Sarah McLellan

azcentral sports

When he started his career as a coach in 1994, the Coyotes' Dave Tippett had to maneuver a cassette deck to analyze video.

"Now I can walk in between periods and say, 'I want to see every neutral-zone faceoff,' and I can watch it in two minutes," he said.

In 20 years, Tippett has kept pace with the evolution of the game as a keen defensive mind and meticulous statistician – no doubt a key reason why he's been able to remain a figurehead in the league since 1999. And on Saturday against the Flames, Tippett added to that accomplishment by coaching in his 400th game with the Coyotes. He's also only eight games shy of his 900th as an NHL coach.

"I've been in hockey since my first team at three years old, and it's what I do," Tippett said. "I enjoy the coaching part of it. The playing part you dial it on yourself and make sure you're prepared. But the coaching part is a much bigger aspect, preparing a whole group and building a team, which is two different entities but both are very enjoyable."

Against the Canucks Nov. 14, Tippett achieved his 200th victory with the team and surpassed Bobby Francis on Nov. 11 as the longest-tenured coach in franchise history.

"If you were to kind of go through what you'd want your coach to be, you'd be describing him," captain Shane Doan said. "He's stern when he needs to be stern. He's understanding when he needs to be understanding. He's accountable. He holds people accountable. He's accountable himself, and he's a guy that sees the game I think the right way and because of that, he has the ability to have longevity."

Game No. 1

Winger Brendan Shinnimin made his long-awaited NHL debut against the Flames, playing on a line with center Sam Gagner and winger Martin Erat.

Shinnimin's journey to this point reminded Tippett of his own path to the NHL, as both went undrafted. The Coyotes signed the 5-foot-10 forward as a free agent in March 2012.

"He's a kid that wasn't drafted," Tippett said. "Disappointed with that, so you love his attitude, ambition fortitude, all that. Kids dream about playing in the NHL. This kid's lived it in his mind over and over a 1,000 times."

In the American Hockey League this season, Shinnimin started to show the offensive production that characterized his junior career with Tri-City of the Western Hockey League as he had 14 points in 19 games so far with the Portland Pirates.

"I just want to bring what I've been brining there," Shinnimin said. "A lot of energy, playing the right way, playing good defensively and contributing offensively. So I'm looking to bring a spark to the team, and hopefully help out in those areas and help this team win."

Rested and refreshed

No one probably relished the three-day gap in the schedule before Saturday's game more than defenseman Keith Yandle.

Tippett acknowledged that Yandle had been "nicked up." Yandle went into the boards earlier this month against the Canucks after a puck pursuit. He hasn't missed any games despite not having the same energy in his play.

"He was playing a lot of minutes," Tippett said. "You get a schedule like that with nine games in 15 days, that can catch up with you. He's rejuvenated and will be ready to go."

Since Yandle hasn't sat out, he pushed his iron-man streak to 409 games against the Flames. Tippett credits Yandle's smooth skating style for helping keep him on the ice.

"There's just some players, they don't use a lot of energy with their stride or they're very fluid," Tippett said. "There's other guys, not that they're slow or try any less, they're not just as fluid and need more energy. I was one of those guys."

Injury update

Defenseman Brandon Gormley skated for the second time Saturday since suffering a lower-body injury Nov. 16 against the Oilers following a tumble into the boards. It's unlikely, however, that Gormley will travel with the team on the upcoming two-game road trip to Western Canada.