When the 2009-10 season started, the only thing surrounding the Coyotes' organization was uncertainty. Over the summer, talks had even begun that the team may move to Hamilton as early as October if Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie purchased the team. But the NHL stepped in and bought the team, planning on moving it to another owner. Its easy to say that the team was in turmoil.
To add to the mess, training camp started without a head coach. Former coach Wayne Gretzky was nowhere to be found on the first few days of training camp, and the assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson was given coaching duties. After Gretzky was out of the picture, Dave Tippett, a former head coach of the Dallas Stars with a career 271-162-59 record going into 2009-10, was brought in as the head coach. Tippett was signed to a contract on September 24 with just one game remaining in the pre-season. The Coyotes have only improved since that day.
What he has accomplished has been noteworthy. The Coyotes, who are currently still in an ownership discussion with Ice Edge, have shown immediate improvement under Tippett. In 2008-09, the Coyotes were a dismal 36-39-7, placing them 13th in the Conference and fourth in the Pacific Division. This season has been a huge turnaround, as they have become the team to beat in the Western Conference. Their 12-5 shootout record is the best mark in the NHL.
This is quite the team effort as well, which is a key reflection on the coach. The Coyotes' highest point scorer is Wojtek Wolski who has put up 22 goals and 37 assists, and he is ranked 49th in the league. Wolski was a trade-deadline acquisition, meaning he has spent just a few games with his new club. The next top scoring player for the Phoenix club is captain Shane Doan with 53 points, and he is ranked at 70th. To have just two scorers in the top 70 players in the league usually points to a non-threatening team, but the Coyotes have gotten quite the group effort. The group has an impressive 12 players on their roster with 20 points or more on the season. Much higher scoring teams like Chicago and Vancouver have the same amount of players with 20 points or more, but they have less points than the Coyotes. The essential thing is that Phoenix is converting their scoring chances when they need them.
Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov has personally benefited better than anyone on the roster from the arrival of Tippett. His 26-31-6 record and 2.98 GAA was nothing too impressive last season, but he has really found his stride in 2009-10. His 40 wins places him just behind New Jersey's Martin Brodeur for tops in the league, and his 2.31 GAA places him fifth in the league. Add a sensational .920 save percentage, and Bryzgalov will be a shoe-in for a Vezina Trophy nomination, along with consideration for the Hart Trophy.
If Dave Tippett does not get a nomination for the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year, the Professional Hockey Writers' Association will be making a huge mistake. Tippett has done everything right to turn the Coyotes from a revenue bomb into an attractive team, and from the oft-cellar team into a real contender. This was not a simple task considering the situation Tippett was hired into.
Keywords: dave tippett, hockey, ilya bryzgalov, jack adams, jim balsillie, martin brodeur, nhl, phoenix coyotes, professional hockey writers association, shane doan, ulf samuelsson, vezina, wayne gretzky, wojtek wolski
