Arizona Coyotes: Shane Doan adds Coyotes fans one puck at a time
As Arizona Coyotes Captain Shane Doan prepares to take the ice for his 21st and likely final NHL season, it’s important that as we savor every last game we also examine how much he means to fans, to the team, and to all of us that call Arizona home.
Arizona Coyotes Captain Shane Doan is turning 40 years old in October.
He’s certainly not the youngest, nor the fastest, but he is the longest tenured captain in the NHL and the indelible face of the franchise.
As one of only 13 cities with all four major sports teams, we have plenty of sports heroes. So what does he mean to us?
Simply put, Doan is our Randy Johnson, Steve Nash, and Kurt Warner, all wrapped into one. And he had me all in, the moment he gave my daughter her first puck.
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It was a typical Saturday night in February, except for the first time in a long while my daughter and I had arrived for the game at Gila River Arena early, a far cry from our usual fashionably late entrance just before the National Anthem.
We found ourselves nudged up against the glass watching the Coyotes warm up, and in typical Doaner fashion the indelible captain glided onto the ice with his trademark smile to smack a few pucks around before taking on the Calgary Flames.
Anna, who passionately cheers at my side for all things Arizona Coyotes, stared out onto the ice with a look that said, “I really love watching you guys, but what I actually want is for you to throw me a puck.”
Round and round they go, slap shot here and stick tap there, and before you know it, they’re headed off to the locker room.
Except not all of them.
Doan is the last one on and the last one off.
Every time. Like clockwork.
And there he stood, right in front of us, gesturing to little kids and tossing them pucks, earning lifetime Coyotes fans with each throw.
there he stood, right in front of us, gesturing to little kids and tossing them pucks, earning lifetime Coyotes fans with each throw.
Anna’s not a little kid anymore, but she wears her Max Domi jersey with pride and sports her winter Yotes cap. In case you’re wondering, yes she has a Coyotes license plate on her Corolla.
And then it happened.
As if to say, “Hey, I recognize you, I see you in the stands all the time, kid,” Shane points to her, smiles, and gently tosses a puck over the glass into her hands.
She beamed with pride as she gripped that puck, turning it over and over in her hands, absorbing the moment while feeling the chill emanating from its time on the frozen surface. The smile didn’t leave her face all night.
In fact, I think it’s still there.
That’s Shane Doan.
He lives here, he plays here, his kids are growing up here, he is Arizona, and he is the Coyotes.
He’s played for the Coyotes his entire career, save one season before the team moved to the Valley when they were still the Winnipeg Jets, and he’s had plenty of opportunities to leave for brighter pastures.
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Doan is every parent’s dream, an athlete who serves as a mentor to others, doesn’t use swear words, personally makes a positive impact on the community, always plays at 100%, and eagerly takes on the diminishing role that coaches have now placed him in.
He’s passed up playing for Stanley Cup champion teams and buckets of money, and he did that for us.
He wants, he yearns, he dreams of bringing a Stanley Cup to Arizona. He could have retired already, yet he sticks around to fulfill that dream. This is not just uncommon, its unheard of. But that’s Shane Doan.
Growing the Arizona hockey market one fan at a time, with one puck at a time, wearing a smile that never fades, Shane Doan is Arizona’s hockey legend.
And he believes.
Signing a one-year contract in July, Doan sees the Arizona Coyotes as a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming season. A product of unbelievable young talent, solid coaching, new ownership and management, and oh, did I mention unbelievable young talent?
He knows that if it all comes together, they’re headed to the playoffs in April, someplace they haven’t been since 2012.
And once you get to the playoffs, anything is indeed possible in the NHL.
he dreams of bringing a Stanley Cup to Arizona. He could have retired already, and sticks around to fulfill that dream.
Our kids are all growing up Arizona Coyotes fans, thanks to Shane Doan.
The team’s youth initiatives designed to ensure Arizona kids come of age with an allegiance to the franchise, as well as investments in youth hockey and bringing the Roadrunners to Tucson, are major steps forward to be sure.
But they all pale when compared to what Doan has done.
In the not-so-distant future, Coyotes games will likely be the hottest tickets in town, thanks to a burgeoning fan base, a new arena with a new address, and the thousands of fans that were handed a puck by Shane Doan.
Anna still reaches for that puck, placing it in the freezer for an hour or two, then rolling it around on her fingertips as she does her homework.
Next: Ownership & Doan Must Allow Coyotes Fans A Chance To Say Goodbye
One day, long after Doan has retired, Anna will be taking her kids to birthday parties and saying things to other parents like, “How old were you when Shane Doan gave you your first puck?”
And they’ll smile, and know exactly what she’s talking about.