Hockey Twitter has been taken by storm by screenshots of a 3×3 grid that is filled with NHL player portraits all throughout. You might be wondering what this recent trend is and what is the point of it. Well, the answer to that is simply Puckdouku.
Puckdoku is the hockey version of Soduku, a game in which you have to fill out a 9×9 square with single-digit numbers without repeating any numbers. Someone took that and turned it into a 3×3 square where you have to guess a player that corresponds to the two requirements that the box matches up with. For example, if the Arizona Coyotes logo is shown on top and the San Jose Sharks logo is shown on the left, Adin Hill would be a match for that spot. Henceforth Puckdoku.
Additionally, players have been trying to get the most unique squares by guessing some of the most obscure players out there. With that in mind, I decided to start an article series on the most unique choices if you come across the Coyotes logo along with another NHL team. Here is what will get you the most unique answers for the Central Division.
Chicago Blackhawks
Easy choice: Jeremy Roenick
In the early days of the franchise, the Coyotes had some massive names on their team. One of which was Jeremy Roenick who had been one of the biggest offensive threats in the league with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawk put up 100-plus points from 1991 to 1994 and was an above-point-per-game player through six of his eight seasons with the team. He was traded to the Coyotes in 1996 and became one of the best players on the team.
Related: Arizona Coyotes X PuckDoku: Pacific Division Edition
While Roenick never put up 100-plus points again in his career, he was a physical player on the ice, especially with the Coyotes, racking up 100-plus penalty minutes in his five seasons in the Valley. He left the team in 2001 to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers but returned in 2006 for a second stint. He had one of the worst seasons of his whole career putting up 28 points that season. He signed with the San Jose Sharks in the offseason. When he retired two seasons later, he returned to Phoenix where he’s lived ever since.
Unique choice: Anthony Duclair
Before he made a name for himself with the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators and before he scored his career highlight goal as a Columbus Blue Jackets, Anthony Duclair was a part of both the Coyotes and the Blackhawks. The young winger was involved in the Keith Yandle trade that sent the young forward from the New York Rangers to the Coyotes.
Duclair put up 44 points during the 2015-16 season on a line with Max Domi. However, he never replicated that chemistry again in his time with the Coyotes only putting up 30 points across two more seasons with the organization while being demoted to the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Tucson Roadrunners towards the end of his time in Arizona. He requested a trade and was traded midseason in 2018 to the Blackhawks. He only put up eight points in 23 games in his only season in Chicago before signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the offseason.
Colorado Avalanche
Easy choice: Daniel Briere
Daniel Briere is mainly known as a Buffalo Sabre and a Flyer but he started off his career in Arizona. Drafted by the Coyotes in the first round in 1996, the high-drafted forward played his first game during the 1997-98 season. He spent most of his time with the franchise between the NHL and the AHL. He finally played a full season with the Coyotes during the 2001-02 season where he scored 60 points, the most he put up for the team. He almost played a full season with the Coyotes the next season before being traded to the Sabres during the trade deadline. He played with the Sabres, Flyers, and the Montreal Canadiens before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche where he spent the 2014-15 season with the Avs putting up a career-low 12 points across 57 games. He retired following his lone season with the team later becoming general manager of the Flyers.
Unique choice: Alex Tanguay
Tanguay is a well-known former player of the Avalanche, especially for his heroics during the 2001 Playoffs. But in the twilight of his career, he was actually a Coyote. Drafted in the first round in 1998, he finished second in rookie scoring during the 1999-00 season with 51 points. He then scored 77 points the next season and scored the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to win the Stanley Cup for the Avalanche. He spent four more seasons in Colorado before being traded to the Calgary Flames during the 2006 Draft. The forward returned to the Avalanche in 2013 after being traded back by the Flames. He was often injured throughout his second stint leading to him being traded to the Coyotes. He only played 18 games with the team, scoring 13 points, and retired the following season.
Dallas Stars
Easy choice: Brett Hull
Brett Hull’s legendary Stanley Cup-winning goal with the Dallas Stars is well-known, and his tenure with the Coyotes has been well-told as well. The Canadian native signed with the Stars after the St. Louis Blues refused to give him a no-movement clause. He was a frequent contributor to the team, especially in their two playoff runs in 1999 and 2000. He also scored the Game 6 OT winner against the Sabres to win the Stanley Cup in 1999 and put up 24 points the next season when they lost in the Final to the New Jersey Devils.
Hull spent his career in Texas until 2001 when he opted to sign a contract with the Detroit Red Wings in the offseason. After spending three seasons with the Red Wings, the forward surprised everyone by signing a contract with the Coyotes. Hull’s dad, Bobby, played for the franchise when it was the old Winnipeg Jets and so Brett wore his dad’s number nine with the Coyotes. The Hull era in the desert only lasted five games as he registered only one point and retired after feeling that he couldn’t play up to his standards.
Unique choice: Joel Hanley
Joel Hanley had really been an AHL defenseman until joining the Stars where he’s cracked the bottom six pairing frequently, including appearing in some playoff games. However, the defenseman has been in the league for a while, including with the Coyotes. He signed a contract in 2017 and appeared in just five games for the team. He played most of that season with the Roadrunners in the AHL putting up 20 points. After that season, he signed a deal with the Stars where he’s played since.
Minnesota Wild
Easy choice: Alex Goligoski
Alex Goligoski was brought to Arizona to be a big part of the new defensive core in 2016. His rights were traded from Dallas to Arizona and he was signed to a five-year contract. He put up 36 points in his first season on the blue line, and it ended up being the highest point total he put up with the team. He put up 12 goals the next season, a career-high in that category. The defenseman helped the Coyotes reach the postseason for the first time since 2012 in 2020. The Coyotes upset the Nashville Predators and were eventually eliminated by the Avalanche in the next round. He spent one more season as an alternate captain and eventually left in free agency the next season to play for the Minnesota Wild. The defenseman has spent the past two seasons with the Wild serving as a bottom-pairing defenseman.
Unique choice: Martin Hanzal
While many remember Martin Hanzal’s heroics in the Coyotes’ best playoff run in their history, they may not remember that he was part of the Wild for a short amount of time. The Czech forward was drafted in the first round by the Coyotes in 2005. He made his debut in 2007 and became a constant 30-plus point producer through his 10 seasons with the franchise. He is most known for his overtime goal against the Blackhawks in Round 1 in 2012, which secured a Game 1 win for the Coyotes. He picked up six points in 12 playoff games that season. In the midst of the 2016-17 season, he was traded to the Wild for a collection of picks. He only appeared in 20 games with the Wild, posting 13 points. They were eliminated in Round 1 and the forward left the organization in free agency.
Nashville Predators
Easy choice: Martin Erat
Martin Erat was drafted by the Predators in 1999 and quickly made his way to the big leagues, debuting in 2001. He played 11 seasons with the Predators and was an essential player for the team, often playing on the first line with players like Paul Kariya and David Legwand. The Czech winger hit the 50-point plateau five times in his career, including in his final full season with the Predators. He then requested a trade out of Nashville during the 2012-13 season and was flipped to the Washington Capitals. Eventually, he requested another trade, this time out of Washington, and was dealt to the Coyotes during the 2014 Trade Deadline. He played the rest of the season and the next for the Coyotes, recording 37 points in his short tenure with the team. He left the NHL following the 2014-15 season.
Unique choice: Brad Richardson
Brad Richardson is something of a hero to Coyotes fans for his play in the 2020 Playoffs. After playing with the Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks and winning a Stanley Cup with the LA Kings, he signed a three-year deal with the Coyotes in 2015. The native of Belleville, CA recorded his best season in the NHL with 31 points in his first season with the Coyotes. He signed a two-year extension that brought him to the end of the 2019-20 season. In the final season of his contract, the Coyotes forward only posted 11 points during the regular season but made up for it in the playoffs.
In Game 4 of the play-in round against the Predators, Richardson scored in overtime ending the game and the series in favor of the Coyotes who hadn’t won a playoff round since 2012. That game was one of his last with the team as the Coyotes lost to the Avalanche in the next round. He departed the team to sign a one-year deal with the Predators. He only appeared in 17 regular season games with the Predators due to injury, scoring one goal, and played in only two playoff games before signing with the Flames in the offseason.
St Louis Blues
Easy choice: Keith Tkachuk
Drafted by the original Winnipeg Jets in the first round, Keith Tkachuk immediately became a presence on the ice both physically and offensively. Eventually, he requested a trade out of Winnipeg and signed an offer sheet as a restricted free agent with the Blackhawks. The Jets matched it and stripped him of the captaincy. Despite this, the Massachusetts-born forward put up 98 points in the Jets’ final season in Winnipeg.
Related: Bill Armstrong’s 4 Biggest Decisions as Coyotes’ GM
The Jets relocated to Phoenix and became the Coyotes and Tkachuk instantly became one of the best offensive threats on the team. He posted 52 goals and 86 points in their first season in Arizona, both of which still are Coyotes’ team records in their respective categories. The forward played for the Coyotes until 2001 when he was traded away to the Blues. He played 10 years with the Blues, leaving the organization in 2007 after being acquired by the Atlanta Thrashers but was traded right back after 18 regular season games and the Thrashers’ four playoff games. He retired at the end of the 2009-10 season.
Unique choice: Tyler Pitlick
Mainly used as a bottom-line speedy forechecker, Tyler Pitlick spent most of his career with the Stars, Flyers, and Edmonton Oilers before Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong signed him during the 2020 offseason to a two-year contract. He missed time in the shortened season with injury only playing 38 games while putting up 11 points. He was then selected by the Seattle Kraken in their expansion draft, ending his tenure as a Coyote. Two seasons later, he signed a professional tryout and later a contract with the Blues. He put up 16 points in 61 points in his lone season with the Blues. The forward signed a contract with the New York Rangers this past offseason.
Winnipeg Jets
Easy choice: Lee Stempniak
Lee Stempniak was a journeyman for his whole career playing with 10 teams in his 14-season career, including early on with the Coyotes. He was sent by trade to the Coyotes via the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2010. The newly acquired forward posted 18 points in 18 games played in his first season with the team. He played one more season with the team putting up 38 points in a full season with the club.
The Coyotes then traded Stempniak away to the Flames the following season. After going through three teams in three seasons, he was traded to the Jets during the 2015 Trade Deadline. He played 18 regular season games as they made the playoffs. The journeyman put his name in the history books that postseason as he scored the first playoff goal in Winnipeg since 1996. It was the last NHL playoff goal he scored in his career as he left Winnipeg in the offseason. He returned to the desert in 2022 as the Coyotes’ new director of player development after he retired in 2019.
Unique choice: Sam Gagner
Sam Gagner was another traveler during his career playing for several different franchises. He was mainly known for his tenure with the Oilers after being drafted by the franchise sixth overall. However, the longtime NHLer was a Coyote at one point in his career. He was sent to the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2014 offseason but was flipped to the Coyotes hours later. He played a single season in the desert scoring 41 points in a full season with the team. The forward was traded to the Flyers that offseason after GM Don Maloney expressed that the organization believed he couldn’t play center at an NHL level.
After three years with the Red Wings, Gagner entered free agency looking for a team to play his 16th season with. He chose the Jets and played 48 games this past season with the club, including his 1,000th NHL game. He scored 14 points before sustaining a season-ending injury. He remains a free agent after not being re-signed by the Jets.
These are just some of the best and most unique answers for the Central Division teams. They will most likely get you some unique scores especially considering the number of games each one has played for the Coyotes. More and more players come through the desert so these are just some of the interesting ones you’ll hear about.
