With the start of any new sports season comes the optimism and hope of a fan base that their team can rise to the occasion and make this year their year, secure some playoff glory and a maybe even a championship. Well, Arizona Sports' Carter Nacke hopes that this is that year for the Phoenix Coyotes, likening them to the defending Super Bowl Champs the Green Bay Packers.
His arguement is simple, the Coyotes are talented, and are ready to break out during the 2011-12 season:
The current Coyotes team are reminiscent of the Packers in the 1980s and 90s who had a 10-year gap in playoff appearances and rose slowly to prominence over time. The 2009 Coyotes came off a six-year absence from the postseason and the team has made two straight playoff appearances since then.
OK, I like where you're going with this Mr. Nacke, but just what might the team need in order to make that final push past the opening rounds of the playoffs and bring in the big crowds a la Cheese Head Nation? Nacke sees it like this:
The team is chock-full of decent players, but needs one or two guys in to bring that star-powered wow factor for bubble fans. The coaching is already there in Dave Tippett. Add in an already determined squad, and the Coyotes can be the next Packers.
Why not right? There's always optimism within a fan base, but educated optimism fosters the mindset in the average fan that "hey, this team is good and ready to win," causing them to come out and support their squad, which in turn shows the team that there's people to play for, causing them to want to win that much more. It's science.
For more on the Coyotes, head over to Five for Howling.