Hello Hockey Fans,
You might not know this, but there is a team called the Coyotes and they are located in Phoenix. Well, they are located near Phoenix, and if you are not from Phoenix, I suppose this is close enough to not really matter, at least in this context. Your favorite team probably even plays them sometimes. They’re the team in the maroon uniforms. They are the NHL’s version of really poor people – you know they’re there, but it’s easier to consume things you know you don’t really need if you pretend they are not.
What kind of notice do the Coyotes get from the rest of the NHL?
- Well, recently their best player was hit from behind on a play that warranted a suspension. It was less reported than Toronto Maple Leaf third line winger David Clarkson’s foot injury. Check the headlines – where are the overwrought articles wondering when one of the NHL’s best players will be back in action? You won’t find them. They don’t exist.
- Today Ekman-Larsson is returning to action after missing a week. NHL.com, Yahoo Sports and TSN (arguably the three biggest NHL web-presences, not counting Hockeybuzz) do not apparently feel the need to report – at least not in their headlines – the imminent return of one of the game’s best players.
- I searched the internet for more coverage of the Coyotes. The first site the search returned was this: http://www.dailycoyote.net/ It is a site about ACTUAL COYOTES. I admit, it’s pretty cool, but I predict that a similar search for Bruins would not get you to site about bears.
Phoenix is one of the largest markets in the NHL. That’s the reason they have worked so hard to keep the team there. One day, Phoenix is going to get some respect and I think that day is coming sooner than you think. The Los Angeles Kings had to trade for Wayne Gretzky in order to get any respect. The Coyotes won’t be making the same gambit with Sydney Crosby.
They did, however, draft someone who is potentially the greatest defenseman in the NHL. He might not be that today, but he’s damn close. His name – you know it of course – is Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
If you aren’t a Coyotes fan, make it a point to take in a couple of their games and just watch how he plays.
He’s never out of position. He skates beautifully. His shot is good. His passes are crisp. He moves the puck. He never panics. He isn’t overly physical, but he doesn’t need to be. Check him on the power play playing catch with Yandle – it is one of the best things you’ll see in the NHL this year.
That isn’t what makes him so good though.
What makes Oliver Ekman-Larsson so good is the way that he does these things with the apparent effort of a man relaxing on his back porch.
It’s easy to fall in love with a guy like Kyle Chipchura because he looks like he’s giving100% every shift. OEL looks like he’s playing a fun game of pick up – often with children. Yeah, he’s a half point per game player with a plus six rating, but the stats don’t tell you anywhere close to half the story. In fact, stats are about as meaningless when it comes to hockey as the emotional intelligence people ascribe to their idiot dogs. They can be manipulated so easily as to become meaningless. They offer good insights – don’t get me wrong – but for a player who does what OEL does, they don’t and will never, be able to truly reflect what he does and is capable of doing.
So why bring this up? Why get all gushy about a player most of the East Coast sees maybe twice a year when the Leafs or Penguins play the Coyotes? It’s not because I’m some rabid fan-boy who can’t objectively look at his own team – keep reading this column and you’ll eventually know that isn’t even close to true. No, it’s because the Coyotes are an undeserved NHL punchline – and I’m sick of it. Ekman-Larsson is currently 22, has no amazing stats to really speak of, and plays for a largely anonymous team – and yet I will guarantee you that should he avoid any major injuries, he will one day enter the Hall of Fame and be mentioned along Nicklas Lidstrom, Ray Bourque and Chris Pronger as one of the greatest defenseman to play since Bobby Orr. Ekman-Larsson will be the player that demands the NHL, its fans and its media respect the Coyotes.
As of now, he is merely the game’s best kept secret, but just wait, because he won’t be for long. There are people who think if he didn’t play in Phoenix, and if the Norris Trophy wasn’t voted by journalists with an Eastern bias, and if wasn’t just really the Art Ross Trophy for defenseman, that he would have already won it. Certainly he is a much better all-round player then the last two players to win it (both of a comparable age).
So, now that he’s back tonight after missing two games, set your PVRs or DVRs (whatever you call ‘em) and pay special attention to his game. It won’t hurt you to check out a Coyotes game. You will see – hands down – the best defensively sound defenseman who isn’t very physical since Nicklas Lidstrom. You will see a player who makes you happy you chose to become a hockey fan in the first place. You will see a player who would be the face of the NHL(well, after Crosby) if he played in any other market.
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Tonight’s game sees the Minnesota Wild visiting the Coyotes with Mike Smith back in goal and OEL returning to the lineup. After beating Calgary 6-0 on Tuesday, the Coyotes will look to build on that performance in what amounts to a four point game against a conference rival.
Thanks for reading.