Phoenix Coyotes Hockey on AZ Vibe

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PHOENIX-The news that Coyotes and NHL fans have been waiting for has arrived. No, Martin Hanzal hasn’t been re-signed. Paul Bissonnette (aka Biznasty) will begin tweeting once again starting this Wednesday when he returns to the Phoenix area.

Here’s what he posted on his Facebook account Saturday:

Bissonnette’s tweets quickly became a fan favorite across the NHL for providing a glimpse into the life of an NHL player beyond all the canned post game comments and other well practiced lines. As explained in a previous article on this site Coyotes fans have been wanting something to supplement their Coyotes game experience and Bissonnette’s tweets did just that.

I know I speak for many Coyotes and NHL fans when I say ‘Welcome back Biznasty!’.

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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.

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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

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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:

https://www.athletesresource.com/trainingcamps.aspx

Athletes Resource homepage:

https://www.athletesresource.com/

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:

http://www.sundevilhockey.com/DI/?page_id=98

Arizona State University Hockey webpage:

http://www.sundevilhockey.com/

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.

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PHOENIX-Earler this week, some Coyotes fans discovered some potentially disturbing news about one of the Coyotes top prospects. Genadi Boguslavski, a Montreal based reporter for the Russian Sovetski Sport reported that Viktor Tikhonov was on the verge this week of signing a deal with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League.  This deal had the potential of Tikhonov bypassing his NHL commitments and going straight to the KHL. Via their Twitter account, Boguslavski posted the following Tweets:

I asked Viktor’s North American agent, Pat Brisson, for confirmation of these rumors and if Viktor was going to report to the Phoenix Coyotes training camp or just report straight to the KHL?  Via e-mail, Brisson stated that “Viktor has one goal in mind and it’s to play in the NHL.  He is ready to have a great camp this fall with the Coyotes.  I believe he will be able to play on a regular basis and continue to progress.”

I then asked Brisson, if Viktor will be heading to the KHL this season in any scenario Brisson replied the “NHL is priority so that’s where the focus is.”

GLENDALE-The Coyotes have announced that they have signed journeyman center Bracken Kearns to a one year $550,000 two way contract.

If anything, this is a bottom 6 depth signing for the San Antonio Rampage as he’s the type of player that has the gift of hockey smarts, great character, and a great work ethic.  Three things that fit well in the Coyotes system.

Last season with the American Hockey League (AHL) Rockford Ice Hogs, Kearns scored 51 points (15 goals and 36 assists) which was second on the team in scoring.

GLENDALE-The Phoenix Coyotes announced today that they have re-signed Alexandre Picard to a one year deal worth $868,219. A former first round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets (8th overall selection in the 2004 draft) Picard has yet to showcase his skills at the NHL level.

The scouting report on Alexandre Picard is that he’s a big physical player who has lots of skill. However, Picard has never been able to translate that into NHL game skills during his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It’s tough to say at this point if Picard is another talented prospect that the Blue Jackets mishandled (see Gilbert Brule) in the five years he’s been in the league. It’s clear by the Blue Jackets trading Picard to the Coyotes that they were done with seeing if he can become a solid contributor to their club.

It should be noted that in the 16 games he has played in the Coyotes organization (with the San Antonio Rampage) he tallied 15 points (9 goals and 6 assists).

The Coyotes are clearly going to give Picard all the chances to see if he can be a regular contributor to the organization more than likely betting on the fact that the Blue Jackets mishandled his development.

In case you haven’t heard by now, one of the best reasons to be on Twitter when it comes to following NHL players was taken away Wednesday. Phoenix Coyotes Forward Paul Bissonnette’s Twitter account (Twitter handle – paulbiznasty) went dead Wednesday after a derogatory Tweet was posted and aimed towards Free Agent Forward Ilya Kovalchuk.

Instead of summing up the events Wednesday, check out the original article from Pro Hockey Talk’s website written by James O’Brien.

As much as I love the trash talking by Bissonnette he crossed the line with his derogatory comments about Kovalchuk. It doesn’t matter if Kovalchuk and his lack of a bonified NHL skill set is going to become grossly overpaid by either the Kings or the Devils.  Nor does it matter that Kovalchuk’s contract will indeed become a Yashin-esque weight around the neck of whatever franchise signs him (It will. It is going to happen at this point in time).

No, the problem here is what he Tweeted was more than likely something that’s normally said on the ice but was taken into the public realm.

The problem is when trash talking moves off the ice and into a bigger realm like on Twitter, different rules apply. The spirit of the trash talking is the same. However, the execution of the trash talking in the public realm must be done without personal attacks as Bissonnette did in this case.

I agree with Justin Bourne’s Tweet in the Pro Hockey Talk article in the sense that Bissonnette’s attitude is exactly the kind of thing the NHL needs to market themselves better. Bissonnette’s Twitter account was quickly becoming a very popular destination for not just Coyote fans but NHL fans themselves. Bissonnette brought a human and personal face of not only an NHL player but it gave NHL fans a glimpse into an pro athlete’s life.  A life that was free of canned comments and other pre-rehearsed answers that are normally found in the day to day workings of a professional sports team during a regular season.

NHL fans LOVE this kind of stuff!

Based on past experiences with other players around the league who have done somewhat similar things as Bissonnette did with his Tweets, one can more than likely conclude that the Phoenix Coyotes not only made Bissonnette aware of his mistake but probably made him shut down his Twitter account as well.

If this is indeed the case, it’s the wrong course of action for the Coyotes to take.

Don’t get me wrong, what Bissonnette said was wrong in reference to his personal attack on Ilya Kovalchuk.

However, making him pull the plug on his Twitter account (if that is indeed the case) is not the correct solution to this situation. What needs to be done is to have members of the Coyotes front office along with the Coyotes PR staff sit down with Bissonnette and give him a crash course in what is and is not acceptable for NHL players to say publicly via Twitter. I’m not talking about heavy censorship or micromanagement but just educate him that personal attacks via social media are not acceptable. A personal apology to Ilya Kovalchuk might be in order as well….then again, probably not.  Settling it on the ice is probably the best way to go about it.

It’s fortunate that, in this case, one of the huge drawbacks of  Coyotes coverage in the greater Phoenix area is the the lack of media available to cover the team at this time of year.

Why?

This drawback has turned into a huge bonus for the Coyotes. Had this been an NHL market like Vancouver, Montreal, or even Toronto this incident would have easily been in the headlines for days and the Coyotes would have been put under huge media scrutiny like Vancouver Canucks Defenseman Shane O’Brien has over the past few seasons.

In this market, stories and situations like these are going to blow over very, very quickly due to the lack of local media attention on the Phoenix Coyotes in the off-season.

Now, where to move forward from here….

Sadly, Phoenix Coyotes fans have probably seen the last of ‘paulbiznasty’ on Twitter.   If this is the case it would be a HUGE mistake for the team and the NHL.  In a short amount of time Paul Bissonnette has become one of the best people to follow on Twitter.  He’s been growing a great grassroots base of fans from across the NHL.

Look at a few examples of the feedback from NHL and non NHL people about how they love his tweets:

Actor/Comedian Tom Green:

http://twitter.com/tomgreenlive/statuses/18392217467

@PaulBizNasty Let’s do it! I’m on tour so we will have to find a good time when I am back in LA. Yes. Everybody follow @PaulBizNasty

Mike Commodore of the Blue Jackets

http://twitter.com/commie22/status/16356783131

By the way @PaulBizNasty is Paul Bissonette from the Coyotes…new on twitter. Help him out. Good guy.

Bob McKenzie of TSN:

http://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/18492998430

@PaulBizNasty rapidly becoming one of faves on Twitter.

The Coyotes have been getting free publicity and exposure from his Tweets leading up to his Kovalchuk Tweet.

Let me say this again with more clarity.

THE COYOTES HAVE BEEN GETTING FREE PUBLICITY FROM BISSONNETTE’S TWEETS.

FREE.

Money may be tight with the team but shutting down his Twitter account is not something the Coyotes can afford now can they?  To keep this account shut down would be a practice in idiocy and an EXTREMELY poor business practice.

Now is not the time to shut his account down. Let him re-open it and continue doing his thing. What’s the worse thing that can happen?  More people wanting to come to Phoenix Coyotes games at home and on the road?

GLENDALE – Over the past week, the Phoenix Coyotes began filling in the holes in their lineup due to players who left via free agency, who had their contracts bought out, or signed via free agency. Now I’m quite sure that the Coyotes aren’t done with filling the holes in their roster yet. Let’s take a look at a summary of the what the Coyotes did this past week to fill their roster spots:

(Cap numbers courtesy of Capgeek.com)

F – Ray Whitney – 2 year/$6 million dollar contract ($3 million a year) – Acquired Via Free Agency – I spent some considerable time looking over Whitney’s play over the past couple of years (Via NHL Gamecenter) to see what exactly he brings to the table and how it can help the Phoenix Coyotes. Simply put, Ray Whitney is the complete offensive package. He has incredible vision of the ice, can make plays (and score goals) out of nothing, play the point, has a great shot, and isn’t afraid to go to the net. Add to that his playoff and Stanley Cup experience (Whitney won the 2006 Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games) and you have one hell of a signing for the Coyotes.

D – Derek Morris – 4 Year/$11 million dollar contract ($2.75 million a year) – Re-signed via Free Agency
D – Sami Lepisto – 1 Year/$800,000 contract – Re-signed as a restricted free agent

Two solid signings to help shore up the Coyotes defensive depth. The loss of Zbynek Michalek to the Penguins hurts the overall depth of the Coyotes but it’s not something that can be overcome via free agency. There’s still time to shore up the defensive depth of the Coyotes but as of now, the Coyotes are in better shape than people think.

G – Al Montoya – 1 Year/$750,000 contract – Re-Signed – It’s uncertain where Montoya fits in Coyotes GM Don Maloney’s master plan as the Coyotes have many goalies in their system at this moment in time. It’s looking more and more like Montoya and Matt Climie (below) will be the goaltending tandem in San Antonio to start the season. However, when it comes to the big picture, it’s uncertain if Montoya is being groomed for the Coyotes down the road or if he’s just a depth signing for those ‘just in case’ scenarios.

C – Andrew Ebbett – 1 Year/$500,000 Contract – Signed via free agency – This looks more like a 3rd or 4th line depth signing at center for the Coyotes as Ebbett doesn’t really have the tools to be a top 6 player in the NHL. He’s fast and has the tools to be successful but up to this point in his career, he hasn’t shown it in the NHL. Granted, Ebbett did spend time last season injured first with a concussion and then with a finger injury.

D – Nolan Yonkman – 1 Year/$550,000 contract – Could be a darkhorse to make the Coyotes roster this season. Having signed with the Coyotes because they offered more money and opportunity than the Nashville Predators (who reportedly wanted to keep him to help younger players develop) Yonkman will have the opportunity to not only help the other players in San Antonio to develop into NHL players but may have the opportunity to battle for a bottom 3 defensive spot on the Coyotes roster. Yonkman is a great character signing based on the community work he did with the Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators AHL affiliate).

RW – Mathieu Beaudoin -1 year/$500,000 contract
D – Garrett Stafford – 2 year/$1.2 million dollar contract ($600,000 per year)
G – Matt Climie – 1 year/$750,000 contract

These three players are lumped together as they are casualties of the Dallas Stars financial and organizational problems. These three players were key components of the Stars AHL affiliate Texas Stars run to the Calder Cup finals this past season. Given their ages (26, 30, and 27 respectively) these players look to be more of an overall organizational depth signing for the Coyotes than anything. Beaudoin and Stafford might get the opportunity to battle for one of the Coyotes roster spots this season. However, they chances are they all will probably be sent to San Antonio to help out what was one of the worst teams in the AHL last season.