Written by ESPN News Staff at ESPN.com
Former Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan is retiring from the NHL after 21 seasons, he announced in a letter to fans Wednesday.
Doan, 40, has played only for the Coyotes, dating back to before the franchise moved from Winnipeg. He was the seventh overall pick by the Jets in 1995.
“I’m so grateful and thankful to the Winnipeg Jets for drafting me and giving me a chance to play my rookie season and when the team moved to the Valley in 1996, all I wanted to know was if the Coyotes would keep giving me a chance to play,” Doan said in a first-person letter published in the Arizona Republic.
“I could not fathom at the time that I would end up playing in Arizona for the next 21 years, raise a family and call this place home. But that’s exactly what happened. And that’s why this has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.”
Doan, who served as the team’s captain from 2003 to 2017, was not re-signed by the Coyotes after last season, as the team said it was time to move on and focus on younger players.
He is the team’s career leader in just about every significant category, including games played (1,540), shots (3,945), goals (402), assists (570), points (972), power-play goals (128) and game-winning goals (69). His 1,540 games played is tied with John Bucyk for 14th on the NHL’s all-time list.
Doan was a two-time NHL All-Star selection and also was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, given to the NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice, in 2010. He won five medals, including two golds, representing Canada at the world championships.
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