Second Year of Gretzky Era Begins

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Camp begins in Gretzky's Year 2

David Vest
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 14, 2006 12:00 AM

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]After all that happened in the 2005-06 season, few would have blamed Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky had he said, "You know what, one year of NHL coaching is enough. I'm good. Thanks, anyway."

But Gretzky - who led Phoenix to 81 points in a season that included the deaths of his mother and maternal grandmother, the reported involvement of his wife and team employees in a gambling ring, and injuries to multiple key players - is back for more.

Training camp begins today with medical exams and fitness tests. On-ice workouts begin Friday at Glendale Arena.

The Coyotes were aggressive in the off-season, acquiring fan-favorite Jeremy Roenick and players known for their toughness: Ed Jovanovski, Georges Laraque, Nick Boynton and Owen Nolan.

"Looking at the players that we had and the talent that we had, we tried to add to that and build around that," said Gretzky, who agreed to a five-year contract extension in May.

"One of the weaknesses we may have had as a team last year was we physically got pounded in a lot of the games. Our guys stood up and played hard each and every game, but we just felt that sometimes there were liberties taken toward our hockey club. . . . With the additions that we've made, people are going to think twice before taking liberties."
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http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/0914gretzkycover0914.html

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Coyotes roster for exhibition game on Sunday against Edmonton (held in Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Jeremy Roenick, Owen Nolan, Mike Comrie, Ed Jovanovski, Shane Doan, Patrick Fischer, Joel Perrault, Fredrik Sjostrom, Daniel Winnik, Donald MacLean, Georges Laraque, Peter Mueller, Enver Lisin, Nick Boynton, Derek Morris, Bryan Helmer, Joe Callahan, Travis Roche, David LeNeveu and Phil Sauve.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

"DEBUT AT HOME
Coyotes Head Coach Wayne Gretzky announced on Friday that Goaltender Curtis Joseph and Left Wing Ladislav Nagy would not travel to Winnipeg or Edmonton in the first two pre-season contests. Both are scheduled to play in the first pre-season home game on September 20 vs. the Dallas Stars.

SPLITTING TIME
In an effort to get an early look at the goaltenders in camp this year, Gretzky announced that netminders David LeNeveu and Philippe Sauve will split Sunday’s pre-season game in Edmonton while Mike Morrison and Josh Tordjman with share the duties in Edmonton on September 19th."

http://www.phoenixcoyotes.com/news/story_details.php?ID=5289