The Phoenix Coyotes are a hardworking team. They are not going to necessarily dazzle you with offensive talent. This is a team that will not win flashy. An example of this was in full display yesterday afternoon as the Phoenix Coyotes welcomed the Ilya Bryzgalov era with a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings yesterday at the Staples Center.
Early on, it looked like the Coyotes were going to be in for a long day. Bryzgalov looked a bit unsure of what was in front of him, especially early in the first, and the Kings poured a lot of offense into the mix but produced nothing mostly due to the goaltender. Los Angeles had 8 shots on goal in the first 9:00 but only 20 thereafter. Phoenix then countered with a ton of scoring chances of their own and dominated the second half of the first period and it would only be a matter of time before they would score.
Bryzgalov more than impressed yesterday.
Sure enough…Shane Doan converted midway thru the second period on a power play opportunity. On a 5 on 3….Doan used Handzus and LA defenseman Jack Johnson as a screen to beat Jason Labarbera glove side from 35 feet away. It was the only goal of the game…as both goalies were on their game (Bryzgalov was named first star and LaBarbera was named second star). Bryzgalov held the fort in the final minutes as well…stoning the Kings at every turn. It was his third career shutout…all on the road. It was a performance I think Pierre The Snowman could be proud of.
Pierre is a wise cracking snowman that kind of reminds me of Triumph the Comic Insult Dog. His one liner barbs are very funny and something to see. So without further adieu…check a couple of them out.
The second video I handpicked may just be even funnier…….if you thought the puppet brigade was good….this one is even better with Darren Pang interviewing Pierre.
Pierre reminds me of an arrogant French-Canadian fan with an unintentional sense of humor that works especially in commercials. The sheer outlandishness of some of his interviews and bits indicate that “The Snowman” may just become a fixture. The more people that see the ads say the same thing to me….this snowman err snow puppet is really funny and it is nice to see Phoenix players and commentators in the act. The Coyotes do reach out to their fans in very unique ways and this is just one of them. You can find Pierre also at Coyotes HQ, and the Coyotes official NHL site.
Maybe just maybe some of our NHL Arena members can meet up with Pierre when they have their first annual Arena Gathering from Jan 19th-21st in Phoenix. The more people that go….the better this will be I am sure. Arena members will see two big games…Phoenix vs. Chicago on Saturday Night and Phoenix vs. Buffalo on a MLK day matinee. A little sun and fun for the hockey masses. As I get seating info and all the particulars…it will be all right here on The NHL Arena Program….as well as The NHL Arena. They are going to have a blast in Phoenix as I did last year when I went there for a couple Ducks-Coyotes games. Enjoy!
