William Grigsby : howlinhockey.com

Apparently Arizona Coyotes Max Domi’s month was not good enough to win NHL rookie of the month, that went to poster boy Connor McDavid.

Have you ever noticed that the Arizona Coyotes get very little respect in the national or local media? I do.

And, I don’t like it.

When one reads about the local hockey team, it’s usually comments which are not too pleasing if you’re a Coyotes’ fan. For example, one fan wrote a comment on a site recently that it is “too bad” that the talents of a Max Domi are being wasted in that hockey hotbed known as Arizona. For real?

Well, I responded back:

“It’s too bad? He loves it here in Arizona. His talents aren’t being wasted at all. In fact, he’s helping his team to a better record than Edmonton or Buffalo, who had the first two “generational” picks. Folks just love to put down the Coyotes. They’re survivors, and whether you like it or not, Domi will be here to guide them to better fortunes. Let’s see what you think then.”

Getting back to the lack of respect towards the Arizona Coyotes… all one needs to do is read the local newspaper, or listen to the local sports news on TV to understand that the Coyotes get very little press time. The exception may be if there is an arena lease controversy, or ownership drama, or something negative.

Granted with the likes of Max Domi, and Anthony Duclair joining the team some coverage has improved.

Yet, if the Arizona Cardinals win a big game, or for that matter lose, the headline in the sports page will not reflect anything about the Arizona Coyotes. In fact, more realistically you won’t see any coverage of the Coyotes until well back in the sports section… maybe back there where high school football, or college football reside.

To prove my point, look at what just happened with the NHL voting their poster-boy Connor McDavid rookie of the month. He had one more point than Max Domi, and his team had three less points in the standings. It becomes interesting as to what criteria they use.

I don’t know about you, but those are really similar statistics. Could it be McDavid got the nod because he is being promoted by the NHL brass as the next Gretzky or Crosby? You bet.

The other statistic shows that McDavid played one more game than Domi, and was averaging 18:33 minutes of play compared to 17:03 to Domi.

The slight difference between the stats is marginal, at best. The league most definitely doesn’t give a hoot about the Arizona Coyotes getting any recognition. You haven’t heard much about the really average season that Jack Eichel is having either.

McDavid may have won Rookie of the Month honors, but Max Domi has been showing signs of giving him a run for the Calder Trophy. Now with McDavid out long-term with a fractured collarbone, Domi’s chances of being named the rookie of the year increased significantly.