It’s Even

During the first period last night, I was pretty hopeful, especially after the goal scored by Keith Yandle went in.  The Coyotes continued their onslaught and made the team from the mid-western state East of Wisconsin skate 200 feet whereas the Coyotes didn’t have to skate 200 feet.

Cornball looked confused at times during that first period, the head coach looked dismayed during that first period, and the only skater on the top two lines of the team from the mid-western state East of Wisconsin was Ernie.

Yeah, I thought that they were going to take this one too.

That was before the dark times – before the Empire.

The game opened up in the second period, and while it was fun to watch, I was getting concerned.  The more open this game became, the more it played into the hands of the team from the mid-western state East of Wisconsin.  Zordberg proved it to all of us.

The Coyotes cannot run with that team.  They have to play their style, even their captain knows it.  They needed to play the same game 16 times, and just didn’t do it.

I don’t mind that the team from the mid-western state East of Wisconsin beat the Coyotes last night.  It’s a series and now it’s a best of five.  My prediction was the Coyotes in six; I never thought we’d sweep let alone win two in a row at home.

What I minded was the octopus on the ice.  Hopefully, the NHL after threatening punishment for the #ThrowTheSnake campaign enacted some on the idiots who threw that jelly fish, especially during a situation where one of our players was shaken up on the preceding play.  Plus, seeing the hats fall onto the ice truly shows that these fans of the team from the mid-western state East of Wisconsin really have no class.

During the pre-game show, Tom from Chandler best illustrated my point about how he felt about fans of the team from the mid-western state East of Wisconsin.  Someday, I’ll introduce myself and buy him a beer (or his favorite beverage).  Because he said what all of us say to our friends and to those Coyotes’ fans who sit next to us, publicly and honestly.

My idealistic outlook on life is that two fans of opposing teams should be able to watch a game,  and playfully rib each other about goals being scored, and since we’re both fans of a sport that many in the populace just don’t get, we should be able to walk away after the loss or victory with respect – kind of like when two pugilists battle it out on the ice to calm things down.  The enforcers from each team respect each other and the jobs they need to do.

However, I never look that idealistically when the fans of the team from the mid-western state East of Wisconsin enter the Coyotes’ building.  Evidence has shown time and again that most of them are just immature punks.

What I’ve Read Around Cyberspace Today:

From The Arizona Republic:

From The Detroit Free Press:

From The Detroit News:

From The Toronto Sun:

From The Globe and Mail:

From The Toronto Star:

From MLive:

From the CBC:

From Hipchecks:

Wings v. Coyotes 1.2

There is an apocraphyl story about the late Herb Brooks when he coached his last USA Olympic squad (you know, the one with the NHL players, not the one where the Miracle happened), and he supposedly asked them:

“How many NHL hockey games are there?”

The unnamed NHL hockey player said, “82.”

Herb countered, “No, not 82 games…one game, 82 times.”

Whether that story is true or not (and I searched for it using the mighty Google, couldn’t find any confirmation, must have happened before the Interwebs), I still like to think that was a Herb Brooks thing to say, and I still like to think it happened.

Because thinking that story is true really helps me out with the point of this particular missive.

If the Coyotes play the same way they did for the last half of Wednesday night’s game, especially in the same manner as the last five minutes, they will beat the team from the mid-western state East of Wisconsin. If they follow the way of Shane Doan’s controlled fury, that other team will look flustered once again, and make mistakes.

After all, this game is a game of mistakes, when two teams are evenly matched as these two teams are.

According to Dave Tippett, they plan to take the same approach.

I would agree.

It also seems that the team from the mid-western state East of Wisconsin took notice that physical hockey is the Coyotes’ strategy. They brought up some kid to attempt to take care of business. He’s played 50 games and is third on the team in total hits. I guess they need to be tougher, even though they think they’re like tough?

Whatever. Bring it. They’ll be ready.

As indicated earlier, we know and they know that it’s a series. There is no adult beverage flowing from a Cup yet. The game tonight will be another tough one. No doubt about it. The team from the midwestern state East of Wisconsin now know they’ll have to work to get out of there with a victory tonight.

It will come down to mistakes; it will come down to which team forces the other into making them.

Simple game, really.

#ThrowtheSnake

What I’ve Read This Morning Around Cyberspace:

From the Arizona Republic:

From the Detroit Free Press:

From The Globe and Mail: Calm, cool, quirky in the desert

From the Daily Tribune: Wings need to get a bit tougher

From The Detroit News:

From MILive: Mike Babcock isn’t shaken by Red Wings’ penalty-killing lapses in Game 1 against Coyotes

From Five for Howling:

Coyote Tracks – WHITEOUT TGIF April 16 Edition

From Hip Checks:

Round 1 Game 1: Detroit at Phoenix

From The Good, the Bad, the Coyotes:

It Began Today

Coyotes Take One

Unbelievable…but wait, that’s not the right word.

Because I believed all along. The Coyotes can play with the team from the mid-western state East of Wisconsin. Unfortunately, for them and some of their fans, they didn’t believe.

And it cost them.

Sure, the Coyotes had a rocky first ten minutes where the Coyotes pressed too much and played with too much emotion. A sold out building can do that to teams. In fact, even Ilya Bryzgalov was not immune letting a soft one go in by *Nordstrom. However, the Coyotes did what they always do and they found a way to win.

I’ve written before that the Coyotes go where their beloved captain Shane Doan goes. He was a hitting machine, laying out players from the team from the mid-western state East of Wisconsin. Important ones too, like that guy *Datsun, and others. When Doan was called for a “charging” penalty, during the ensuing penalty kill, the Coyotes just got angrier and suffocated them.

I will submit though that the officiating wasn’t quite right for both benches. The high stick that Fiddler used mid-way through the third period should have been called – and the game might have gone into overtime. The Coyotes got a break for sure.

And as Doan was characterized by Todd Walsh as “controlled fury”, Fiddler might want to do the same.

The Czech line and the fourth line controlled most of the play, and as usual, the defense scored signficant goals.

However, as giddy as the fans are (since hockey can’t work in the desert, I heard more chanting, taunting, cheering, and snake throwing than expected – pretty quiet building if you ask me), and as I am, I also recognize that it’s a series, and they have three more wins to earn.

Let’s get on with the next one then.

What I’ve Read this Morning Around Cyberspace .

From the Arizona Republic :

From the Globe and Mail :

Coyotes power to series-opening win.

From the Montreal Gazette :

Coyotes continue to puzzle the pundits: Favoured Red Wings latest to get schooled

From the Detroit News :

Coyotes 3, Red Wings 2: Phoenix takes Game 1

From the Toronto Star :

Coyotes fans howling with delight

From Five for Howling :

Coyote Tracks – THROW THE SNAKE April 15 Edition

* Note: Before you tell me, I know these names are not right…I know who these players are…since we’re not getting any respect over here (tee-times in Phoenix? Please), I plan to do the same.

If you have a twitter account, thanks to Travis Hair’s brilliance over at Five for Howling, follow the trend #ThrowtheSnake…