Whether we’re watching sports, talking about them or even playing them, we’re always in pursuit of the Hollywood story that can be put onto the big screen and can capture the hearts and imaginations of the audience. The best sports story from 2010 that could end up on a big screen someday could be the Phoenix Coyotes and their unbelievable run a year ago.
No one expected anything from a team that was going through so much turmoil involving ownership and their future location. The greatest player of all-time and head coach was let go and the franchise was being run by the league with a fixed budget. If there was ever a candidate for a lame-duck team, the Coyotes were it.
Despite all the predictions of doom and gloom, head coach Dave Tippett was able to groom this roster to a 107 point season and the playoffs as a four seed. Unfortunately, the fairy tale ended with an opening round loss to the Detroit Red Wings, but the few fans that the team has in Arizona were pumped for the future.
What lies ahead for the Coyotes? Only time will tell, but the obvious question is: Can they do it again? Unlike last year when no one expected them to do anything, the Coyotes will not be able to sneak up on anyone this time around.
Looking at the stats for this team, you would wonder how they got to 107 points at all. Their leading scorer a year ago was Shane Doan with a whopping 55 points in 82 games. But if you go deeper into the numbers, you’ll see that 10 players were able to put up at least 10 goals. It’s the true definition of a team where everyone is expected to chip in and the players don’t rely on one superstar to carry them on their back night after night.
The Coyotes might be a little bit weaker on defence after Zybenek Michalek took his services to Pittsburgh on July 1st, but other than that move, Phoenix will ice basically the same 6 defencemen as they did a year ago. The Top 4 will be full of experience with Ed Jovanovski and Adrian Aucoin leading the way.
In goal, Ilya Bryzgalov gave the Coyotes the stability they needed in order to be successful. His numbers were outstanding as he played in a career-high 69 games, won a career-high 42 games with a GAA of 2.29 and a 920 save percentage.
Two players to look out for in camp are Scottie Upshall and Lee Stempniak. Upshall was having a great year with 32 points in 49 games before a major knee injury knocked him out in January. Can he rebound from major knee surgery to get back to the form he was playing at for the Coyotes? Stempniak returns to the desert after re-signing in the off-season. His up and down year is well-documented. He struggled in Toronto to start the year with only 30 points in 62 games. He played the final 18 games of the regular season in Phoenix and put up 18 points, 14 of them being goals. He won’t keep that kind of pace for a full schedule, but what player does Phoenix get this year? First-half Lee or second-half Lee?