and a group of Coyotes fans gathered to make sure the people of Glendale are well informed of the facts behind the Jamison deal and Goldwater’s connections.

While this is all going on, not one peep has come out from either Jamison’s camp or the NHL’s and thats probably not going to change. “Its counter-productive,” said Gray Bettmen when speaking to Rob Kerr about the upcoming CBA and his stance is predicted not to vary when it comes to the ownership saga in Glendale. As for Greg Jamison, not being one to soak up the media attention like past interested parties, Greg Jamison only recently came forward in April to formally speak out about his pursuit to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes

So here we sit with free agency right around the corner and less than 100 days until opening day and all is quiet on both sides. The silence may be deafening but only progress has come from it. The days of Matthew Hulsizer and Ice Edge Holdings giving interviews and appearing on tv and even sometimes on the Coyotes intermission report are over and we wait to hear what comes next.

Pittsburgh looks to free up cap space with Coyotes trade

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 23:53:00 -0400

First off, I’d like to welcome Henrik Samuelsson to the Phoenix Coyotes Organization.

Drafting former Associate Coach Ulf Samuelsson’s son wasn’t the only thing General Manager Don Maloney had on the table. A deal that would send former Coyotes’ D Zbynek Michalek back to the desert in trade for Coyotes’ prospect, Harrison Ruopp, 3rd round pick and goalie Marc Cheverie.

Its believed that now having Jordan Staal traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, that the Pens are looking to free up cap-space to try and land unrestricted free agent, Zach Parise.

Coyotes fans look to inform Glendale and surrounding areas

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 02:16:00 -0400

Although the Phoenix Coyotes fan base may lack in size, theres no denying the passion for their team. Like the NHL, the fans are fighting to keep the Coyotes in Glendale; and all seemed fine until the Goldwater Institute decided to weigh in…again. Already effectively killing a possible ownership deal with Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer, the conservative watchdog group pulled for a referendum on the initial City of Glendale vote. Now having to collect signatures for the public referendum, the residents of Glendale have until July 9th to do so but they won’t be the only ones pounding away on the streets of Glendale, a group of Phoenix Coyotes fans have come together in hopes of showing not only the true colors of the Goldwater Institute but the MAJOR effects if the Coyotes were to leave Glendale.

I had the chance to ask a Inform Glendale a few questions about the movement

When and where did the idea of InformGlendale form?

A Facebook group called ravenous coyotes fans was been started to work on grass roots efforts to save the team. A few ideas were thrown around as to what we could do, and a website was one of the ideas.

Who exactly is behind InformGlendale?

The FB group

Why the secrecy of whose behind InformGlendale?

If you’ve followed the story, you’ll know that there are a LOT of trolls from certain places who constantly feel the need to insert themselves in the politics of the situation. We do NOT want people from Winnipeg or Quebec hassling the group, or the people involved with the site. We do not want them leaving comments or spamming the site. We feel that their opinions about the matter are quite transparent - they don’t really care about the people of Glendale, they just want the team. There are certain people who ALWAYS feel the need to comment on local sites with their opinions on why Glendale should not support the team - these are people who live 3000 miles away, and who do NOT CARE about the people of Glendale. They do not care what will happen to Glendale after the team leaves, they just want the team to move to Canada. Already some of these types have attempted to join the closed FB group, for the express purpose of spying/trolling. By keeping the people behind the site privately registered, it allows some protection from this sort of thing.

The facts are there but do you feel the Goldwater Institute has some sort of vendetta against the Coyotes/City of Glendale given all the associations the organization has?

That would depend upon who you speak with. There are 200+ members of the group, so you’ll probably have 200+ different opinions! Some feel that it is a vendetta, others feel that it is a business matter (no Coyotes = more tickets sold for Dbacks), others feel that it is just a matter of the GWI trying to get as much publicity as possible for itself, and the Coyotes are an easy way to do that. So I can’t speak for all 200+ people in saying whether or not there is a vendetta, but I’m sure that some people do believe that, while others don’t.

How has the overall feedback of InformGlendale been?

So far, pretty good - not surprisingly, there were quite a few visitors from our neighbors up north.

What are ways others can help out?

There is going to be a PAC formed to work on these goals, the first meeting will be this weekend.

Besides the website and social media, will there be in-person meetings for InformGlendale?

Yes, the first one is this weekend and I don’t know where it will go from there.

If so when/where?

At Westgate on Saturday, I’d have to ask the person who is organizing that exactly what time and location.

The Goldwater Institute are set to collect signatures to push for a public referendum, is InformGlendale planning on taking to the streets also?

Yes, they are planning to do so. Flyers have already been made up and they’re just working on the logistics at the moment.

Now it wouldn’t be fair to say Inform Glendale is the first of its kind, there has been plenty of supporters taking to the interwebs voicing and uncovering facts about the Goldwater Institute, the Phoenix Coyotes, and the City of Glendale. One of those being a personal favorite of mine, George Fallar. Mr. Fallar has come to the table with hard facts that are tough to ignore…unless you’re a Canadian news outlet. The Inform Glendale group is asking all parties that are interested to come to the first meeting, Saturday June 23rd at McFadden’s at Westgate.

Notable posts by George Fallar
* http://nebulousverbosity.com/?p=1155 - Expect UFCW Union Support against Coyotes
* http://nebulousverbosity.com/?p=799 - Coyotes, Robots, Goldwater and the IRS

Link to Inform Glendale- http://www.informglendale.com

Shane Doan wins Mark Messier Award

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 04:03:51 -0400

At Wednesday’s NHL Awards ceremony Phoenix Coyotes’ Captain, Shane Doan was presented with the Mark Messier Leadership Award. An award that is set to recognize a player who displays superior leadership in the locker room and on ice as well as being a contributing member of the community.

Playing such a fast pace game its easy to forget to slow down once and awhile but not for Captain Shane Doan. Its not uncommon to see Doan throwing pucks over the glass during warm-ups, or staying at an event later than planned to insure every fan, child or adult, gets an autograph. Heck, ‘Charity’ might even be his middle name, given all that Shane Doan and his family has donated.

The fans love Shane Doan and Shane Doan loves them. Why wouldn’t they? Shane Doan has stuck with the franchise that drafted him in 1995. Through good and bad, Shane Doan was right there fighting the good fight. And when Jerry Moyes put the team in bankruptcy in 2009 to force a sale to Jim Balsillie, a sale that would eventually see them shipped to Hamilton, Ontario, Shane Doan was there.

Not one to speak publicly or even worry about the ownership saga for that matter, Shane Doan rallied his troops to three playoff runs. This last seasons playoff was special for Doan. All his hard work was now paying off. The Coyotes finished on top of the Pacific division for the first time and advanced past the first round for the first time since moving to the Valley.

It was now that Shane Doan was being recognized outside of hockey circles as the state couldn’t ignore the NHL’s best kept secret. And when facing a sweep, it was Shane Doan who stepped up and scored the only two goals of the game to bring the playoffs home for one more game. Sadly the season ended a few nights later but thanks to Shane Doan, the fans couldn’t stay sad for too long. Many milestones were reached during this season, many courtesy of Shane Doan.

———-
In related news, Shane Doan is set to become a Unrestricted Free Agent come July 1st. Both General Manager Don Maloney and Shane Doan are hoping to reach an agreement before the start of free agency as Don Maloney is fearful of what could happen if Doan isn’t locked up by July 1st, “If he hits the market on July 1 and we still don’t have our situation resolved, who knows what another team could throw his way?” Don Maloney will also look to resign goaltending coach, Sean Burke as well as reworking both coach Dave Tippett and goaltender Mike Smith.

Still 'Whit' it

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 19:33:00 -0400

Forward Ray Whitney has accomplished a lot in his 20+ year NHL career; a Stanley Cup win in 2006, reaching the 1000 point career marker, and finishing up the season with 600+ assist points, and thats just naming a few. With a stellar season and unbelievable post season, the 40 year old Left-Winger they call the ‘Wizard’ isn’t ready to hang up the skates just yet.

Ray Whitney plays a tight puck controlling style game, something that matched up well with Winger Radim Vrbata and Center Martin Hanzal, replacing the ‘Czech Line’ as it was previously called with former Coyote Petr Prucha and forming the Elton John parody, ‘Whitney, and the Czechs.’

The Wizard is one of a handful UFAs available this summer come July 1st. The key to his return is steady ownership and a contract that reflects the numbers he put up during the regular season, “It’s time that I got what was due to me instead of always taking less because you are getting older,” says Whitney. Age is a definite factor not only for Whitney but for the Coyotes and any other organizations looking to sign the 40 year old. With the ‘35-Plus’ contract and recent problems with players who have signed a ‘35-Plus’ contract teams will be reluctant to sign Whitney for more than 1 or 2 years which could help GM Don Maloney in the long run, giving him time to negotiate the ideal contract.

Possible Coyotes' deal completion by next week

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 01:28:00 -0400

Earlier today the 2012 NHL Entry Draft itinerary was released to the media and related parties. A noted event on the itinerary was a Board of Governors meeting set on June 19th. In researching for this article, I couldn’t find anything that listed a Board of Governors meeting this late in the hockey season.

Aaron Wood (@azvibessports) first reported the scheduled event and was soon backed up by a few other sources. I haven’t myself gotten the chance to read the itinerary but the above mentioned sources are quite reliable. Could this Board of Governors meeting be scheduled last minute to close the Coyotes/Jamison deal? We’ll know June 19th.

Coyotes' sale update

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 18:35:23 -0400

Deal could be completed as soon as next week. More info soon

2012 NHL Entry Draft

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 19:59:00 -0400

With the 2012 NHL Entry Draft only a week away things are about to heat up in the Coyotes’ camp. Aside from having a few Restricted free agents on the team, General Don Maloney will have his hands full with the six Non-Restricted free agents, one of those being team captain, Shane Doan. But free agency doesn’t start until July 1st, until then Don Maloney will only be having the Entry Draft on his mind.

“We’re probably more inclined to move the pick one way or the other.” - Don Maloney

Maloney is already hard at work strategizing his way into a lower seed. The General Manager is feeling confident in defensive prospects, “We have a lot of defenseman in our system, young defenseman, that we feel really good with where we’re at.” But that isn’t stopping the Coyotes GM from taking on another defenseman, “We may get to our pick and it’s an average forward and a real good defenseman, and we’ll take the defenseman.”

As it stands, the Phoenix Coyotes are set to pick 27th overall on Friday, June 22nd.

Notable 27th picks:

John Carlson (Washington, 2008)
Jeff Schultz (Washington, 2004)
Jeff Woywitka (Philadelphia, 2001)
Scott Gomez (New Jersey, 1998)
Tie Domi (Toronto, 1988)
Joe Nieuwendyk (Calgary, 1985)

Coyotes are set to have 8 draft picks Saturday, June 23rd.

Second round – No. 58
Third round – No. 81
Third round – No. 88
Fourth round – No. 102
Fifth round – No 148
Sixth round – No. 178
Seventh round – No. 184
Seventh round – No. 208

Part 2 of sinking Goldwater

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 20:45:35 -0400

Jerry Moyes was a listed board member in 2000, I’m sure that further investigation would add him to more years of board membership and possibly even founding membership. The history of the Coyotes and Jerry Moyes ended badly, and there is undoubtedly a great deal of enmity between Mr. Moyes and the NHL, perhaps even with Glendale city council members.

(Rumor) Staal to PHX for Yandle and draft picks

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 20:32:13 -0400

Earlier this week Hockey Buzz’s Eklund leaked word that a possible trade between the Phoenix Coyotes and Pittsburgh Penguins were being discussed. Although no official word has been released by either club such a trade isn’t too far fetched.

Now on paper this trade makes perfect sense. The Coyotes lack a top-line center who can get the job done night in-night out and the Penguins will be looking to bulk up it’s defense to match up their intense offense. But thats about it, theres no mention of request for trade, problems in the locker room or desperate urgency for a center.

GM Don Maloney has quietly built one of the most defensive orientated teams in the league. Since the ‘09 draft, the first round pick was a Dman, highlights of these draft picks are Brandon Gormley and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Being one of the top defensive teams in the league, the Coyotes have the depth to move players when needed due to illnesses/injuries on the team but lack the stability of filling the spot that Keith Yandle currently takes up.

Aside from lacking the depth, such a trade could send the wrong message to players. After coming of a record season and with relocation rumors in full force, Keith Yandle made a major commitment and signed a 5 year contract. Now how does it look if someone like Yandle, who has a very promising future gets dealt a year after making a 5 year commitment to a franchise who is still battling for ownership? Not good.

To sum it up nicely, Don Maloney takes care of those players who care and those who don’t care. Keith Yandle is one of those who cares.

Goldwater in possible deep water?

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 00:38:00 -0400

Beginning on the evening of June 7, 2012, residents of Glendale, Arizona were contacted by “RoboCalls” urging them to contact the Glendale City Council to express their displeasure about the Coyotes deal. I know people who received the calls but, not living in Glendale and being a registered Independent anyway, did not receive on of the calls. I got the gist of the calls from them, and the calls were insisting that the citizens that their council representatives reject the deal, offering them a “press 1 to voice your concern” shortcut to the offices of the city council. Nobody recalled exactly the source of the calls beyond the telephone number on their caller-id. Contacting citizens directly in this fashion is a potentially serious violation of the IRS 501(c)(3) regulations against lobbying.

Greg Jamison is set to do a phone interview on Fox 10 news tonight

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:50:39 -0400

Greg Jamison is set to do a phone interview on Fox 10 news tonight

As guessed in my last post, there WILL be a vote for the Jamison...

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:13:58 -0400

As guessed in my last post, there WILL be a vote for the Jamison deal on Friday

Glendale City Manager Ed Beasley set to retire Friday

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 02:43:00 -0400

Ed Beasley’s plans before retiring, “My goals have been to finalize the Coyote negotiations and keep the team in Glendale … and prepare and submit a balanced budget for 2013”

Friday marks the end to a 17 year city administration career for Mr. Ed Beasley. A career that has manifested into the main negotiator in the Coyotes’ ownership saga in the last couple of years. But what does this news mean for Coyotes fans? It could mean the end of the 3 years of lack of ownership, loss of free agents, and relocation rumors. On Monday the City of Glendale published proposed agreements from Greg Jamison and Company. Thursday night’s City of Glendale’s workshop is meant for the council to review above mentioned documents.

A council vote is possible if given a 24 hour notice. And with Mr. Beasley’s announced retirement the day following the City Council one can only wonder since part of his goal before retiring is now complete if his second goal of completing the Coyotes’ deal is now only a few days away. We’ll have to wait until later this week to find out for sure.

Be sure to catch the Phoenix Coyotes’ playoff run on the NHL Network’s Inside the Cup.

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 21:53:15 -0400

Be sure to catch the Phoenix Coyotes’ playoff run on the NHL Network’s Inside the Cup.

Season ends with a bang for two Phoenix Coyotes prospects

Mon, 28 May 2012 20:20:00 -0400

The exciting playoff run that the Phoenix Coyotes enjoyed may have ended in disappointment. But for two of the organization’s prospects, the conclusion of their 2011-12 season ended on a much higher note.

Brandon Gormley of the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes helped his team capture the 2012 Memorial Cup, while the Tri-City Americans’ Brendan Shinnimin was selected as the Player of the Year in the Canadian Hockey League.

To touch back on Rozsival’s deep thigh contusion (bruise), although the idea of a bruised...

Sat, 26 May 2012 04:48:04 -0400

To touch back on Rozsival’s deep thigh contusion (bruise), although the idea of a bruised anything doesn’t seem that serious, thigh contusions can manifest into a bigger problem down the road. Former Boston Bruins’ centerman Cam Neely suffered the same injury by then New York Ranger and former Phoenix Coyotes’ assistant coach, Ulf Samuelsson. The injury is what ultimately ended Cam Neely’s career.

Cam Neely and Ulf Samuelsson - Knee on knee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd8cDxL_5IE

Rozsival reportedly only left the ice with a bruised thigh after Brown’s hit, said Coyotes GM...

Fri, 25 May 2012 18:47:14 -0400

Rozsival reportedly only left the ice with a bruised thigh after Brown’s hit, said Coyotes GM Don Maloney. I wonder if this Don Maloney’s way of helping Rozsival once the free agent market opens up.