The season's just started, but there's already talk that new coach Dave Tippett has transformed the Coyotes.
After their victory over the Kings, The Globe & Mail's top hockey writer, Eric Duhatschek, gave the Yotes a rave review. From his article:
“Since May 5, we haven't had any real control over what's been going on,” (Coyotes Captain Shane) Doan said before the Coyotes opened their season here on Saturday night. “Starting with tonight, we had some control again – to provide some positive energy and positive news, instead of always hearing the negative.”
The Coyotes were positively impressive in their 2009-10 debut, rolling to a 6-3 win over the hometown Kings, who left the ice to a chorus of boos, largely because of a dominating performance by a Phoenix team many thought were destined for the bottom of the NHL barrel.
Tellingly, coach Dave Tippett's pressure fore-checking system led directly to three goals by forcing turnovers from the Kings' young defenders. It won't always be this easy – the Coyotes move on to Pittsburgh to play the Stanley Cup champion Penguins Tuesday – but their overall level of organization was apparent right away.
For as popular as Gretzky was among the majority of players, there is a direct correlation between coaching and results – especially for a team with the Coyotes' budget limitations.
Tippett looks as though he'll be the perfect fit, an ultra-organized professional, the antithesis of Gretzky, who came to the job with no previous experience behind the bench. As a player, Tippett's 262 career points pale in comparison to Gretzky's 2,857, but Tippett has a far superior track record as a coach, averaging more than 45 wins in six seasons with the Dallas Stars. Gretzky, in contrast, never had more than 38 in his four years behind the Coyotes' bench.
Full text here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/tippett-pays-instant-dividends/article1311793/
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Is Tippett the answer for the Phoenix team, and more importantly, for the franchise? A successful product makes marketing hockey a more viable proposition...in the meantime, the Coyotes might become a 'wild card' in the West.
They've certainly shown signs over the last two seasons of becoming a more than respectable squad. Maybe Tippett is the 'tipping point'...?