However, I made the mistake of reading the article in the local news, talking about the new lease agreement that was reached by the City of Glendale and Jerry Reinsdorff. Don’t get me wrong, the article itself was a good one, but I just have this habit of reading the comment section at the end, and sometimes it just really gets me riled up.

People, I have a news flash for you…. HOCKEY CAN SURVIVE IN THE DESERT! Yes there are fans here that will support the team. I am so sick and tired of reading idiotic posts talking about how there are no fans here for our team or (and I think this one is my favorite) the Coyotes are only in the playoffs because Gary Bettman wants to sell the team. Yeah, that’s it… the Yotes are not in the playoffs because they played incredibly this year, they did not earn the right by focusing and working hard to get where they are. No, apparently skill and hard-work have absolutely nothing to do with it. I have news for you, and I know this may come as a little bit of a shock, but NO TEAM in the NHL will step down in defeat and INTENTIONALLY lose games to make sure one particular team has a chance in the finals.

If there is anyone out there that truly believes that, then in my opinion, you don’t know much about Hockey.

To the Phoenix Coyotes: Have a blast and enjoy the ride boys! You deserve it!

The Puck Zone

See you there!

Being a fan of this team, and yes, there are those of us that support this team and believe that it’s not a bad thing to play hockey in the desert, has been like a roller coaster ride this year with off ice issues. Now that the team has a GREAT coach, they have truly been a treat to watch. The Yotes have played hard and shown more consistency this season and it’s paying off for them. I am so excited to see this team performing at the level I knew they were capable of.

I have been in many chat rooms and read many posts, where certain fans can do nothing but bash the success of the Coyotes. They say things like “hockey doesn’t belong in the desert”. Really? Says who? Last time I checked, hockey is played in an enclosed arena so weather is not a factor. Just because we wear tank tops instead of parkas to a game doesn’t mean that I can’t be a fan or enjoy the sport. Those that say hockey should not be played in the southern US, do they also believe that Baseball should not be played north of Las Vegas? After all, Baseball is a summer sport. In my own opinion, hockey fans can thrive anywhere, no matter the climate.

I say CONGRATULATIONS Yotes! You deserve it!

No matter what happens in the post season, the team has earned the right to be there and the fans in the valley will watch and enjoy every minute of it. It would be great to see the Yotes go far in the playoffs, but being realistic, I am not holding my breath that they will win the Stanley Cup this year. Even if they are defeated in the first round, the important thing is that they are there. And that is what the true fans know and understand!

GO YOTES!

There are those out there that feel that if you are not from the area where hockey is the equivalent of breathing, you CANNOT be a TRUE hockey fan. Really? Just because I did not learn the game from a very early age, I can’t be a true fan of the game? Why not, I ask. There is no reason that someone cannot learn the game no matter their age, OR WHERE THEY LIVE.

This seems to be even more true because of the fact that I live in Arizona. “You can’t play hockey in the desert” I have heard, oh so many times. After all of the drama our local team has been through over the summer, some people have been making this statement more and more. They say that we don’t have the fans here, or that it’s too hot here for the sport. People love to bad mouth the team and hope that they fall apart.

I don’t believe that hockey cannot survive here. The fans do exist here and the numbers will grow as the team performs better and the off ice issues are resolved. I don’t want to give the wrong impression with that statement, but for most average people, they do not want to spend money (especially in this economy) to support a team that doesn’t look like they really know what they are doing. The Coyotes have made great progress already this season. They are playing like a team, and that is saying a lot! It’s bittersweet that Wayne Gretzky is no longer here, but now that Dave Tippet is in charge, you can really see the true potential of this hockey club.

I am really curious about others opinions on this one. What is the definition of a true hockey fan? Is this some kind of private club that if you happen to be born in another country you cannot be allowed in? Or is it just those of us in the USA that are not allowed to call ourselves that?

I will call myself a hockey fan for the rest of my life, despite what others may say. I support my local team as much as I am able. And even though some of my friends happen to like a different team than I do, they are still fans just like me.  We love the game and that is all there is to it.

This coming Friday the ’09-’10 NHL season will officially begin and in the Arizona desert there just might be something to look forward to. We still have not heard who the new owner of the team will be, but the Yotes will be playing here for at least 1 more season. Even though this could be their last season here, things are looking better already!

 Wayne Gretzky resigned as head coach last Thursday afternoon, and just a few short hours later, there was a press release to announce that the new head coach will be Dave Tippett! If I had not been at work when I heard this, I would have been jumping up and down. Literally!

I don’t think this is going to be a miracle season for this team by any means. I, for one, hope that this will mean they will at least play a little more consistently than they have been. Personally, I would think it a great improvement just to see the team work together and play strong whether they win or lose. Now don’t get me wrong, I would love to see the Coyotes at least make it as far as the play-offs, but I am not sure that will happen this year.

I have to say, I am sad to see The Great One go. It was really kind of cool to think that Wayne Gretzky was the coach of  my hometown hockey team. But realistically, Gretzky is not coaching material. The man was one amazing player and I don’t think we will see his equal any time soon, but sadly his skill on the ice did nothing to help him behind the bench.

I am excited for this season to begin! My Maple Leafs are looking good and hopefully will have a great season this year. Saturday night I will be waiting for a little Hockey Night In Canada theme music…

 HNIC Theme Canadian Gold

“Hello Canada and Hockey Fans In The United States and Newfoundland!” -Foster Hewitt

…and a wink from my favorite player!

I have not posted anything in a while, so I thought it was about time to do a little writing again. I have come to the conclusion that I may not be up to posting every single day. I set that goal for myself the last couple of months, but it just seems to be out of my league right now.

Enough about that for the moment. I am feeling the need to rant a little. In some of my last posts, I have commented on this season of Big Brother. I have been keeping up with the happenings in the house, and I am so disgusted with the way things have turned out. I had high hopes that there would be some good game play and entertaining antics with the people in the house this year. Boy, have I been disappointed!

(Side note: From here on out, I will be sharing MY OWN OPINION and I know there will be those out there that do not agree with me. I am making observations on things I have witnessed on the show and online only.)

Things were looking good when America voted to give Jeff the Coup D’etat. Jeff made a very good move and got Jessie evicted! I was so thrilled with the fact that Jessie only lasted 1 week longer than he did last season! Why Big Brother thought it would be a good idea to give him the chance to play again is just beyond me. Of course, when this happened, Chima lost any remaining bit of sense that she had. She was absolutely FURIOUS!  Then to top it off, Michelle wins the HOH for that week and puts Chima and Natalie on the block. Now, if any of you happen to watch the show, you will be aware that Chima was constantly going against production from the start.

Chima gave  me the impression that she was a diva from the very beginning. The first week when her clique lost the have not competition and ended up in the “Doom Room”, that girl showed just how obnoxious she could be. She was fine as long as her alliance was in power, but when things shifted to the other side of the house, she lost her mind!

The night after Jessie was booted, I was simultaneously disgusted and amused by the “wake” that Chima, Natalie and Lydia held in his honor. These women were crying over him like they would never see him again in this lifetime. Now, Chima was talking about a girls alliance from the start with Natalie, so I am still not sure if they were crying because Jessie was gone, or the fact that they were not the ones that decided WHEN he would go. It was never their intention to let a man get to the end of the game if they could help it.

So Chima gets nominated for eviction. At that point, she decided that she would not do ANYTHING that she did not want to do. She refused to wear her microphone. She did not want to go to the diary room to speak with production. She was going around the house flipping the bird at the cameras. Chima was not pleased and she was making absolutely sure that everyone in the house and production knew it. Her friends in the house were trying to convince her that what she was doing was crazy, but Chima would not listen. When Kevin got her mike pack and gave it to her, Chima turned around and threw it (yes, threw it! It did not slip from her hand!) into the hot tub.

Well, needless to say, Chima was removed from the house. I know there have been things posted online stating that she left voluntarily, but I personally think that if she had really wanted to leave on her own, she would have walked out before she destroyed equipment.

So a few weeks have passed now, Lydia, Russell and now Jeff have all joined Jessie in the jury house. We are left with Michelle, Jordan, Kevin and (unfortunately) Natalie as the final four.

I have to say at this point that I really have very little interest in watching the rest of the show. In my opinion, Natalie is one of the worst human beings that I have ever witnessed. That girl lies, cheats and steals, but has the nerve to bad mouth anyone else that does those same things in the game. Natalie has lied since Day 1 and somehow, she has everyone in the house believing her! She has told them all that she is only 18, but then turns around and talks about going to the casinos and drinking at the clubs. She has even been drinking on camera, but NO ONE seems to question why Big Brother is letting an 18 year old drink??? Think about it people!

This girl is the most vile, despicable, evil person. I do not know anyone like her, and I would hope that I never do. It makes me sick to think that this person has a real chance at winning a half a million dollars. I know this game is all about lying and stabbing people in the back and doing whatever you have to in order to stay in the game, but it all just seems to be second nature to Natalie. I get the impression that this is how she is outside of the Big Brother house in her everyday life. To give credit where credit is due, Natalie has played a good game by doing this. I just wish there had been someone in the house who was not so gullible that they believe every single word out of her mouth.

In the Big Brother game, you hope that the winner will be someone who played the best game and out maneuvered everyone else. You hope the winner is a good competitor and has some intelligence and integrity. Natalie has none of that. She and Kevin have floated their way through most of the game and they have not given me the impression that they are nice people, in general. They appear to be very self centered and catty. They both act like 2 year olds when things do not go their way or they don’t get what they want.

I think I have ranted enough for now. Every one is entitled to their opinions, and I just felt the need to share mine. Hope you all have a great weekend!

   A few weeks ago, it seemed clear that hockey would be alive and well in the desert, at least for 1 more season.  Now, that is no longer a certainty. The attorneys for the current owner of the team leaked confidential information about bidders negotiations with the city of Glendale. With all of the drama surrounding these events, the NHL petitioned the judge to postpone a second auction that would open the bidding up to allow those wanting to move the Coyotes out of Arizona. In response, the judge has ruled that there will still be a second auction held on Sept 10 that will be open to all bidders, whether they want to keep the team in Glendale, or move them to another location. 

   I know, I’m starting to sound like I’m writing a news article (not the case, I assure you!), but I just wanted to share a little information that was posted in the Arizona online news site.  I do not like to think about the possibility of no longer having a hockey team in my area. I’m feeling selfish, OK? I want to keep the Coyotes in Arizona so that all the fans here in the desert can enjoy some live games in an arena with each other. Anyone who has gone to see their favorite sport played live knows just what I am talking about. There’s an excitement in the air that you can’t experience anywhere else.

   I will be keeping my fingers crossed that it will all work out in the end. I hope the Coyotes will be here indefinitely, but I will make do with 1 more season if I have to.

But the fun did not end there! I got home last night and wanted to get caught up on what I had missed on Big Brother while I was gone. Apparently I didn’t miss much during the day, but everything exploded late last night. Russell and Chima were yelling at each other, Russell and Michelle were yelling at each other, Ronnie and Kevin were yelling at each other, then Michelle and Natalie were yelling at each other. The tensions were clearly running high with just about everyone! It will be interesting to see if there are any in the house who are still talking civilly to each other today (other than Jeff and Jordan). I find it interesting that the level of paranoia is already so high with these people, especially Russell. He is HOH this week and just when you think he has his head on straight and believes the right group, he gets all twisted around again and can’t see the truth.

I think Russell screwed up his game big time last night. There are too many people left in the house right now, and he has made some serious enemies. If he lasts more than a couple of weeks I will be genuinely surprised!

It’s time for me to get ready for another day. Hopefully I won’t have too many difficult challenges thrown at me today, but I will just take everything one step at a time and see how it goes. Have a great day everyone!

Since I wrote my last post so late last night, I woke up thinking about the blog. It seems like a good time to get my daily post going, so that I don’t get busy preparing for work and run out of time to add something today. But it’s still early for me, so this one will be a little short.

The TV addiction, Big Brother, has gotten interesting this week. With Russ as HOH, Ronnie the Rat is finally on the block and going to be voted out of the house (unless something drastic happens, and with this season, things can change at any moment! ) on Thursday night. It’s been great watching him squirm and try to lie his way out of the mess he has created. He is toast! Ronnie seems to think (in his delusional mind) that he is loved by America for the way he has played this game. Guess again! There are a lot of  Americans that  can’t stand you! I will be very curious to see how the crowd reacts to his eviction on the live show. I know they are told to applaud just like any studio audience, but will it just be a polite clap? Or will they be brave and just greet him with silence when he comes out the door? I am looking forward to finding out!

I greatly enjoy my new environment. It’s a great company to work for, and I have not seen anything over the last two weeks that has disappointed me. I’m going to do my best to have a long, long career here! I don’t feel like I know everything there is to know, as of yet, but I will learn.

I am wondering how consistent I will be in regards to my blog. I’ll have to make myself a few notes to remind myself that I need to write something each and every day. Considering how I have been late (and almost missed) the last couple days for this month, I’m thinking I will need to put a post-it note on the bathroom mirror to make sure I see it! 

Being employed again has changed my routine quite a bit. I have not been able to just wake up slowly in the morning reading the Internet while enjoying some fresh brewed coffee. I don’t get to play my video games as much (I think that is going to be hard for me to get used to, but I think I will survive!). I find I really enjoy my time off now that I don’t have free time every single day. I’m definitely a more pleasant person to be around also (I had some seriously grumpy moments)!

So tomorrow is a new day, and I am writing my reminder note right now!