Category Archives: Pro
Coyotes’ Ekman-Larsson selected to second NHL All-Star Game; Matthews, too
January 12th, 2018For the first time, the anxiety level was through the roof. Plus, there was a different format. This time, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson jumps in the 2018 NHL All-Star Game with a different look and distinct feel. READ OUR DECEMBER 2017 ISSUE Named to the Pacific Division squad, Ekman-Larsson enters the game with a…
Coyotes’ community involvement making difference around Valley
January 9th, 2018While the Arizona Coyotes may be traversing through a challenging season on the ice, there is no shortage of positive vibes coming from the organization. It’s holiday time, and that means an emphasis on the Coyotes’ presence in the community. Since the team moved from Winnipeg to start the 1996-97 season, the Coyotes have maintained…
Roadrunners end 2017 in first place in AHL’s Pacific Division
January 6th, 2018The Tucson Roadrunners finished the 2017 calendar portion of their 2017-18 American Hockey League (AHL) schedule atop the Pacific Division standings with a 16-9-2-1 record and .625 winning percentage. It’s familiar territory for the AHL club, which flirted with capturing the division championship last season before a late season downturn landed the team out of…
Arizona hockey pioneer Spina hangs up the skates, calls it a career
December 6th, 2017Long before Auston Matthews was getting picked No. 1 in the NHL Draft, or even before players like Zac Larraza and Dusty Collins, there was Dave Spina. Spina was the initial high-profile hockey player from Arizona that “made it” in the game, spurring a growth in hockey that later saw Collins, Larraza and Matthews play…
Coyotes an optimistic bunch with rebuild in full swing
December 5th, 2017As if the transition from assistant coach to the ultimate decision-maker on the ice was not difficult enough, the opening weeks of the NHL season for Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet had to be excruciating. Ditto for his players. READ OUR LATEST ISSUE While the Coyotes were the last team to win a game…
Roadrunners retire Cunningham’s iconic No. 14 jersey
December 5th, 2017Craig Cunningham, the Tucson Roadrunners first-ever team captain, doesn’t remember anything that transpired on the ice at Tucson Arena last Nov. 19, 2016 — nor events immediately thereafter — after suffering an acute cardiac arrest following warm-ups prior to an American Hockey League (AHL) game against the visiting Manitoba Moose. If it wasn’t for emergency…
First-place Roadrunners have much to be thankful for
November 24th, 2017When asked about the strength of this season’s very young Tucson Roadrunners team, head coach Mike Van Ryn called into play one word: resiliency. That quality certainly came into play during Tucson’s three-game pre-Thanksgiving series against the I-8 Border Trophy rival San Diego Gulls. The high-flying Roadrunners entered the first game, Nov. 17, at the…
Coyotes’ veteran Ekman-Larsson: ‘Good things will happen’
November 10th, 2017With designation as one of the elite players in the game, there is a clear responsibility that comes with distinction. For Arizona Coyotes’ All-Star defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, that duty remains the upmost desire to get better, improve and find ways to help his team win. In the early part of the season, the Coyotes failed…
Coyotes ready to take strides in positive directions, starting with ’17-18 season
October 9th, 2017There is no question that the Arizona Coyotes are a team in transition. Following a summer of personnel and coaching moves, the curtain is about to rise on a season some believe is filled with hope and promise. Still, others believe that this version of the Coyotes remains a few years away from being a…
Young Roadrunners picking up experience in AHL preseason
October 2nd, 2017The Tucson Roadrunners and San Diego Gulls met 12 times during the regular season in 2016-17. The Gulls won 10 of those meetings to have a big say in the Roadrunners failing to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs and, conversely, San Diego securing a runner-up berth in the American Hockey League (AHL) Pacific Division…