Desert Party

This is the image many a Phoenix Coyote fan never thought they would see twice in one season, let alone one.  If you know your Phoenix Coyotes history at all, you know that they never advanced past the first round in their entire NHL existence.  That goes all the way back to the days when they were the Winnipeg Jets, folks.  As I write this, the Coyotes are getting ready for a Southwest version of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Kings.  Two teams in the Sun Belt region competing for the right to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals: what are the odds?  Think about the Coyotes and their recent history: they let go of Wayne Gretzky as head coach prior to the 2009-10 season...and make the playoffs.  They let go of Ilya Bryzgalov for Mike Smith (Mike Smith!!!!!) and were predicted to finish in the bottom third of the Conference, not to mention trade a malcontent in Kyle Turris (who had a respectable year in Ottawa)...and yet, here they are, four wins from a Finals berth.  So, why are the Coyotes in this position?  It all begins with the head coach, who happens to be Dave Tippett.  Before I get to why Tippett is the main reason for the Coyotes' success, let's do a little back story.

Since the lockout ended, Wayne Gretzky was part owner and eventually took on the role of head coach.  Focusing on the head coaching job he did, it wasn't as though he was a terrible coach.  However, with so many kids on the roster, many of them will have likely looked up to Gretzky the player, and when they got to the Coyotes and saw him behind the bench, they still couldn't get Gretzky the player out of their minds.  Many of them played below expectations.  Once the NHL took temporary ownership of the team (that may be ending with a new, more permanent owner that will keep the team in Arizona), a new General Manager was hired in Don Maloney and one of his first moves was to relieve Gretzky of the head coaching role.  Tippett would be hired to coach the team, which made sense at the time because of his track record with the Dallas Stars, his previous stop.  Little did many know that Tippett would be the best decision the Coyotes ever made.  From day one, he instilled a more stringent system that relied on defense, and players bought into it.  Helping that fact would be the captain Shane Doan, who is a perfect fit for the captain's role for a team that has experienced so much on and off the ice.  As for Smith, not a lot was expected of him after failing to win a starting job in goalie-starved Tampa, and yet, he has outplayed a Vezina finalist in Pekka Rinne on the way to this point.

These Western Conference Finals will be interesting, to say the least, and the Coyotes are more than happy to be here.