A Story Only Hollywood Could Write

We’ve seen this story before, the movie is called Major League.  A downtrodden sports team with no talent and terrible ownership which is trying to sell or move the team.  But in the case of the Phoenix Coyotes, not only did the ownership treat the players poorly, put together a bad team, and want to move the franchise, they actually went bankrupt.  Last summer control of the Coyotes was handed over to the NHL as the previous ownership defaulted on its debt and filed for bankruptcy protection.  The NHL gave the front office a budget the New York Rangers would have laughed at, and looked for a buyer of the team.  After the NHL refused to sell the franchise to Jim Balsille, the owner of Research In Motion, because he wished to move them back up to Winnipeg or some other Canadian city, it was clear the Coyotes were stuck in Phoenix for at least another year.

We’re all aware of the economic and social destruction that has taken place out in Phoenix since the housing bubble burst.  The success of the team tracked the economy for much of the past four years.  But with terrible results comes high draft picks, and with former New York Rangers assistant general manager Don Maloney at the helm, they drafted wisely.  A few smart additions of low priced young players outcast by other teams, a hockey player’s player in Shane Doan, and a lucky pick up off the waiver wire in goaltender Illia Bryzgalov, the Coyotes had something.

No one gave them any shot at coming close to making the playoffs at the beginning of the season, not with their inexperience, random parts, and unknowns swirling around the team simply about where they will be playing next season.  At least their salaries would be paid.  And then, as if they were in a Hollywood movie, the rag tag Coyotes surprised everyone finishing 4th place in the western conference with 50 wins, one less than western conference leading San Jose.  They gave up the least goals against in the entire league.

Two weeks ago they began their first round playoff series with the Detroit Red Wings, which will conclude on Tuesday in a dramatic game seven finally.  It truly is the class of the NHL, the team that has mad the playoffs for 18 straight seasons, loaded with talent, against the rag tag Coyotes, not even given much a shot at the beginning of this series.  It’ll be fun to watch, and for a night, I’ll be rooting for the Coyotes, not because I love the team, but because they need something to cheer for out in the desert where live is still pretty tough, and doesn’t look to be getting much better any time soon.  The Coyotes might yet be playing in Canada next year, but right now they play in Phoenix.  Go Yotes!

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