Nearing 40, Whitney guides Coyotes on, off ice

Ray Whitneys vision impresses. It helped him spot captain Shane Doan approaching while conducting a postgame interview last Saturday, allowing Whitney to drop a seamless joke into his response that cracked Doan up. It helped him spot an opportunity for a meaningful role in free agency, not just a good financial opportunity. It helped him spot Doan with four seconds left and deliver an assist that will become nothing more than a trivia question given the magnitude of Doans last-second goal Saturday against the New York Islanders. He creates so much for his linemates, said Doan, who posted his first career hat trick in that game. We tease him about the fact that if he was born 12 years later, hed end up with probably 300 more points just because the game has changed so much, become so much more conducive to his game. Whitney is having an All-Star-worthy year, leading the Coyotes with 22 assists, 36 points and a plus-11 rating through 42 games. More astounding, hes doing it at the ripe age of 39 (he turns 40 in May). How does he still do it in a career that just entered its third decade? Thats the part that impresses coach Dave Tippett the most. Its the intelligence he plays with, Tippett said. Hes not a young player, but he thinks the game so well that he finds a way to have an impact even though sometimes his energy levels might not be where they should be. You have to be able to think well, especially with the speed of the game now. That aspect of Whitneys game was on full display on that fateful pass to Doan. Not only did Whitney slide away from the Islanders defense to buy time just inside the blue line, he waited for Doan to get into position on the left wing, assessed the time remaining, then whipped a pass onto the captains tape and said a little prayer. When I looked up, I saw it was just over four seconds (left) and I saw where he was, Whitney said. I tried to delay as long as I could. I wasnt sure if he had any gas left. He literally played three and a half minutes of the last five -- hard. He didnt float. He was working for it. Without a bona fide playmaking center on the roster, Whitney is the best man available to reward a player for such hard work. While he normally deflects questions about his abilities with a modest shrug or a joke, theres no denying that the 1991 first-round pick of the Sharks has blossomed in his later years with the advent of post-lockout, offensively geared rules and a training regimen that stopped allowing for time off beginning in 2007. The game hasnt really changed for me. I havent slowed down. As long as you can keep your speed and keep your legs under you, youre not going to get any worse, he said. So far, the bodys held up. Thats probably the biggest key. Whitney will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, a scary thought for a franchise already short on skilled forwards. But neither Whitney nor general manager Don Maloney sounded concerned about the future so early in the season. Im on a year-to-year basis anyway because of my age. Nobodys going to give me a three-year contract at 40, Whitney said. I plan on playing, assuming theres not going to be a lockout. If there is, that might be a forced retirement for me, so Ill try and get as much in as I can this year, not knowing what next year brings. Maloney has no doubt Whitney can play well beyond 40. So much of it is mental. Hes not big, but hes got a strong body, he works at it and hes got this innate competiveness and drive, Maloney said. In my mind, as long as hes determined to play, he can and will play. That would benefit the Coyotes because Whitneys value to the team runs far beyond his on-ice contributions. Aside from his now-infamous "Wheres Whitney" antics and his unfailing penchant for money quotes with reporters, Whitney enjoys widespread popularity in a locker room oozing with character and personality. This is where all the fun is, he said. Out there (on the ice) is where all the work is. Its no stroke of luck that Whitney has blended so well. The Coyotes did their homework before signing him to a two-year deal in 2010. (Carolina director of hockey operations) Ronny Francis is a pretty good friend of mine, Tippett said. I talked to Ronny quite a bit. We knew exactly what were getting when he came, and hes lived up to the billing. Even if the results sometimes leave teammates red-faced. Hes always making fun of somebody, Doan said. Usually me.