Your tale of Mueller’s decline in Phoenix mirrors Wolski’s in Denver. The trade made sense immediately, and I think both players are more comfortable in their new respective environments. Bravo to both front offices for making the deal happen.

For the record, I became a pseudo-Coyote fan when Radim Vrbata ended up going (back) to Phoenix after leaving Colorado and traveling the league for 8 years. He’s the kind of player that can be a timely contributor on the right line, and it’s good to see him having success with the Coyotes.

Yes, real good trade for both teams. Most AV’s fans did not watch the last couple (actually dozen or so for myself) years worth of Yotes hockey. I have and I can tell you I was screaming at the screen watching Mueller play anymore. From the quality and talent he displayed to start with, about where he is now with the AV’s, to zero. What really T’d me off the most is his quotes after the trade. He said he new he had it in him if just given the chance. Really, are you kidding me! He had ¾ of a season of chances with little effort or output.

There are reasons I understand that guys have for not getting into playing for their teams. They say they’re trying but you can just tell. He had that obviously but don’t insult the average hockey fan by saying you weren’t given chances.

Agreed on Porter. That kid has a lot of talent but was a long way from getting any ice time with the bigs in Phoenix. I bit smallish in size but really liked his game. I hope he does well. Even had to chuckle when he scored against the Yotes. Was happy for him.

Lived in Phoenix for the first 5 years of the franchise. 3 out of 4 people from that area from somewhere else and everyone saying Phoenix is nice place to be but it’s “not home” and someday will go back. All those fans with no allegiance but to their own teams. Real hard to get the fans interested in the home team if they aren’t winning and not knowing if the team is even going to be around. Both are turned around now and they’re getting sellouts.

Speaking of that. I live in Denver, actually a native. Go to a few games a year, relatives have season tickets. I’ve been amazed how empty the Pepsi Center has been all year and how many fans for other teams show up now. That’s all with winning? So things have changed in Denver as well.

Great news on Blake helping knock the Flames out. The AV’s deserve to be in the playoffs this year and the Yotes get Calgary’s 1st round pick.

It was clean.

It’s a shame Mueller was injured, but hey, it happens.

I don’t know what Peter played like in Phoenix, but I do know that he has played hard in every minute of every game since he came to CO. The organizational issues in Phoenix may have had an effect on Mueller, I’m not sure either. Don’t really care. It was a good trade all around.

As far as the issues Phoenix has had filling the seats, they extend well beyond this season. The argument that recent ownership issues are the reason ring hollow considering the Coyotes are bottom five in attendance every season. I’m not saying that fans owe a loosing team their money and support, but you know as well as I do that the fans filling those formerly empty seats in the last month of the season are the fair-weather variety.

You had a team looking like they were gone. Dumped coach, dumped ownership right as exhibition was starting. For goodness sakes, Darren Pang, the radio voice jumped ship due to uncertainty. Even talk of moving midseason. Yah, OK, that’s going to get the fans in the seats brainiacs.

The league took ownership, said they were staying and they were winning. Nice combo for getting fans in the seats. Security in ownership and winning are playing equal parts in getting fans back to the arena.

Mueller QUIT on his team. Was horrific to watch game after game after game. No life, no spark. Wasn’t sure why, some said because of trading players that he was friends with, didn’t like the system, whatever. The simple observation was that he quit, ah…shut it down. However you want to put it. Was even healthy scratched. So apparently you AV’s fans have some rose tinted glasses on and too much snow in your ears to listen and read that Mueller quit.

I would be the first to say that he needed traded and has done well. He may continue to do well. He needs to grow up and not be a sniveling little bi.. and play the game. Has a lot of talent. I’ll take Wolski’s attitude, shot, and inconsistencies over the worry that Petey is going to get upset and shut it down at anytime.

Of course that’s fine, Mr. Blake. Unless you got beat by a younger, faster player. Then you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Look guys, it’s pretty simple. The NHL says no blind-sides hits. Like it or not, that’s what they say. It’s like the roughing the passer rule in football – too restrictive and too subjective, but it is what it is and it’s there for a reason. If the NHL doesn’t do anything about this, then all their talk about player safety is a load of tripe, and meanwhile Mueller has to sit at home with a scrambled brain while his team desperately tries to hold on to a playoff spot without him.

Is that really better for hockey?

I didn’t think Phoenix stood a chance in the playoffs until recently, but the addition of Wolski really helps them out. Wojtek is a slacker for sure, but he’s a big-game player with a great scoring touch. He’s going to come up huge for them in the first round.

And with regards to the Blake hit, every major news outlet is reporting it as “a blind-side hit” without making a judgment call on whether he should be suspended. Gotta love mainstream media. They know how to walk the fine line.

2) Like ESPN’s lovefest with the NBA, the CBC & TSN don’t go against NHL dictuh as a matter of company policy. Especially where a supposedly good guy player is involved.

3) You defend Blake like you’re carrying his love child. He’s just a slow, old defender that’s going to be a liability no matter who the Sharks draw in the playoffs.

4) I know San Jose hasn’t caught on yet, but NHL play is moving away from clutching, grabbing, blind-side hitting hockey and towards speed and agility. And until the Sharks improve their defensive speed, they will continue to lose early playoff series.

5) I LOVED pre-lockout hockey, but this is the hockey world NOW, present day, with updated rules to protect players moving at higher speeds. The Avalanche won two Cups with a bunch of muckers and grinders. Now they’re working towards winning with the best team speed in the league. Good stuff… until a dinosaur gets chippy late in a game and injures one of your best players.