By Denis J. Puska
It's been a Cinderella season for the National Hockey League's Phoenix Coyotes - some are even calling them the modern day version Slapshot.

During the summer nobody knew who would own ‘Da Chiefs', or in this case who would own the Coyotoes... now people just can't talk enough about them.

Some hockey fans are not happy that the Coyotes have gone out and spent money to bring in some experienced talent, since the team is owned essentially by the National Hockey League. However, it is still a business and you need to do what you can to be successful.

I have said this all along - if you put a winning team on the ice in Phoenix, the fans will come back. The fans were not happy with the past owners ran the product on the ice. There is a strong enough fan base in Phoenix that there shouldn't be any reason why there wouldn't be a full house. However, the Coyotes were horrible at times and some of their player personnel decisions were made to save the mighy dollar, not improve the product on the ice.

You also have to remember that the previous ownership group had a terrible lease agreement with the arena in Glendale Arizona. The arena management group had all of the cards in their deck and didn't care about what the team owners needed to help their bottom line.

In professional sports a good working relationship between the owners of the team and arena management can make all the difference in the success of the endeavor. I believe that you need both parties to work together. It's one of the reasons why many teams nowadays are opting to build their own facilities.

You don't have to look farther regarding the success of the Phoenix Coyotes than Head Coach Dave Tippett, who has certainly got to be candidate for NHL Coach Of The Year. Tippett was fired in Dallas and replaced by Mark Crawford. The Stars are a team going nowhere and significant changes were never made to give Tippett a better product to work with.

Tippett was brought to Phoenix to help coach the youngsters and that appears to be something he has thrived at doing. The biggest problem with the Coyotes over the past few seasons was Wayne Gretzky. Yes, he is considered the best player of all time, but I don't think he was an excellent coach. The fact that he had ownership interests in the team complicated the matter.

The Coyotes have one of the NHL's best goaltenders in Ilya Bryzgalov, who has a goals against average of just over two goals per game. He was sent packing by the Anaheim Ducks. They're probably thinking twice about the decision they made there.

They have also done it with some talented, not-yet-household-names like Wojtek Wolski, Matthew Lombardi, and Lee Stempniak, just to name a few. It's great to see Shane Doan finally be part of a winning team. He has been with that organization for a long time and he deserves all the credit for hanging around even in the bleakest of times.

The Phoenix Coyotes are on their way to the Stanley Cup playoffs and their opposition better not think twice about an easy victory. The opponent in the first round could be one of several teams and if the Coyotes use home ice to their advantage then they could go far in the post season.

By Denis J. Puska

There was some great news for the National Hockey League this week that will hopefully help to cure the problem of vicious blindslided hits.

League disciplinarian Colin Campbell has been given the power to hand out supplemental discipline for hits on unsuspecting players where the primary point of contact is the head. It was officially handed to him earlier in the week when the executive board of the NHL Players' Association announced that it supported the endorsement of the five player representatives on the competition committee. The league's board of governors had already granted its unanimous support.

This unanimous announcement could go a long way to help improve the overall game and protect the important people, its players, from short-term and permanent injuries.

I think the NHL should take the same step that some youth hockey associations have and assess an automatic five minute major for anything close to a blindsided hit or checking from behind/boarding. A game misconduct should be added so the player misses not only the rest of the game he is playing but the next one as well. I also believe that added to this should be a $20,000 to $25,000 fine at the NHL level.

If a player does it again, then the penalty should increase to three games and $50,000 and then the third offense should be 10 games and $100,000 fine - to be paid by the player personally, not funded by the team. That money should be then earmarked for a fund to be given to players who are permanently injured and don't have the means to cover their medical expenses.
If you stiffen the penalties and consequences for their actions then you will help soften and then hopefully solve the problem.

The real issue is the trickle down effect and the youngsters seeing these terrible incidents taking place and seeing it as okay - if my NHL idols do it then why can't I?

The sad thing is that it appears to be a lack of respect for players on the ice. The blindsided hits and checking from behind seem to be a coward's way of getting back at the other team and it's wrong. Yes, some players don't intentionally mean to do it and where they are going after the puck along the boards those types of things will happen in the course of play.

The next rule the National Hockey League needs to address is the icing calls. The touch icing incidents of players catching a rut and going into the boards are growing by large numbers. I don't like the no-touch icing at the NHL rule but I also believe that a modified icing call could be implemented.

The National Hockey League also needs to remove the trapezoid from behind the net. It was so great to see the goaltenders being able to play the puck during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. I think that the trapezoid rule should also be modified or scrapped and go back to the original rules.
Don't get me wrong, the National Hockey League is still fun to watch, but clearing up these simple rules may make it more enjoyable for all fans, not only in North America but around the world.

By Denis J. Puska

It was a great day for hockey on Sunday with that thrilling gold medal final between Canada and the USA at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

I was proud to be a Canadian that day with the effort by the team, but even more proud to be associated with the game of hockey.

It was an exciting game with drama and an outstanding finish. Even the best writers couldn't have come up with a better ending. Many of the Canadians were on the edge of their seats with the defensive style of game played especially in the final 10 minutes of the third period.

The USA got off to a slow start and really didn't look like they found their stride until that goal to make it 2-1. Roberto Luongo was shaky for the most part and seem to fight the puck on every turn. Ryan Miller did everything he could to give the USA every opportunity to come back and give his country their first gold medal since the Miracle On Ice 30 years ago in 1980.

Miller is the reason why I think the Buffalo Sabres will have a good post season run this year.

Future of Olympic Hockey
Now that it is all over what is the future for hockey in the Olympics in four years in Soshi, Russia? It wouldn't surprise me if the NHL doesn't sign another agreement with the IAAF. There are two reasons for this - one is that Soshi, Russia is so far away in terms of distance from other countries and the time zone.

The NHL season as it is breaks for two weeks for this and would have to extend it into three perhaps to accommodate the players travelling to and from the event. I really just don't see it right now. We will have to see what the NHL and the NHLPA is thinking.

Even though the Vancouver Olympics was a great showcase for the game of hockey and the NHL, there hardly any travel distance for the players and was like for them a road trip.

It wouldn't surprise me that hockey returns to amateurs or professionals who are not in the NHL. Even the likely of using junior teams could be something they could do to.

The Slovakians were probably the best team at The Olympics not to win a medal. I think Sweden, Czech Republic and Russia were among the teams that were very disappointing and didn't play well.

Lets hope the Winter Olympics not only made several people who were not hockey fans before a new found excitement for the game, but will keep them energized and want to continue to watch and support hockey.