PHOENIX-Up until now, Phoenix Coyotes fans have mostly heard from the Coyotes side of the Martin Hanzal contract negotiations. Via e-mail this afternoon Martin Hanzal’s agent, Craig Oster, provided this update into the negotiations with the Phoenix Coyotes:
“We have spent a lot of time with the Coyotes attempting to find a contract that makes sense for everyone. We are confident we will eventually reach a deal as both sides are sincerely motivated to do so.”
When asked if Martin Hanzal was going to report to the Phoenix Coyotes if a deal hasn’t been reached by the opening day of training camp, Oster stated that “we have not discussed that as we are not hoping to be in that situation.”
Sounds like everything is on the right track for a new deal.
WINNIPEG-One of the biggest question marks this off-season was where former St. Louis Blues forward Paul Kariya, who is now a free agent, was going to play this upcoming season. This afternoon the NHL Players Association released the following statement via e-mail from player agent Don Baizley regarding the status of Forward Paul Kariya for the upcoming 2010-2011 season:
“Paul Kariya will not play hockey during the 2010/11 season. After being examined by concussion specialist Dr. Mark Lovell, Paul is not able to play hockey due to post-concussion syndrome.”
The fifteen year NHL veteran tallked 43 points last season (18 goals and 25 assists) in 75 games with the St. Louis Blues.
NEW YORK-This morning the NHL released, via e-mail, the full national TV schedule for the 2010-2011 NHL Regular season. The Coyotes will start the season off on Versus from the O2 Arena in the Czech Republic (pictured above). They will appear on Versus 5 times this season (schedule below). Last season the Coyotes appeared only once on Versus and won in spectacular fashion.
Here’s the Coyotes national (US/Canada) television schedule. Please keep in mind this is only the national TV schedule. The local TV schedules will be released at a later date.
TSN/TSN2
11/8/2010 – at Detroit – 7:30 PM
11/12/2010 – Calgary – 7:30 PM
11/23/2020 – Edmonton – 7:00 PM
12/31/2010 – at St. Louis – 7:00 PM
2/14/2011 – Washington – 7:30 PM
3/15/2011 – at Calgary – 7:30 PM
Versus – US
10/9/2010 – at Boston (Prague, CR) – 4:00 PM
11/8/2010 – at Detroit – 7:30 PM
12/31/2010 – at St. Louis – 7:30 PM
2/1/2011 – at San Jose – 7:00 PM
2/14/2011 – Washington – 7:00 PM
RDS/RIS – Canadian French Language Broadcasts
10/25/2010 – at Montreal – 7:30 PM
10/26/2010 – at Ottawa – 7:30 PM
11/23/2020 – Edmonton – 7:00 PM
12/20/2010 – at Pittsburgh – 7:00 PM
2/27/2011 – at Chicago – 6:00 PM
NHL Network – Canada
10/10/2010 – Boston (Prague, CR) – 4:00 PM
1/17/2011 – San Jose – 2:00 PM
3/13/2011 – at Anaheim – 5:00 PM
Today marks the opening of two conditioning camps for two different hockey programs. Anyone who are hockey fans should check them out!
Athletes Resource Conditioning Camp
For the next two weeks at the Ice Den in North Scottsdale NHL and Coyotes fans have the opportunity to see Coyotes players and NHL players who live in the area get into shape for the upcoming NHL season. This is an opportunity to see players in an up close and personal setting.
All sessions are free and open to the public.
Refer to the following page for times and dates of the conditioning sessions:
Arizona State University Hockey Conditioning Camp and Tryouts
The Division 1 and 2 ASU Hockey Teams begin their 2010-2011 campaign at the Oceanside Ice Arena in North Tempe. Starting this week is the ASU Hockey Conditioning camps followed next week by tryouts for the Division 1 and 2 teams.
Please refer to the following page for dates and times of the Conditioning and Tryout camps:
The Sport-Express article looks to be just one of those ‘lost in translation’ situations where a father just wants what’s best for his son as opposed to a trade demand.
::Update::
The Coyotes got back to me via e-mail and it’s ‘not true’ that Tikhonov has requested a trade.
Monday afternoon, the Phoenix Coyotes hired Jim Brewer as Vice President of Marketing and Communications. To most Coyotes fans, this announcement may seem like more useless off-season news. I mean the majority of you are waiting on the next off-season free agent signing, right?
Phoenix Coyotes fans should be treating this announcement as if another Don Maloney was hired.
Why?
In short, the hiring of Jim Brewer into the Coyotes Marketing and Communications department has the potential to bring further stability to the Phoenix Coyotes in terms of marketing the team and bringing in much needed corporate sponsorships.
On paper, Brewer brings some impressive credentials to the Coyotes. His resume in the press release (from the Coyotes about his hiring) weaves a story of not only someone who has extensive experience in marketing and communications but also someone who has:
1) Worked in a professional sports environment (The Suns)
2) Worked in startup/policy creation situations (ASU)
3) Worked in the corporate (Suns), non-profit (Phoenix Zoo) and governmental (ASU) fields
What does this mean and why is this important to the Coyotes?
From his experience with the Suns, Brewer knows how a winning pro sports team operates and what will be needed, marketing and communication wise, for the Coyotes to be successful. This work experience alone sends a huge message that the Coyotes are serious about building a winning tradition.
Secondly, Brewer worked in a startup/policy creation position at ASU, these skills will come in handy as the Coyotes begin to take their steps to the next level on and off the ice. Brewer has the opportunity to develop a new path for the Coyotes in the marketing and communications realm starting from where the team currently is.
Finally, Brewer has worked in the corporate, non-profit, and governmental fields. This means that he more than likely has a wide range of contacts and has built numerous relationships over the years to draw on in terms of corporate sponsorships for the upcoming Coyotes season. In addition, he knows how all three types of businesses work in terms of bringing in much needed income for the Coyotes.
Now as good as this signing may be on paper, Brewer’s hiring brings up some questions:
Question #1) Again, Brewer’s resume is indeed impressive. There is no point in arguing that. However, he has zero hockey experience and, from what I can tell, zero experience in situations where a pro sports market does not identify with the team or its players. How does he plan to tackle these challenges?
When it comes to hockey, Coyotes fans are not just going to want a team that wins or just offers various specials on tickets. Don’t get me wrong, fans love a winning team and being able to get a price break on Coyotes tickets in this economy.
The thing that fans want is to identify with players on the Coyotes roster whether they are marquee players or not.
For example, take Luis Gonzalez and the recent retirement of his #20 by the Arizona Diamondbacks (D-Backs).
The D-Backs have not been able to draw fans for the 2010 season for various reasons that aren’t important in this article. All of a sudden, not only do they sell out the Gonzalez retirement game, but said game is now the eighth largest sell out in Arizona Diamondbacks history.
Why?
Fans had a connection with Gonzalez and the 2001 D-Backs roster.
Following the number retirement ceremony, Gonzalez met with reporters (myself included) and stated that part of the reason for the team’s success in 2001 was because of the on field chemistry. He then stated that the other part of the Diamondbacks success was off the field, which helped with the fans connect with the team during the 2001 season.
Gonzalez said to the assembled reporters, “I always poured my heart and soul into the team, staying here and doing whatever I had to do to help…(whether it was) off the field, in the community, just to try to help promote the team or do whatever we had to do and I felt like it was part of the many hats I wore here when I played with the Diamondbacks.”
THIS is something that the Phoenix Coyotes severely lack in their team marketing.
Phoenix Coyotes fans and potential fans do not have players outside of Shane Doan and perhaps Paul Bissonnette to identify with. Regular fans of the Coyotes know that there is a great makeup and chemistry on the team. However, none of the casual fans or potential fans know anything about the team and how well they work together on the ice.
Over the years, Phoenix sports fans have shown that they can and will rally behind players on a team that they identify with.
So how can fans identify with the current Coyotes roster?
Here is an idea….
How about getting Fox Sports Arizona (FNSAZ) to create a show around Coyotes forward Paul Bissonnette?
Fans may or may not remember the ‘Eric Byrnes Show’ not too long ago on FSNAZ.
Here’s a sample of the ‘Eric Byrnes Show’:
Imagine Bissonnette taking over the ‘Eric Byrnes Show’ format. Do you know how potentially fun that would be?
Question #2) There is nothing written on how good Brewer’s marketing experience is in the online world. How does he plan to address this? The lack of attention to the Coyotes online presence and online fan base has been a head scratcher for many years.
When it comes to the communication aspect of the Phoenix Coyotes, there is not a whole lot of information coming out about the team other than box scores and your standard interviews.
One of the main reasons I started this Coyotes site was to report on aspects of the Coyotes that did not make it in the evening news or the daily edition of the Arizona Republic. In this town, there is only a limited amount of space and airtime; Phoenix Coyotes stories are not always included in the final product of TV/Radio/Print.
This is not a negative or a slam against other media outlets in town, its fact. There’s sometimes no room for Phoenix Coyotes news in the local TV/Radio/Print.
Fans, in some cases, literally have been screaming for additional coverage for years and gone as far as venting their frustrations on the local media.
Phoenix Coyotes fans need more than just basic information about a game or players. Fans want information that supplements their game experiences as well as wanting to make a connection with the Coyotes and other fans.
Two prime examples of NHL teams that ‘get’ online marketing and communications are the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks.
Poke around their sites and see the many and various ways fans can connect, contribute, and digest information about both teams. This includes podcasts, forums, deals for kids, and so on.
Now, I am not saying just open the floodgates open up to every blogger or wannabe writer that requests a press pass. No, people that want to write about the Phoenix Coyotes for an upcoming season are going to need to show that they are serious about writing. In addition, they have to show the professionalism required to cover a pro sports team.
As an Editor, I personally have been in a situation where I needed to see if a writer was serious about covering a pro sports team not too long ago.
In between the 2009 and 2010 Major League Baseball seasons, I had approached the Arizona Diamondbacks about sending a reporter to cover the team for home games during the 2010 regular season. The D-Backs told me present them a proposal when I am ready. I had a vision of what I wanted for the coverage and a writer in mind for the assignment. I needed to see what this writer could do before I could approach the D-Backs for credentials.
Long story short, I built this writer a dedicated site, gave them assignments, tapped them into D-Backs press releases, and even offered them a cut of Advertising revenue for the site I built them. They ended up flaking on the entire project without any notice or warning.
The point is that like my example above, people who are going to request credentials need to be serious about covering a pro sports team. On the other side, the Coyotes need to start taking a long look at the local bloggers and wrtiers in the area for potential credentialling. There are some really gifted writers/bloggers in the Phoenix area that deserve credentialing or are close to that level to where they should be credentialed. Unless, the team starts taking a serious look at these writers, the fans need for more local team coverage will continue to suffer.
When it comes to the health and identity of the team, the Marketing and Communications of the Coyotes is probably just as important if not more important than what General Manager Don Maloney has done in terms of the player related stability of the franchise.
Like Don Maloney when he first became General Manager of the Coyotes, Jim Brewer is going to have to build a solid Marketing and Communications foundation that he can use to build and grow the Coyotes into a winning franchise for years to come.
But let’s face it, even with all the experience and connections across town, Jim Brewer has got his work cut out for him.
The San Antonio Rampage’s Dan Weiss recently sat down with the Rampage’s new head coach Dan Weiss for an interview. Discussions ranged from last season’s results to looking ahead to the new season.
VANCOUVER, CANADA-EA Sports has just released the demo for the upcoming NHL 11 via Xbox Live and will release the demo on the Playstation Network later today (Scheduled for 2 PM PST/5PM EST).
Here’s what you can expect from the demo:
“In the demo, you will get a first look at Hockey Ultimate Team,” commented NHL 11 Producer Nathan Ng. “What is included in your HUT will be a starter pack, with a mix of prospects and some rare cards. You will get to play through an offline tournament. In each portion of the tournament bracket you get to play will be the 3rd period of the game. If you you win, you move on. If you lose, you start from the beginning of the tourney.”
According to the press release:
“The demo will also include a look at the Battle for the Cup mode putting you in a Game Seven scenario between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks in the third period. The score will be randomly generated and you will have an opportunity to play with either team for a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup.”
XBox Live Users can begin the download of the NHL 11 demo via this link:
As stated above, the NHL 11 demo is scheduled to be available around 2:00 PM Pacific time (5 PM Eastern). EA said this time might vary depending on when Sony makes the demo available.
NEW YORK-Earlier this week the NHL released the preseason schedule for the upcoming 2010-2011 NHL Regular season. The list below is the complete schedule for all teams including neutral site games in the North America and Europe.
2010-11 NHL PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)
TUESDAY, SEPT. 21
Ottawa at Toronto, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Florida at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Columbus at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
Colorado at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Vancouver at Calgary (split squads), 9 p.m.
Calgary at Vancouver (split squads), 10 p.m.
Phoenix at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 22
Ottawa at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Washington at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Boston at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
St. Louis at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Chicago vs. Tampa Bay, at Winnipeg, Man. (MTS Centre), 8 p.m.
Los Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m.
San Jose at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 23
New Jersey at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia vs. Toronto, at London, Ont. (John Labatt Centre), 7 p.m.
Boston vs. Florida, at Rochester, N.Y. (Blue Cross Arena), 7 p.m.
Carolina at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Los Angeles at Phoenix (split squads), 10 p.m.
Phoenix at Los Angeles (split squads), 10:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 24
Philadelphia at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Nashville at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Colorado at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Anaheim at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 25
Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Carolina at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
Florida at Boston, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Columbus at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Washington at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Philadelphia at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
St. Louis at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Anaheim at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
San Jose at Phoenix (split squads), 10 p.m.
Phoenix at San Jose (split squads), 10:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 26
NY Rangers at Detroit, 5 p.m.
Minnesota at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Edmonton, 8 p.m.
St. Louis at Colorado, 9 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 27
Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Florida at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Nashville, 8 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 28
Buffalo vs. Ottawa, at Dundas, Ont. (J.L. Grightmire Market St. Arena), 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Boston at Washington, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Dallas at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Phoenix at Calgary, 9 p.m.
San Jose at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Anaheim at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 29
Washington at Boston, 7 p.m.
Detroit at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Nashville at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
NY Islanders (split squad) at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Toronto at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.
Carolina at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary vs. NY Islanders (split squad), at Saskatoon, Sask. (Credit Union Centre), 8 p.m.
Phoenix at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Vancouver at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 30
Buffalo at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Chicago at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Columbus at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Colorado at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCT. 1
Atlanta at Carolina, 1:30 p.m.
Toronto at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
NY Islanders at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Columbus at Washington, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Calgary at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Vancouver at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCT. 2
San Jose vs. Adler Mannheim, at Mannheim, Germany (SAP Arena), 1:30 p.m.
Boston vs. Belfast Giants Select, at Belfast, N. Ireland (Odyssey Arena), 2 p.m.
Atlanta at Columbus, 6 p.m.
Detroit at Toronto, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at NY Islanders (split squad), 7 p.m.
Montreal vs. NY Islanders (split squad), at Quebec City, Que. (Colisée Pepsi), 7 p.m.
Florida at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Dallas at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Colorado vs. Los Angeles, at Las Vegas, Nev. (MGM Grand), 9 p.m.
SUNDAY, OCT. 3
Nashville at Washington, 12:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Detroit, 5 p.m.
Philadelphia at Buffalo, 6 p.m.
St. Louis at Chicago, 6 p.m.
Edmonton at Calgary, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles at Anaheim, 8 p.m.
MONDAY, OCT. 4
Carolina vs. SKA St. Petersburg, at St. Petersburg, Russia (Ledovy Arena), 11 a.m.
Minnesota vs. Ilves Tampere, at Tampere, Finland (Jaahalli Arena), noon.
TUESDAY, OCT. 5
Columbus vs. Malmo/Rogle BK, at Malmo, Sweden (Malmo Arena), 1 p.m.
Boston vs. HC Liberec, at Liberec, Czech Republic (Tipsport Arena), 1 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 6
Phoenix vs. Dinamo Riga, at Riga, Latvia (Arena Riga), noon.
GLENDALE-The Phoenix Coyotes have announced that they will host their second Open House of the off-season for fans on August 12th at Jobing.com Arena from 6 to 8 PM. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase season tickets and ticket packages at lower rates than what the general public will pay. Fans will also have the opportunity to tour the Phoenix Coyotes locker room.
Fans who attend are asked to enter the arena through Gate 6 on the eastern side of the arena. The Location of the arena is in the map below.
We started this site to meet the growing demand by Coyotes fans in their need for Coyotes News. We do things a bit differently here. We don\'t provide the canned articles you would find on most other sites. We provide analysis, news, and information with a bit of attitude. EDITORIAL MISSION: We let the other guy handle the box scores and stuff like that. We fill in the gaps in coverage....and trust me there are lots of gaps in local coverage that need to be filled.
We started this site to meet the growing demand by Coyotes fans in their need for Coyotes News. We do things a bit differently here. We don\'t provide the canned articles you would find on most other sites. We provide analysis, news, and information with a bit of attitude. EDITORIAL MISSION: We let the other guy handle the box scores and stuff like that. We fill in the gaps in coverage....and trust me there are lots of gaps in local coverage that need to be filled.
