It was a study in contrasts from 2007, yet the end result looked eerily the same. Shane Doan and the Phoenix Coyotes aren’t quite ready to climb into the upper half of the NHL, but they're getting closer.

Finding, holding, perhaps even owning an original 1970s World Hockey Association game jersey for Timothy Gassen's hometown major league Indianapolis Racers had been a holy grail for him for decades...and then he saw the blood of Gilles Marotte.

It was much like a little brother aching to prove to their more worldly sibling that they belonged. The Central Hockey League Arizona Sundogs scratched, clawed and battled their ECHL Phoenix RoadRunner rivals in two exhibition games.

Deep in the heart of some hockey purists is the sacred belief that hockey cannot survive in a place where you can sunbathe on game day. Timothy Gassen sets out to debunk that myth, in part three of a three-part series.

Deep in the heart of some hockey purists is the sacred belief that hockey cannot survive in a place where you can sunbathe on game day. Timothy Gassen sets out to debunk that myth, in part two of a three-part series.