GLENDALE, ARIZONA --- The Phoenix Coyotes announced today that Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Maloney has signed a long-term contract extension. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.
 
"We are very pleased that Don has agreed to sign a long-term contract extension with the Coyotes," said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. "Since joining the team in 2007, Don has done an outstanding job managing his team and building a competitive roster that has produced on the ice, even given less than ideal circumstances off the ice.  The NHL remains committed to securing the Coyotes' future in Glendale under new ownership, and we believe Don's long-term agreement evidences that he is equally committed."

In six seasons under Maloney’s leadership, the Coyotes have posted an impressive record of 230-172-56 including qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs three times.
 
"I am grateful to continue working for this franchise," said Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney. "We have a strong core of talented people, both on and off the ice, who are committed to building a championship team and a first class organization. I would like to thank NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly for their tremendous support these past few years."
 
In 2011-12, Maloney led the Coyotes to a 42-27-13 record and 97 points, securing their first division championship en route to the franchise’s first appearance in the Western Conference Final. It marked the first time in franchise history that the Coyotes had recorded three consecutive seasons with 40-plus wins. In addition, the Coyotes reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive year, marking the first time the franchise qualified for the postseason in three or more consecutive seasons since the team clinched a playoff berth in its first four seasons in the Valley (1996-97 to 1999-00).

Maloney received the inaugural NHL General Manager of the Year Award following the 2009-10 season after steering the Coyotes through a turbulent off-season and charting the course for the most successful regular season in franchise history. The team finished the 2009-10 campaign with a record of 50-25-7 for 107 points, setting new franchise records for wins, home wins (29), points, and longest home winning streak (10 games; Nov. 21-Dec. 29) while qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2002.

In his first season as general manager of the Coyotes in 2007-08, Maloney’s club posted a record of 38-37-7 for 83 points, an improvement of seven wins and 16 points from the previous season. The 16-point increase represented the fifth-largest point increase by an NHL team during the 2007-08 season and was also the greatest one-season point increase in Coyotes history.
 
Among Maloney’s stable of highly-regarded draft selections during his tenure as Coyotes GM are: defensemen Connor Murphy (20th overall, 2011), Brandon Gormley (13th overall, 2010), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (sixth overall, 2009), Maxim Goncharov (123rd overall, 2007), goaltender Mark Visentin (27th overall, 2010), forwards Henrik Samuelsson (27th overall, 2012), and Mikkel Boedker (eighth overall, 2008).
Maloney was named GM of the Coyotes on May 29, 2007. He is the seventh general manager in Coyotes/Jets franchise history.
 
Prior to joining the Coyotes in 2007, the 54-year-old a native of Lindsay, Ontario, spent the previous 10 seasons as a member of the New York Rangers’ front office, most recently serving as the team’s Vice President of Player Personnel and Assistant General Manager. He was primarily responsible for assisting Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather in all player transactions and contract negotiations.
Maloney also served as Assistant General Manager for Team Canada squads that won gold medals at the 2003 and 2004 IIHF World Championship in Finland and Czech Republic, respectively.  

Maloney’s first front office position in the NHL was Assistant General Manager of the New York Islanders following his retirement as a player with the club on Jan. 17, 1991. Maloney later served as General Manager from Aug. 17, 1992 to Dec. 2, 1995. Among the players drafted by the Islanders during Maloney’s tenure with the club were Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan McCabe, Zigmund Palffy, Tommy Salo and Darius Kasparaitis.

Maloney also served as Eastern Professional Scout for the San Jose Sharks during the 1996-97 season prior to joining the Rangers’ front office.

As a player, Maloney registered 214 goals, 350 assists and 564 points and 815 penalty minutes in 765 regular season games over 13 NHL seasons with the Rangers, Hartford Whalers and Islanders. He also collected 22 goals, 35 assists and 57 points in 94 career Stanley Cup playoff games.
 
Maloney spent 11 seasons with the Rangers after being selected by the club in the second round (26th overall) of the 1978 NHL Entry Draft. He helped lead the Rangers to the 1979 Stanley Cup Final by posting 20 points (7-13-20) that postseason, a playoff record for rookies at the time (since broken). Maloney played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1983 and 1984. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 1984 All-Star Game.

(24/7 News Source) The NHL is rejecting the latest bid to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes.  According to multiple reports, the league has shot down a proposal to buy the team from a group led by California businessman Darin Pastor. 

That proposal was just submitted on Friday, but NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly tells FoxSportsArizona.com that the terms of the deal were inconsistent with their minimum requirements for a serious bid. 

CBSSports.com reports the NHL is working closely with Renaissance Sports and Entertainment, a group led by two Canadian businessmen looking to keep the team in Phoenix.

Mike Broomhead talks to Phoenix Coyotes Captain Shane Doan about his career and his Fox Sports AZ special called "Shane Doan In His Own Words."

The NHL's Board of Governors approved the realignment plan proposed last week.

The new four-division plan, featuring a new-look set-up for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, will go into effect next season.

The NHL and NHLPA each had input into the plan to realign the League into an more geographically appropriate two-conference, four-division format that features 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and 14 teams in the Western Conference.

The Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets are moving to the Eastern Conference to provide them the ability to play the majority of their games against teams in the same time zone. The Winnipeg Jets are moving to the Western Conference for the same reason.

The Dallas Stars are staying in the Western Conference, but moving into a division that includes five other teams from the Central time zone.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs will still consist of 16 teams, eight in each conference, but it will be division-based and a wild-card system has been added as a new wrinkle.

The top three teams in each division will make-up the first 12 teams in the playoffs. The remaining four spots will be filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference, based on regular-season points and regardless of division. It will be possible, then, for one division to send five teams to the postseason while the other sends three.

The seeding of the wild-card teams within each divisional playoff will be determined on the basis of regular-season points. The division winner with the most points in the conference will be matched against the wild-card team with the lowest number of points; the division winner with the second-most points in the conference will play the wild-card team with the second fewest points.

The teams finishing second and third in each division will play in the first round of the playoffs. The winners of each series will play for berths in the Conference Championship series.

The two divisional champions in each conference will then play in the conference finals to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

The divisions will be temporarily referred to as Division A, Division B, Division C and Division D. Permanent names will be assigned later.

The Western Conference will house Division A and Division B, while Division C and D will consist of eight teams each and make up the Eastern Conference.

Division A is the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks.

Division B features the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets.

Division C has four Original Six franchises: Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning are also in the division.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals will join the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins in Division D.

The new alignment ensures that all 30 teams play in all 30 arenas at least once per season.

The National Hockey League Players' Association has given its consent to play under the new Alignment and Playoff System for a minimum of three seasons, through the 2015-16 NHL season.

The new alignment:

Western Conference (7-team divisions)

Within Conference (Division): 29 games

* 5 games vs. five teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. two teams, 2 Home/3 Away vs. three teams) AND 4 games vs. one team (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.

* 5 X 5 =25 games

* 1 X 4 = 4 games

Within Conference (Non-Division): 21 games

* 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. three teams). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.

* 3 X 7 = 21 games

Non-Conference: 32 games

* 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)

* 2 X 16 = 32 games

(Exception: one team from each division plays one less game inside Division and one more game inside Conference outside Division)

Eastern Conference (8-team divisions)

Within Conference (Division): 30 games

* 5 games vs. two teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. one team, 2 Home/3 Away vs. one team) AND 4 games vs. five teams (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.

* 5 X 2 =10 games

* 4 X 5 = 20 games

Within Conference (Non-Division): 24 games

* 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. four teams). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.

* 3 X 8 = 24 games

Non-Conference: 28 games

* 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)

* 2 X 14 = 28 games

GLENDALE, ARIZONA ---  The GOALden Ticket allows fans to purchase one of two ticket packages to attend anywhere from one to 10 of the Coyotes final 2012-13 regular season home games in lower level seats (regularly priced at $75) at Jobing.com Arena. The package will go on sale to the public on Monday, February 18.

By purchasing the first ticket package for $100, a fan will receive five (5) goals on their GOALden Ticket. Beginning on March 9 versus the Dallas Stars, fans will be able to see up to 10 Coyotes home games until the team gives up five (5) goals at Jobing.com Arena. Once that happens, the GOALden Ticket is void.

The second ticket package provides the fan with 25 goals on their GOALden Ticket for the price of $250. Beginning on March 9 versus the Dallas Stars, fans will have an opportunity to attend up to 10 Coyotes home games until the team gives up 25 goals at Jobing.com Arena. Once this occurs, the GOALden Ticket is void.

As a bonus, if the Coyotes should record a shutout during any of the final 10 regular season home games from March 9 to April 26, during which their GOALden ticket is still valid, purchasers of the GOALden Ticket package will receive a free additional ticket to the Coyotes Fan Appreciation Night on April 26 versus the Colorado Avalanche. This offer if only valid for one Coyotes shutout during this time period.

GOALden Ticket Packages

Price: Expires After

$100: 5 goals are scored at Jobing.com Arena

$250: 25 goals are scored at Jobing.com Arena

GOALden Ticket Rules:

1. The GOALden ticket must be purchased no later than March 8, 2013.

2. Official goal tally includes only:

· Goals scored at HOME games played at Jobing.com Arena between March 9 and April 26, 2013. All tickets expire after April 26, 2013.

· Only goals scored in regulation and overtime will count towards the total. Individual shootout goals and goals awarded to the winner of a shootout are not applicable.

3. The $100 ticket expires once the 5th goal is allowed.

4. The $250 ticket expires once the 25th goal is allowed.

5. The GOALden ticket does not come with playoff priority.

6. To receive the April 26th bonus tickets for a “shutout” you must be present (scanned in) at the game. A “shutout” is recorded if the score is 0-0 at the conclusion of the overtime period. Shootout goals do not apply.

GOALden Ticket Package Games:

· Saturday, March 9 versus Dallas Stars

· Tuesday, March 12 versus Los Angeles Kings

· Thursday, March 21 versus Vancouver Canucks

· Monday, March 25 versus Detroit Red Wings

· Tuesday, April 2 versus Los Angeles Kings

· Thursday, April 4 versus Detroit Red Wings

· Saturday, April 6 versus Colorado Avalanche

· Monday, April 15 versus San Jose Sharks

· Wednesday, April 24 versus San Jose Sharks

· Friday, April 26 versus the Colorado Avalanche

By purchasing a package, fans will receive a packet in the mail that will include their GOALden Ticket (in pass form to wear around neck) and the Official Rules & Regulations around using your GOALden Ticket. For more information regarding the Coyotes GOALden Ticket Package, please call 480-563-PUCK (7825) or visit www.phoenixcoyotes.com/goaldenticket.

By Ted Houston, KFYI News

The new mayor of Glendale is predicting the Phoenix Coyotes will continue to call the city home, despite the failure of a purchase deal.

A deadline passed Thursday night at midnight for would-be Coyotes owner Greg Jamison to finalize a deal to buy the team and keep them playing at Jobing.com Arena.

The agreement, approved by the previous city council, would have required the city to pay Jamison more than $300 million over the next 20 years to manage Jobing.com Arena and all of its events, including Coyotes games.

Mayor Jerry Weiers repeated on Friday comments that he had made throughout his campaign last year that the deal was bad for taxpayers.  He says he would be interested in cutting another deal, with Jamison or some other buyer/investor, "if we can do it in a way that doesn't cost the taxpayers more money than what we get out of it."

He added, "The ideal situation is for a business to be able to come here, play their game, make a profit, and the city not have to spend money to do that."

Weiers revealed that there's already interest in the team: "I think there's a good opportunity to keep the Coyotes.  There's a couple groups, which I'm not at liberty right now to say who they are, that came forward Thursday saying they'd like an opportunity to talk to the city of Glendale."

He adds that Jamison is also still interested in buying the team, but understands that the terms of any agreement would have to change: "I don't believe that the current council, with the four new members that were just sworn in along with myself, has the will to honor that same offer.  I can't speak for them, but people expressed to me earlier that they will not honor that."

The Coyotes are currently owned by the National Hockey League until a new buyer can be found.

Phoenix Coyotes President and COO Mike Nealy has issued the following statement regarding the Coyotes ownership situation.

“Today, we were informed by the National Hockey League that Mr. Jamison was unable to close on his purchase of the Coyotes. Mr. Jamison will continue to work with the NHL and the City of Glendale to close a deal that will keep the Coyotes in the Valley. Although there is no set timetable, hopefully it will be soon. The Coyotes will continue to be owned by the NHL and nothing changes for our organization. We will work hard on and off the ice to provide our fans with a winning team that they can be proud of. We would like to thank all of our great fans and corporate partners for their incredible patience and loyalty throughout this process. We know it's been difficult and we appreciate their support.”

National Hockey League Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly today released the following statement regarding the Phoenix Coyotes sale process:

“We remain hopeful the Coyotes sale process will be resolved successfully and we will continue to work with the City of Glendale to move the process forward.”

Check out the great reception the Coyotes fans gave Shane Doan and the team at the home opener...

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YhogwsxQKJI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

GLENDALE ARIZONA – Phoenix Coyotes President & Chief Operating Officer Mike Nealy announced the Coyotes 2012-13 regular season schedule. The Coyotes will play a total of 48 regular season games (24 home and 24 away). The NHL regular season will begin January 19 and end April 27.

The defending Pacific Division Champion Coyotes will open their 16th regular season in the Valley of the Sun on the road against division rival the Dallas Stars on Saturday Jan. 19 at 6:00 p.m. (Arizona time). The Coyotes will return home the following night for the team’s home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday Jan. 20. Game time is 8:00 p.m.

The month of January is also highlighted by visits from the other two teams the Coyotes battled during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. On Jan. 26 Mike Richards Drew Doughty and the Los Angeles Kings will visit Jobing.com Arena and on Jan. 28 Shea Weber Pekka Rinne and the Nashville Predators battle the Coyotes.

In addition some of the NHL’s biggest stars will visit Jobing.com Arena this season including Zach Parise Ryan Suter and the Minnesota Wild (Feb. 4 and Feb. 28); Jonathan Toews Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks (Jan. 20 and Feb. 7); Ryan Getzlaf Corey Perry and the Anaheim Ducks (Mar. 2 and Mar. 4); Jaromir Jagr Jamie Benn and the Dallas Stars (Feb. 2 and Mar. 9); Daniel and Henrik Sedin and the Vancouver Canucks (Mar. 21); Joe Thornton Patrick Marleau and the San Jose Sharks (Apr. 15 and Apr. 24); and Henrik Zetterberg Pavel Datsyuk and the Detroit Red Wings (Mar. 25 and Apr. 4).

Like last season all Saturday home games will start at 6:00 p.m. The start time for all weekday home games will be 7:00 p.m. with the exception of Wednesday Jan. 23 when the Coyotes host the Columbus Blue Jackets (8:00 p.m.) and Wednesday Jan. 30 when the Coyotes play the Edmonton Oilers (7:30 p.m.). Of the team’s 24 home games at Jobing.com Arena this season six contests will be played on Monday six on Saturday five on Thursday and three games on Wednesday. The Coyotes will also play two games on Tuesday and one game on a Friday and a Sunday.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

The NHL’s scheduling format will see the Coyotes play five games each against Pacific Division rivals Los Angeles and San Jose and four games each against division rivals Anaheim and Dallas for a total of 18 games. The Coyotes will face the 10 remaining Western Conference teams three times each (variation of home and road games) for a total of 30 contests.

The Coyotes longest home stand of the season will be three-games on five separate occasions (Jan. 26 – Jan. 30 Feb. 2 – Feb. 7 Feb. 28 – Mar. 4 Mar. 7 – Mar. 12 and Apr. 2 – Apr. 6). The team’s longest road trip is four games and will take place from March 14-19 when the Coyotes play at St. Louis at Columbus and at Los Angeles (twice). The Coyotes will also have five three-game road trips.

The Coyotes will close out the regular season playing seven of their last 10 games on the road from Apr. 8 to Apr. 27. The Coyotes will play a total of seven sets of back-to-back games this season.

COYOTES 2012-13 TICKET PACKAGES START AS LOW AS $18 PER SEAT

The Coyotes also announced that a variety of 2012-13 ticket packages will go on sale to the public today (Saturday). The Breakaway Plan features all 24 home games and starts as low as $18 per seat per game. Also available are 12 7 and 4-game pick’em plans that allow fans to customize their package while receiving significant price savings. All Coyotes packages come with priority seating for playoff tickets along with other select benefits. For more information on Coyotes tickets please call 480-563-PUCK (7825) or visit PhoenixCoyotes.com.