Not all superheroes wear capes.
Shane Doan, the longtime captain of the Arizona Coyotes who made his NHL debut with the original Winnipeg Jets in 1995, was more than a leader to his team. On Wednesday, he announced his retirement from the NHL, doing so after 21 seasons with a single franchise.
On-ice achievements aside, Doan's desire to remain with the only club he had ever known may have been the biggest factor in why the Coyotes have remained in the desert after years of uncertainty and instability.
"If Shane all of a sudden jumped for greener pastures five, six, seven, eight years ago, I'm not quite sure this franchise would still be here as we sit here today," former Coyotes general manager Don Maloney told Jonas Siegel of The Canadian Press. "When you think of loyal, tough, strong, leader, character, teammate, all those words come to mind when you think of Shane."
Maloney, now vice-president of hockey operations with the Calgary Flames, speaks from experience. He and Doan were critical pieces in keeping things afloat in the desert through his nine-year run as GM.
Four of those years included the Coyotes being under league ownership after former franchise holder Jerry Moyes placed the team into bankruptcy in 2009. The ensuing years brought a string of potential suitors, finally resulting in the 2013 sale to IceArizona, a group led by Calgary businessman George Gosbee.
But amidst ownership instability, relocation speculation, shoestring budgets, city council battles, and arena woes, Doan was the one constant. Not even Maloney, who built a Coyotes team which advanced to the 2012 Western Conference Finals, could withstand it all, as he was fired in 2016.
Still, Doan remained. The fourth captain in Coyotes' history hangs up his skates as franchise leader in games played, goals, assists, and points.
"I think it's such a credit to who he is as a person that through thick and thin, through some very difficult times, he stood up and said, 'I'm not going anywhere. This works here. This is a great franchise. This is a great place to live. We can make it work here,'' Maloney added.
"(Shane's) first thought in anything that was done - off the ice, on the ice - is how does it affect this team, how does it my teammates and then - well down the line - how does it affect me? And I think that's what you want in a captain, to be constantly thinking of team and how to make things better."
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