Coyotes, Radim Vrbata Get Another Shot at Red Wings

by Susan Slusser

Filed under: Coyotes, Red Wings

The Red Wings put an end to the Coyotes' fairy tale of a season four and a half months ago, and now, Detroit is the first team that will roll into Phoenix for a regular-season game in the Coyotes' home opener on Saturday.

"We lost to Detroit in the playoffs, and I think everyone thought about that all summer long," Coyotes forward Radim Vrbata told FanHouse by phone. "We had a good season, but we came up short in Game 7. It didn't turn out the way we wanted."

Still, just making the postseason was a major achievement for Phoenix, much less going into the playoffs as a higher seed (fourth) than the powerful Red Wings, and taking Detroit the distance in the first round was a good learning experience for the upstart Coyotes. The problem now in Phoenix is that the Coyotes, like fellow 2009-10 Western Conference Cinderella Colorado, are no longer a secret.

The players don't mind a bit -- the atmosphere has changed entirely for the good.

 

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