The Phoenix Coyotes have had some serious goaltending issues since before Britney Spears went from a somewhat cute lip-syncher to a drugged-out bad excuse for a mother.Since the Anaheim Ducks decided to waive Ilya Bryzgalov bye-bye, in order to let Ilya have his #1 opportunity elsewhere, the Coyotes jumped on that freebie and were rewarded with a nice 1-0 shutout over the LA Kings.
"I will paint Phoenix colors on it for sure," Bryzgalov said of his mask and gear. " . . . I just walked into the locker room and my new teammates were excited and made me feel like I've always been here."
He went out of his way to praise the Ducks organization, in particular General Manager Brian Burke, calling him "a great man." Burke accommodated his wish to be a starter and put him on waivers Friday, knowing he would surely lose a quality goalie and get nothing in return, other than picking up $250,000 in salary-cap room.
So, the waiving was simply Burke upholding a promise? Hmm, that doesn't sound totally right.
In any event, Bryzgalov is a far superior goalie to what the Coyotes have had playing for them this season. Even if Bryzgalov runs off somewhere after the season (given his pending UFA status), the Coyotes will benefit with a nice short term boost to their netminding.
Career SV%'s:
Ilya Bryzgalov 91.1%
Mikael Tellqvist 89.2%
Alex Auld 90.1% (88% the past two seasons)
