(Tempe, Arizona) There is no real journey whose ultimate destination is not the starting point, an old wise man whose identity remains rather vague would have once said.
Anyone who works on the road inevitably fights a kind of weariness. The succession of hotel rooms, the flights to be caught, life in suitcases, the distance from the family… Sooner or later, it is good to come home.
Arizona Coyotes players and coaches can attest to that. Against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night, they played only their ninth game at Mullett Arena, and this, in their 30e game of the season.
With their new home on the University of Arizona campus in Tempe not yet ready to receive new full-time tenants, the Coyotes kicked off their campaign with six games in northeast continent. Four duels in Tempe followed, before a suicidal streak of 14 games, in as many different cities, in 33 days. Browsing through the list of destinations is dizzying: Washington, Buffalo, Long Island, Newark, Manhattan, Las Vegas, Nashville, Raleigh, Detroit, St. Paul, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.
“In the end, we had enough,” testified Monday morning the head coach of the Coyotes, André Tourigny.
“Even when we, the coaches, are exhausted, we suspect that the players are tired too. »
This interminable journey got off to a good start, with three consecutive victories, which were however followed by four defeats. A win in Carolina revived the troops, before six defeats seriously undermined their morale.
“When we flew to Los Angeles, we knew we were going to work, resumed Tourigny. The last game, in Edmonton, was a massacre. I don’t know the score anymore, but it wasn’t bad at all. »
Verification made: 8-2. At this point, to let the players clear their minds away from the rink, we had reduced the training load as much as possible.
“We were there, mentally. It was really difficult. That’s what scared us, because we had already experienced it during long trips: mental fatigue, exhaustion. »
“At the hotel, you’re not as active,” he said again. You listen to Netflix, you’re always at the restaurant… While at home, you have your routine, you’re in your business. It felt good to come back. »
At home
The Coyotes’ home has become famous for its meager available seating – a mere 5,000 seats. A very normal format for a university amphitheater, but an aberration for an NHL club.
It is actually a temporary solution while waiting for the construction of a large format arena, a scenario that is still hypothetical at the present time. The project on the table, approved by the city council, still has to pass the test of a citizens’ referendum.
However, the house is still under renovation. The public who goes to the Mullett Arena see nothing but fire, since the spaces where the supporters circulate are ready. Behind the scenes, however, certain situations make people smile. Taking advantage of Arizona’s favorable climate, the visiting team does part of its off-ice training outside. The changing rooms are functional, but they are separated from the main building. Tents make the link between the elements, like tunnels.
The morning of the Canadian-Coyotes duel, Martin St-Louis gave a press briefing outside. Tourigny did it under a tent resembling a Tempo shelter. Low-flying planes – the airport is nearby – forced journalists to listen.
PHOTO SIMON-OLIVIER LORANGE, THE PRESS
Martin St-Louis, head coach of the Canadiens, gave a press briefing outside.
These imperfections, however, are the least of his worries.
“These are details,” he says. The guys love the location of the arena, it’s close to everything. And the atmosphere is electric around the matches. »
This mention is not due to chance. The former Coyotes arena in Glendale was every pro team’s nightmare. Eccentric in a quiet suburb, drowned in a commercial environment, it has never aroused great popularity.
Glued to Phoenix and bubbling with life thanks in particular to its huge university, Tempe offers a very different experience. Players find their bearings, and fans can adopt their team.
This return home probably smiles on the Coyotes who, before facing the Canadiens, had won three of their previous four home games.
The team will not make old bones under the sun for as much. Strangely, even if she still has a good thirty games to play in Tempe, she will never have a streak longer than four games at home. January will also be a trying month: 15 games in 26 days. It was not until February that Tourigny and his men would be able to “take their heads above water”.
Since the schedule is released during the summer, the coach was able to prepare for this logistical storm. “We knew what we were getting into,” he confirms.
“We talked to the players about it on the first day of training camp. This was going to be the season. These are the cards that were given to us, there is nothing else we can do. »
The response so far has been exemplary, he says. “Guys do it like grown-ups; no one complains, no one is a marabout. »
It must be said that with a radiant sun and a mercury of 16 degrees a week before Christmas, everything seems easier.