Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, a soon-to-be free agent who was probably the team's most valuable player the last two seasons, says he'd rather go back to Russia than play in Winnipeg.

"You don't want to go to Winnipeg, right?" Bryzgalov said after the Coyotes lost to Detroit, Wednesday night. "Not many people live there, not many Russian people there. Plus it's cold. There's no excitement except the hockey. No park, no entertaining for the families, for the kids. It's going to be tough life for your family."