| M | D | M | D | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Jan | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |||
Noch zwei Artikel um den Coyoten-Tag abzurunden (villeicht mal positive News? Gna….)
Joseph rests, remains Coyotes No. 1 goalie
Jim Gintonio
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 29, 2006 12:00 AM
Curtis Joseph is a man of few words, and a goaltender with many victories.
Right now, he’d love to do a little less talking and a lot more playing, but he’s getting an extended break. He hasn’t played in the past two games, sitting in favor of David LeNeveu, and the Coyotes have five days off before their next game.
“I feel good,” said Joseph, 39, who ranks No. 6 on the all-time NHL win list with 430.
He’s off to a 2-5 start this season, but at times he hasn’t received offensive support, and he’s been peppered with power-play shots. A year ago, Joseph got off to a quick start.
“It’s a different set of circumstances this year,” said Joseph, in his 17th season.
Coach Wayne Gretzky, who stressed Joseph will remain the No. 1 goalie, said when a team is on a winning streak, “guys who aren’t playing well can be hidden a little bit, so there’s an exposure for each and every player when things aren’t going well.”
“Curtis hasn’t been our problem. Curtis to a man is their goalie, and he practices hard every day. As I said from day one, we needed somebody to take the pressure off of him, both from a mental aspect and physical aspect.”
With LeNeveu getting the call the past two games, that means Joseph will be well rested when Phoenix visits Anaheim on Friday.
“When Curtis is fresh, he’s a tremendous goaltender,” Gretzky said. “When you have to continually play him, anyone would get tired out. We’re not concerned about Curtis. This is a nice break for him, and when he gets back in there, I’m sure he’s going to be the guy that we know he can be.”
LeNeveu said Joseph’s work ethic impresses him.
“He works his butt off every day in practice,” he said. “He’s constantly trying to get better like every other player.”
Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr, the Coyotes’ goaltending coach, said rest never hurts a goalie but joked, “He might not see it that way. Actually, I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way. But in the long run over the course of 82 games, I think it’s going to be really important.”
Fuhr played 19 seasons in the NHL and, asked when age becomes a factor, he said, “When your mind lets it, more than anything. As you get older, if you start to get nagging injuries, your body starts to get sore, then the mind starts to get old. Curtis still feels pretty young.”
Joseph is in the final year of his contract and said he wasn’t concerned about what’s lies ahead.
Return of Tocchet would help Gretzky, Coyotes
John Gambadoro
Special for azcentral.com
Oct. 27, 2006 08:26 AM
One of the biggest losses for the Phoenix Coyotes over the last year has been that of assistant coach Rich Tocchet. Tocchet, who served as head coach Wayne Gretzky’s right-hand last season, was granted an indefinite leave of absence last February to deal with accusations pertaining to his involvement in a gambling ring.
Nearly a year later no charges have been brought against Tocchet by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, and you have to start wondering if there ever will be. The Coyotes are working to have Tocchet reinstated and are hopeful that they can get him back to the team this season. And although he wouldn’t be on the bench during games, Tocchet would serve his role as assistant coach on the ice during practices, where he is most valuable, and up in the booth during games.
The return of Tocchet could be a shot in the arm for Gretzky, who is quickly learning that assistant Barry Smith is much better served as the No. 3 man on the staff and not the No. 2. Tocchet was on the fast track to becoming a head coach before the gambling probe derailed his dream. It is almost a year later and time for Commissioner Gary Bettman to allow Tocchet to return to his profession and be reunited with Gretzky.
The Coyotes did get a spectacular performance in goal from David LeNeveu Thursday night, but that may not stop them from considering a deal with the San Jose Sharks that would net them goalie Evgeni Nabokov. The 31-year-old Russian has been splitting time with Vesa Toskala, who is 5-0 with a 1.99 goals against average this season. But Nabokov costs much more than Toskala, and the Sharks could be looking to deal him while he is in the first of a four-year contract extension worth $21.5 million.
San Jose is looking for a physical defenseman and could be interested in Nick Boynton. Nabokov won the Calder trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in 2001 and led the Sharks to the Western Conference Finals in 2003-04. With Curtis Joseph on a one-year contract, Nabokov would come in as the No. 1 goalie and give Phoenix stability at the position going forward.
The Coyotes could also benefit from bringing Tyson Nash back from the minors and sending Patrick Fischer down. Not that Nash is going to give the Coyotes the scoring they have lacked, but his energy and veteran leadership could come in handy right now as the team faces some adversity with a 3-8 start.
Hard to imagine but the Arizona Cardinals have actually rushed for fewer yards this season than they did at the same point last season. And while Edgerrin James has been struggling, he actually leads the NFL in rushing attempts. So it’s not like the Cardinals aren’t trying to run the ball, they are. They just aren’t any good at it.