GLENDALE -- The Glendale City Council on Tuesday night voted, 4-2, to approve a revised 20-year arena lease and management agreement with potential Coyotes owner Greg Jamison as he and his group of investors attempt to purchase the team from the National Hockey League.

The vote came near the end of a lengthy City Council meeting at the Glendale City Court that was attended by Jamison, Coyotes President and C.O.O. Mike Nealy, General Manager Don Maloney, Coyotes fans and others.

Jamison briefly addressed the council before the vote, as did many citizens who voiced their opinions to the council.

“I think when done right a professional team is a strong addition to the fabric of life of any community - Glendale included,” Jamison said.

The NHL bought the Coyotes out of bankruptcy in 2009 and has been trying to find a buyer that would keep the team in Glendale ever since.

The revised agreement with Glendale is contingent upon Jamison completing the purchase of the team from the NHL by Jan. 31, 2013.

During a recess in the meeting, Jamison said that if the revised lease and management agreement was approved by the council, his deal to buy the Coyotes from NHL would come "as quickly as possible, hopefully within 30-60 days." 

Jamison is the former C.E.O. of the San Jose Sharks.

Council members Joyce Clark, Yvonne Knaack, Manuel Martinez and Vice Mayor Steven Frate voted in favor of the agreement. Mayor Elaine Scruggs and council member Norma Alvarez (by phone) voted against it.

NEW YORK (September 19, 2012) – The National Hockey League announced today the cancellation of the 2012 preseason schedule through Sept. 30. In addition, the 2012 Kraft Hockeyville preseason game, scheduled for Oct. 3 in Belleville, Ontario, has been postponed to 2013. 

The cancellation of the schedule was necessary because of the absence of a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL Players’ Association and the NHL. 

While the Kraft Hockeyville game has been postponed, many of the scheduled celebrations in the winning community of Stirling-Rawdon, Ontario, will proceed as planned beginning on September 30. 

Listen to Doan's interview with Bickley & MJ from 9/6

GLENDALE, ARIZONA – Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have re-signed captain Shane Doan to a four-year contract. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We are thrilled to sign Shane to a long-term contract,” said Maloney. “Shane is our captain and the heart and soul of our franchise. He is the consummate professional and one of the best leaders in the NHL. His loyalty, commitment, integrity and passion for the game epitomize everything you’d want in a player. It was a priority for us to sign him to a long-term deal so that he can play for the Coyotes for the remainder of his career.”

Doan, who was selected by the franchise with the seventh overall selection in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, has spent his entire career with the Coyotes/Jets organization and has played the most games in team history (1,198). He is the NHL’s active leader in most games played with one team. The 35-year-old native of Halkirk, Alberta ranks third in franchise history in goals (318), assists (470), points (788), and penalty minutes (1,071). He also ranks first in team history in game-winning goals (59) and third in power play goals (98). Doan has served as the Coyotes’ team captain since the beginning of the 2003-04 season.

“I’m extremely excited about remaining a Coyote,” said Doan. “I was drafted by this organization and it means a great deal to me to be able to play with the same franchise my entire career. I’m very excited about our team, our coaching staff and our management and am confident about our future in Arizona. I chose to stay with the Coyotes because I am committed to winning here, not anywhere else and I love living and playing in the Valley. This is my home and this is my team.”

The 6-foot-1, 223-pound forward registered 22-28-50 and 48 penalty minutes (PIM) this past season, finishing third in team scoring. His 22 goals marked the 11th time in his career that he netted a 20-goal season. Doan recorded his 300th career tally versus Dallas on Oct. 25, 2011. The 17-year veteran also scored his first career NHL hat trick versus the New York Islanders on Jan. 7, 2012.

In the post-season, Doan recorded 5-4-9 and 41 PIM in 16 Stanley Cup Playoff games while leading his team to the Western Conference Final. He tied for the team lead in scoring (2-2-4) during the Conference Semi-Final against Nashville, including scoring the game-winning goal in Game Four at Nashville on May 4.

Doan is a two-time NHL All-Star, appearing at both the 2004 and 2009 mid-season showcase. He was named to Team Canada for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, registering 2-1-3 in Torino, Italy (his first Olympic experience). He was also instrumental in Canada’s victory at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, scoring the game-winning goal in the third period of the tournament’s Final. In addition, Doan recorded 4-2-6 to help lead Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2003 IIHF World Championships.

Doan was this year’s recipient of the Mark Messier Leadership Award, given annually to the individual who is a superior leader in hockey and as a contributing member of society. Doan also received the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2009-10 and was a finalist for the Mark Messier Leadership Award in the same year. He’s been named the Coyotes’ Team MVP four times (2003-04 and 2006-07 through 2008-09), and has received the Jukka Nieminen Memorial Trophy (Coyotes’ Hardest Working Player) five times (1999-00, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2007-08 and 2011-12).

PHOENIX (AP) _ A judge has upheld the Glendale City Council's vote on a lease agreement with a prospective owner of the Phoenix Coyotes.     

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Dean Fink rejected a claim by conservative watchdog group Goldwater Institute that the city should have had open bidding on arena operations for Jobing.com Arena rather than accept an offer from former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison.

Fink previously ruled on June 19 that an emergency clause in the ordinance was not in effect, allowing for a possible referendum on the deal. Plaintiffs in the case have been gathering votes in hopes of putting the deal on the ballot.

The Glendale City Council voted 4-2 in favor of a 20-year, nearly $325 million lease agreement with Jamison on June 8.

GLENDALE, ARIZONA -- Phoenix Coyotes President & Chief Operating Officer Mike Nealy today announced the Coyotes schedule for the 2012-13 National Hockey League season.  The Coyotes will play a total of 82 regular season games (41 home, 41 away), as well as seven preseason games (two home, five away).

The Pacific Division Champion Coyotes will open their 16th regular season in the Valley of the Sun at home against their division rival Dallas Stars on Saturday, October 13 at 6 p.m. 

The month of October is also highlighted by visits from Jarome Iginla and the Calgary Flames (Thursday, Oct. 18), Corey Perry and the Anaheim Ducks (Saturday, Oct. 20), and Pekka Rinne and the Nashville Predators (Thursday, Oct. 25). 

In addition, some of the NHL’s biggest stars will visit Jobing.com Arena this season, including Claude Giroux, Danny Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers on New Year’s Eve (Monday, Dec. 31), Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik, Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers (Saturday, Jan. 5), Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins (Saturday, Jan. 12). Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick and the Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings (Thursday, Dec. 27, Saturday, Jan. 19 and Tuesday, Apr. 2), Zdeno Chara and the Boston Bruins (Saturday, Feb. 2), Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and the Detroit Red Wings (Tuesday, Jan. 15 and Thursday, Feb. 7), Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks (Saturday, Feb. 9 and Sunday, Mar. 24) and Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals (Saturday, Feb. 16).

Like last season, all Saturday home games will start at 6 p.m. The start time for all weekday home games will be 7 p.m. (except Wednesday home games: Nov. 21 versus Edmonton,  Dec. 5 versus Minnesota and  Jan. 2 versus Nashville which will be 7:30 p.m. puck drops due to television exclusivity windows; additionally the club will host a 5 p.m. puck drop versus Columbus on MLK day – Mon. Jan. 21). The team’s lone Sunday home game versus the Chicago Blackhawks (Mar. 24) will start at 6 p.m.  

The Coyotes will break for the 2013 NHL All-Star Game – to be played Sunday, Jan. 27 in Columbus, OH –from Jan. 24-28.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

Once again, the NHL’s scheduling format will see the Coyotes play six games (three home, three away) against each of their four Pacific Division rivals (Anaheim, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Jose) for a total of 24 games.  They will face the 10 remaining Western Conference teams four times each (two home, two away) for a total of 40 contests.  In addition, they will face each of the 15 Eastern Conference clubs at least once, with the three remaining “at large” games to be played against teams from the East.  The three Eastern Conference clubs the Coyotes will play twice in a “home-and-home” series are the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres & Carolina Hurricanes.

Phoenix’s longest home stand in 2012-13 is six games (Nov. 10 – Nov. 23), and will feature the Buffalo Sabres (Thurs., Nov. 10), San Jose Sharks (Tues., Nov. 13), Carolina Hurricanes (Thurs., Nov. 15), Columbus Blue Jackets (Mon., Nov. 19), Edmonton Oilers (Wed., Nov. 21) and Colorado Avalanche (Fri., Nov. 23) at Jobing.com Arena.  The Coyotes will also have one five-game home stand, encompassing the All-Star break (Jan 15 – Jan. 29) and a four-game home stand (Dec. 27 – Jan. 2).

 The Coyotes will embark on two six-game road trips in 2012-23, with the first beginning Sat., Oct. 27 through Thurs., Nov. 8 and will visit the Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Stars. The Desert Dogs will hit the road again on Sun., Mar. 10 for six games in nine days, with stops at the San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, concluding with the Nashville Predators on Tues., Mar. 19.  

The Coyotes will close out the regular season playing four of their final seven games at Jobing.com Arena. Of the team’s 41 home games at Jobing.com Arena this season, 16 contests will be played on Saturday’s, 11 on Thursday’s and five games on Tuesday’s. The Desert Dogs will also have four games on Monday’s, three games on Wednesday’s and one game each on Friday and Sunday. The Coyotes will play a total 14 sets of back-to-back games this season, including eight in the second-half of the season. Phoenix will be on the road for 20 of the last 31 games of the season.

2012 PRESEASON SCHEDULE

The Coyotes seven-game preseason slate will open on Monday, September 24 with a split-squad series against the Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings. Puck drop at Jobing.com Arena will be 7 p.m. P.D.T., while puck drop at STAPLES Center will be 7:30 p.m. P.D.T.

Phoenix will then embark on a four-game road trip beginning at Anaheim on Tuesday, September 25 and ending at Calgary on Wednesday, October 3, with stops at San Jose (Thursday, September 27) and Vancouver (Monday, October 1) in between. The Coyotes will return home to Jobing.com Arena on Saturday, October 6 to close out the 2012 preseason against San Jose at 6 p.m. 

COYOTES FULL 2012-13 SEASON TICKETS START AS LOW AS $18 PER SEAT 

The Coyotes announced today that full season tickets are now on sale for as low as $18 per seat for the 2012-13 NHL season. As part of the package, fans have access to a designated meet the team event, discount at the Coyotes Den team shop, and priority for 2013 postseason tickets. More information regarding individual game tickets will be released at a later date. For more information on Coyotes tickets, please call 480-563-PUCK (7825) or visit PhoenixCoyotes.com. 

HOME DATES TO REMEMBER

·      October 13 – Season opener at Jobing.com Arena versus Jamie Benn and the Dallas Stars.

·      October 18 – The Calgary Flames led by Jarome Iginla visit Jobing.com Arena.

·      November 10 – Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres make their only visit to Jobing.com Arena.

·      November 15 – Eric Staal, Cam Ward and the Carolina Hurricanes make their only visit to Glendale.

·      November 21 – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall and the Edmonton Oilers make their first visit to the Valley.

·      December 8 – The Coyotes host the Stephen Weiss, Brian Campbell and the Florida Panthers.

·      December 27 – The Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings make their first visit to Jobing.com Arena.

·      December 31 – The Philadelphia Flyers, led by snipers Claude Giroux and Danny Briere make their only visit to the Valley.

·      January 5 – Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik and the New York Rangers make their only visit to Jobing.com Arena.

·      January 10 – Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and the San Jose Sharks make their second visit to the desert.

·      January 12 – Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins make their only visit Glendale.

·      January 15 – Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and the Detroit Red Wings make their first visit to Glendale.

·      February 2 – Zdeno Chara and the Boston Bruins visit Jobing.com Arena.

·      February 7 – The Detroit Red Wings make their final visit to Glendale.

·      February 9 – Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks make their first visit to Glendale.

·      February 16 – Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals make their only visit to Jobing.com Arena.

·      March 2 – Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Pacific Division rivals the Anaheim Ducks face-off against the Coyotes.

·      March 7 – Phil Kessel and the Toronto Maple Leafs come to town for their only visit.

·      March 21 – Daniel and Henrik Sedin and the Vancouver Canucks make their first visit to the desert.

·      April 2 – Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and the Los Angeles Kings make their final appearance of the regular season at Jobing.com Arena.

·      April 13 – Patrick Marleau, Brent Burns and the San Jose Sharks come to town for the regular season finale.

PHOENIX COYOTES 2012-13

PRESEASON AND REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

The following is a month-by-month and team-by-team breakdown of the Coyotes home and away schedule:

MONTH                 HOME            AWAY

OCTOBER                 4                   3         

NOVEMBER              6                   7                       

DECEMBER              8                   6

JANUARY                 9                   3

FEBRUARY               5                   9

MARCH                     5                   10

APRIL                        4                   3                       

OPPONENT           HOME            AWAY

ANAHEIM                 3                   3

BOSTON                    1                   1

BUFFALO                  1                   1

CALGARY                2                   2

CAROLINA               1                   1

CHICAGO                 2                   2

COLORADO              2                   2

COLUMBUS              2                   2

DALLAS                    3                   3

DETROIT                   2                   2

EDMONTON             2                   2

FLORIDA                  1                   0

LOS ANGELES          3                   3

MINNESOTA             2                   2

MONTREAL              0                   1

NASHVILLE              2                   2

NEW JERSEY            0                   1

N.Y. ISLANDERS      0                   1

N.Y. RANGERS         1                   0

OTTAWA                  0                   1

PHILADELPHIA        1                   0

PITTSBURGH            1                   0

ST. LOUIS                 2                   2

SAN JOSE                  3                   3

TAMPA BAY             0                   1

TORONTO                 1                   0

VANCOUVER           2                   2

WASHINGTON         1                   0

WINNIPEG                0                   1

For more information, visit PhoenixCoyotes.com.  

GLENDALE, ARIZONA --- The National Hockey League announced this evening that Coyotes captain Shane Doan is the recipient of the 2011-12 Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, presented by Bridgestone. Doan received the award during the 2012 NHL Awards ceremony at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas.

Shane Doan

The award recognizes the individual who is a superior leader in hockey and as a contributing member of society. It honors the individual who leads by positive example through on-ice performance, motivation of team members and a dedication to community activities and charitable causes.

“I am thrilled to receive the Mark Messier Leadership Award,” said Doan. “Growing up in Alberta, I was a huge fan of Mark Messier and to receive this award from one of the greatest leaders to ever play in the NHL is a tremendous honor.”

Doan was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in 1995 and has played all 16 of his NHL seasons with the franchise. He has served as the Coyotes’ captain since 2003 and this past season, led the team to its first division title and first appearance in the Western Conference Final in franchise history. For the past three seasons, Doan has kept his team focused upon achieving unprecedented success amid uncertainty about the club’s ownership situation. From 2009-2012, the Coyotes have gone a combined 135-78-33 under Doan’s leadership.

“It is hard to imagine a more worthy recipient of the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award than Shane Doan,” said Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney. “The leadership and inspiration he displays daily in our locker room is only exceeded by his selfless giving in our community. It’s a well-deserved honor.”

In the Arizona community, Doan has long been considered one of the most selfless professional athletes in a city that is home to four major professional sports teams. He serves as an ambassador for Coyotes Charities and works with a number of organizations including: United Blood Services, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix Rescue Mission, Flashes of Hope and Children First Academy - a kindergarten through eighth grade school for homeless children.

Messier solicits suggestions from club and league personnel and NHL fans through NHL.com in compiling a list of potential candidates. However, the selection of the three finalists and the ultimate winner is Messier’s alone. The other two finalists for the award were Los Angeles Kings forward Dustin Brown and New York Rangers forward Ryan Callahan.

Messier, a six-time Stanley Cup champion and 16-time NHL All-Star in his 25 NHL seasons, is widely viewed as one of the greatest all-time leaders in professional sports. Among his numerous hockey and humanitarian honors, one of the most special was the naming of the Mark Messier Skyway at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey for his 15 years of dedication and commitment in helping to raise millions of dollars to benefit children with cancer and other serious blood disorders.

Winners of the Mark Messier Leadership Award

• 2011-12 – Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes
• 2010-11 – Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
• 2009-10 – Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
• 2008-09 – Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
• 2007-08 – Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs
• 2006-07 – Chris Chelios, Detroit Red Wings

The Glendale city council voted 4-2 Friday to keep the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena.

The deal would keep the Coyotes in Glendale for the next 20 years and it would cost the city $325 million over that period of time.

The Goldwater Institute failed in their bid to stop the Glendale City Council from voting on a proposed arena agreement between the city and prospective buyer Greg Jamison.

Goldwater Institute attorneys argued in court that city leaders violated open meeting laws. A judge ruled she has no authority based on state statute.

They plan to file a lawsuit on Monday if Glendale passed the agreement.

To see the draft agreement, click here

To see a study comparing operating costs for similar arenas, click here

GLENDALE – Once the Coyotes got going in this Western Conference Final, they acquitted themselves quite well.

But by then, they were already two games down and fighting for their playoff lives.

That fight ended 17:42 into overtime Tuesday night, when the Coyotes blew a pair of one-goal leads in the first and second periods and all the momentum they had along with it. They were able to push Game 5 to overtime – their seventh of the postseason – before Dustin Penner's put-back in the slot gave the Kings a 4-3 win, ending the most successful season in Coyotes' history -- three wins shy of a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.
Photo by Norm Hall.

"That's what's most disappointing about it -- that we didn't play the start of the series they way we did at the end," Coyotes winger Ray Whitney said. "We just didn't do what we were supposed to do for the first three games and it showed. We played better the last two or two-and-a-half games, but we were just a little too late. Our readiness to compete at that level, the level that they were playing at, just wasn't there early in the series."

The Coyotes had their best first period of the series – and perhaps the postseason – in Game 5, outshooting Los Angeles 7-1 in the first seven minutes and grabbing the lead when Taylor Pyatt tipped home a Martin Hanzal power-play shot 4:20 into the game. But Phoenix failed to bury several other golden opportunities to expand the lead and went to the dressing room even after Anze Kopitar tied the score for the Kings.

"That was our best period of the series and I'm disappointed in myself on the play they got the goal," Coyotes goalie Mike Smith said. "They got the momentum back and that kind of sucked some life out of us for a little bit. I iced the puck, I forced it … and it comes back and it’s in our net. We should have been up 1-0 going in the locker room, but I made a bonehead play by trying to make something out of nothing."

The Coyotes went back up 2-1 in the second period when Marc-Antoine Pouliot put a rebound past Jonathan Quick, but the lead lasted less than five minutes. Drew Doughty and Mike Richards scored 2:37 apart and suddenly Phoenix was back in a familiar spot in this series – chasing the Kings.

Keith Yandle tied the score 3-3 at 16:25, but the Kings put 20 shots on Smith in the second period and the Coyotes' offensive push was waning. They gave the Kings all they wanted in the final three games of the series, but the early stagger they yielded was too much to overcome.

"I thought we had a lot of players that were a little bit awestruck in Game 1, you know?" Coyotes Head Coach Dave Tippett said. "We talked (to our young players) about the bar getting raised, and you're going to have to be better. But in Game 1, I think we stood around and watched the game a lot. In Game 2, first half of the game I thought we played very well, got ourselves in it, got ourselves in penalty trouble.
Photo by Getty Images.

"Really for the rest of the series after that, it was very tight. But you have to give (the Kings) credit for what they're doing. They're playing a pretty complete game there those first few games. We went in, played a strong Game 4."

Amid the pain of elimination and the frustration of a quick end in overtime, players were able to acknowledge the pride they felt in an unlikely season with adversity on and off the ice.

"It (hurts) right now. It's not fun to lose or to be done," Smith said. "But we accomplished a lot as a group. At the beginning of the season, not many people had us in the conference finals or winning a division. We played some great stretches, when we were in deep trouble in January (12th place) we had a great February (11-0-1) and showed the character we had in the locker room. It stings the way we have to go out, but someone has to lose."

Whitney, in his 20th NHL season, said this team is one he'll remember fondly.

"This group did a lot of great things with all the uncertainties surrounding it," he said. "The players we have, the payroll we have … when you look at the word 'team', this is what you see. Everybody has to contribute, everybody has to chip in or it's not going to be successful. I couldn't be more proud of a group of guys who as a group barely made it into the playoffs and got to the conference finals."