He played in the NHL for 21 years, all of them with the Winnipeg/Phoenix/Arizona franchise. While the Winnipeg Jets have had a ton of great players, and while the history of who owns the legacy of the former franchise is confusing, there is no doubt that Shane Doan is the best and most beloved player in the history of the Arizona portion of the Jets/Coyotes shared history.
He began his career back in 1995 when Donald Trump was a joke, Will and Grace was popular, and the world was struggling with terrorism, and environmental degradation.
So, like yesterday?
Doan retires having played for only a single franchise, and his loyalty to a team hardly anyone outside the state of Arizona gives any respect to cannot be overstated.
This loyalty is reciprocated ten-fold and despite the fact that he is a hockey player in a place where snow is thought by half the population to be mythical, and high school basketball is the most popular sport, he is a bonafide celebrity and a local legend.
People in Arizona think Shane Doan hung the moon. Take everything you know about Chuck Norris (He invented Karate, has killed a hippopotamus with his bare hands, decided to let the bald eagle not become extinct) and the people of Arizona think that about Shane Doan.
He is basically a Canadian Jesus.
During his time in Arizona, he played over 1500 games scored 402 goals and 570 assists. It is sad that his last few years were spent on a team going nowhere, but his refusal to not chase a cheap cup victory with another team on which he'd be just a footnote is respectable.
Everything about Shane Doan is respectable - from the way he acts, to his professionalism, to his victories on the shows Survivor Man and Big Brother. He is a hero for basically every kid in the Phoenix area who likes hockey. You seriously cannot overestimate how much these people love Doan. Once, when I was critical of him, I was viciously attacked across twitter, facebook etc. by people who loved him and thought I was an idiot.
It was as if I had come out as pro dog fighting.
So what if I was right? They were demonstrating the best thing about sports and the reason people hate nerds: it doesn't matter what's "right" or "true" it's about how you feel.
And Shane Doan has made people feel good for years. He is known for taking tons of time with kids to sign autographs or whatever, and his charitable and community work is as legendary as he is. He is a larger than life figure, in a hockey market that has never really had a franchise player-type superstar.
Eventually his number will be retired, but it might as well be retired as of now. I guarantee you that no one on the Coyotes will be wearing #19 this season, or probably ever again.
Say what you want about Shane Doan, but he's only five years older than me, and I'm no where near retirement. He's a great success!
Shane Doan is a legend.
May the Coyotes eventually hire him as their GM and may he run them into the ground like almost all unqualified ex-player GMs. And he's so good, I won't even care.
It will be weird to watch the upcoming Coyotes season, as it will be the first one ever where Shane Doan isn't on the team. Ekman-Larsson will likely replace him as captain, but no one can replace him in the hearts of the city.
Not even Chuck Norris.
*Shane Doan never (to my knowledge) actually appeared on Big Brother.
** The music is what I assume his favorite songs probably are.
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