Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes are gone, but the retirement flag still remains for Shane Doan, who spent his entire 21-year NHL career with the organization. While the Coyotes were being packed in boxes and shipped to Salt Lake City, a banner with Doan's No. 19 on his back sat dusty in the back of what was then called Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. It was discovered inside a small wooden box.
Two years ago, when the Coyotes left for what was supposed to be a temporary stay at the 4,600-seat Mallett Arena on the Arizona State campus in an effort to fund and build their own new arena, the arena It remained as it was. That didn't happen, leading to what Doan calls the current “sad” situation.
“I get emotional because I'm in a bit of a grieving moment,” Doan said between the first and second periods of the Coyotes' final game in Arizona. “You loved something so much that it's no longer there. That's what a lot of people care about.”
Doan came from Winnipeg as a first-year player in 1996 and played his first NHL game in the Valley on October 10 of that season, losing 4-1 to the San Jose Sharks at what is now called the Footprint Center. I won with 1. downtown phoenix. In great shape, he appeared in Mallet's finale of Wednesday night's 5-2 win over Edmonton.
A mainstay of Arizona's franchise for 20 years, Doan set franchise records for games played (1,540), goals (402), assists (570), and points (972), and his jersey number. The number was permanently discontinued and was raised to the next number. The 2019 Rafters was very well received.
Matthew Jacobson, who worked at the club's former arena, found Doan's retirement banner left in storage, rolled it up and returned it to the former player before Wednesday night's game. That was a big surprise.
Doan said with a laugh, “A fan gave it to me.'' “I'm glad to have it back. It's a piece of history. I love the Coyotes and my family has been accepted here. We've been treated better than anyone deserves.”
If you're looking for omens to predict a coyote's fate, there are two. First, a public vote to approve a $2.1 billion entertainment complex in Tempe last May failed by a margin of about 3,500 votes. That day, the team's future in the Valley was essentially decided. This offseason, Arizona owner Alex Meruelo allowed Doan to join the Toronto Maple Leafs as assistant GM. Neither Meruelo nor club president Xavier Gutierrez were in the building Wednesday night.
A Coyote without Doan is like a Phoenix without a Coyote. Both were achieved. Doan returned to the Maple Leafs this season and later watched his son Josh play his first NHL game with the Coyotes, wearing No. 91 in honor of his father. Josh was on the ice Wednesday trying to keep his emotions in check as his father watched from the luxury box.
“I don't think he was scheduled to come back tonight, but he did,” Josh said of his father after the game. “He was supposed to stay in Toronto and be in the playoffs. It shows how much it means to him for him to come back and be involved.”
It's a family matter, he added. “It's something they've been involved with their entire lives. It's a very emotional thing for them.”
It goes back 28 years and has come full circle.
Doane's son will move on to the franchise in his second season, just as his father did when the franchise moved from Winnipeg to Arizona.
“When we talked about it, I told him that was exactly what happened to me,” Doan said. “I was sad and it was hard to leave Winnipeg. We came here to start a new life and we had so much fun. So I said, 'Go to Salt Lake City and have fun.' I did. Obviously his heart is broken. He was a fan of the team all his life. ”
Once the deal is finalized Thursday by a vote of the NHL Board of Governors, Arizona's hockey operations and players will be rebranded and relocated to Utah for the 2024-25 season at a cost of $1.2 billion. Become.
In a complex deal, Meruelo will receive $1 billion from Jazz owner Ryan Smith, but will also retain ownership of the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners, as well as the Coyotes name, logo and trademark. become.
He plans to continue building a $3 billion arena and entertainment project in North Phoenix that, if completed, would give him a chance to bring the franchise back within five years.
This is an arduous process that begins with the land auction beginning June 27 with a starting price of $68.5 million. If Meruelo wins, infrastructure costs will cost more than $100 million, with the first phase requiring $1 billion to build an arena, training facilities and theater that could take three years. Political and financial problems will inevitably arise in the process.
If you're a cynic, the reality is you've probably seen the last puck drop at the start of an NHL game in the Valley. For people like Doan, there is always a glimmer of hope.
“I'm the worst person to ask questions because I'm an eternal optimist,” he said. “So, I'm going to assume that's going to happen. I'm looking at this as a closing chapter, but this isn't the end of the book. No one was hoping for it, but something good will happen.” We need to move forward and hope that happens.”
Doan getting his flag back was a great subplot in the final chapter.
