Finally, there's some hope for ownership stability for the Phoenix Coyotes. On Friday, the league announced that Ice Edge Holdings signed a letter of intent to buy the Coyotes. This week, the NHL's board of governors met in Pebble Beach, Calif., where commissioner Gary Bettman and league owners discussed the team's ownership situation in depth.

Progress is being made. But that sound coming from the Coyotes' dressing room? That's not cheering or relief. It's a yawn.

"It's honestly like we have more interesting things to talk about," Coyotes forward Scottie Upshall said.

It's not that they don't care. They want to stay in Phoenix. They want to see their loyal fans rewarded. And yes, it'll be nice knowing who is signing the paychecks.

"For everyone's sake — fans, owners, players, management — all over the league, it's an added bonus if something gets done soon," Upshall said.

But the players aren't celebrating every development. They're not reading every update from Pebble Beach. They're not scouring the internet for information about Ice Edge Holdings.

No, the Coyotes have climbed into a playoff spot in the Western Conference by doing the opposite. They decided long before this week's developments to let the ownership situation take care of itself. They would contribute to the situation where they could — on the ice. And that meant winning.

"It hasn't been talked about — good or bad," captain Shane Doan said. "It's just the way it is. We're going to keep playing."

So how have the players, coaches and management blocked out something as serious as the ownership of the franchise?

Coaching
Before Dave Tippett replaced Wayne Gretzky as coach of the Coyotes, associate coach Ulf Samuelsson was running training camp. One player explained that Samuelsson was adamant the ownership issue wouldn't become a distraction. It was talked about once — and dropped. The focus then became preparing for the season.

"Ever since Day 1, we were letting it go," forward Radim Vrbata said. "We're worrying about hockey and what we can do on the ice and letting the other stuff just happen."

Focus
Rather than thinking big picture about the future of the franchise and how desperately this team needs to make the playoffs, the Coyotes have been able to focus on individual games remarkably well.

That comes from Tippett. There might not be a better coach at preparing for an opponent each night and drawing up the perfect game plan. The focus is so singular, there's no room to be concerned about ownership issues.

"His focus, every game it's a one-game focus to how we can win this game tonight," general manager Don Maloney said. "What's impressed me is (Tippett's) very even-keeled personality. We've had some terrific wins early and it's one win and on to the next. It's not like, 'Let's let the champagne start flowing' "

Leadership
The Coyotes quietly got much older this offseason under Maloney. Young players from last season, like Kyle Turris, Kevin Porter and Mikkel Boedker, are playing in the AHL where they belong. Veterans like Robert Lang and Adrian Aucoin were brought in to complement an already strong leadership group headed by Doan and veteran defenseman and alternate captain Ed Jovanovski. This group was much better equipped mentally to handle the distractions that came with the ownership turmoil.

"With the leadership in the dressing room, first and foremost, (ownership issues) are a nonfactor for us," Tippett said. "We concentrate on what we can control and that's the on-ice product."

A strong start
Let's face it, this team had a built-in excuse. If the Coyotes had started miserably, everybody would have understood. Nobody expected Phoenix to succeed, and a mentally weak dressing room could have used that as an excuse. Instead, the opposite happened.

Slideshow   The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos

"It's really galvanized our room," Doan said. "We saw where everyone picked us to finish this year. It unites everybody."

The Coyotes finished October with an impressive 9-4 record and have been able to maintain that momentum.

"That's a huge part," Tippett said. "When you have positive feelings from how you're playing, it pushes that stuff to the background. You're focused on what you're doing on the ice, and the other stuff becomes secondary."

SportingNews.com Blackhawks re-sign defenseman Nick Boynton Leafs allow college prospect Sweatt to walk after dispute over contract Maple Leafs let Kaberle deadline pass; defenseman regains no-trade rights Canada beats United States to win third consecutive Ivan Hlinka tournament Patrick Kane brings Stanley Cup home to Buffalo

Also on NBCSports.com Beyond the Arc: No. 11 Mich. St. takes big step forward Chandler: Jeremy Lin was special even in 8th grade What NFC teams need this offseason  |  And AFC DeMarco: Dodgers could become a contender Follow us on Twitter: @NBCSports  |  And Facebook