Oops! Forgot to Follow the Script

Tonight did not play out as it was scripted. The Phoenix Coyotes are out of bankruptcy as of today, the NHL is the team's new owner, local Phoenicians had that news in plenty of time to turn out for tonight's game and did not, and the Coyotes blew a 3-1 lead and lost to the LA Kings, 5-3. WTF?

The worst crowd of the season was in attendance -- World Series game 6, I know, but 5,855? (And it was not even close to that) -- and the team lays an egg after a great win Saturday against the Ducks. Granted, they were lucky to be in the game at all but still managed to sneak a 3-1 lead 39 minutes into the game, then couldn't hold on as they looked eerily similar to the Coyotes of years past.

Hard to look at this game and say anyone stood out from a positive standpoint, but there was plenty of sloppy play to go around. Give the Kings credit. They were well prepared for this game as they did a great job playing the Coyotes style of shutdown defense by clogging passing lanes and pressuring the puck, but you still can't blow a 3-1 lead as the 'Yotes did.

Best to put this one in the books, learn from it, and get ready for a trip to Colorado for a game Wednesday, then return home Thursday for a tilt with the Blackhawks. Hopefully the team will rebound. But will hockey fans who have been loud and clear that they'll stay away from the Job until Jerry Moyes was gone, wake the hell up and start making their way back to the arena? I sure as hell hope so. The summer's been tough enough but there is a small flicker of light at the end of the tunnel thanks to the NHL seeing that RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie's effort to steal the team away to Canada was rejected in BK court.

Of course attendance isn't going to jump 20%, 30%, or 40% overnight, but come on people! Tickets are cheap, and season ticket holders and other faithfuls are doing everything in their power to encourage more fans to check out this team, so the time is now to show any potential local owners out there that investing in the Coyotes and Glendale is worth the shot. Time to step up! Forgo Sonic, Jack-in-the-Box and Burger King for a few weeks, cook some cheap, healthy meals at home for a change, and throw down $60 to take your family of four to a freaking hockey game. Yeah, it's that important!

STH have access to upper level seats priced at $10.25 - $21.25, and can also get you into lower bowl seats for $31.25. Reach out and tell them you're on a budget and cannot afford gate prices. They'll hook you up. Message me here if you don't know any other STH and I'll hook you up. None of us are looking to make a profit on this deal, we want butts in the seats and we want NHL hockey to remain in the Valley. And we're willing to share our discount pricing.

I know, we all know, things are tough financially for many families. But if you care about seeing the Coyotes stay here and can figure out a way to trim your household budget by $20, $30, $40, $50 or $60 at some point between now and the end of December, please get out to a game.

You can also visit phoenixcoyotes.com and check out some of the great deals they have there including student nights when a student ID gets you upstairs for $10 and downstairs for $20. All-you-can-eat packages for everyone upstairs are $30. Heck, bring some shopping bags and cart out the dogs, peanuts, popcorn and nachos on those all-you-can-eat nights to cover dinner for a few nights, and use that money you save to go to another game.

OK, maybe that's a little extreme, but we'll soon be approaching desperation time, folks. The opportunities are there to get hooked up with affordable tickets. All you need do is ask. It will be worth the effort.