PHOENIX – C'mon, LA, keep your grubby mitts away, won't you? Isn't pilfering one athletically gifted, civic-minded Canadian away from Phoenix enough already?
On the heels of Steve Nash's departure to Los Angeles comes word that nearly a dozen suitors are courting Shane Doan, including the Kings, according to several reports, should the Coyotes captain choose to leave the Valley.
Swell.
That isn't the lament of a homer sportswriter. It is the reaction of a journalist who has spent several decades covering the games people play and knows how unique Doan is. Rarely does an athlete come along who spends his entire career with one organization and in the process serves as leader, scorer, mentor, promoter.
Yet his 16-year stay in Arizona is at risk of ending because of an ownership mess that appears to be growing more complicated by the minute. And it's not just the Kings who appear to have interest in Doan. Eleven teams have inquired about the player, his agent, Terry Bross, said Friday. The New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens are among the group, according to various reports.
Doan deserves better.
"It's heartbreaking for him," Bross said. "Heartbreaking."
Bross reiterated Doan wants to stay with the Coyotes. He loves it here, his family loves it here and he has developed a profound connection with the organization.
"He's such a loyal guy," Bross said. "He views the team like it's his own franchise, from the equipment manager to the trainer to the people taking tickets."
Bross and Coyotes general manager Don Maloney speak almost daily. Doan had set a deadline for Monday to make a decision, but that could change as the team's ownership issues grows more complicated.
Monday is the day Glendale, Ariz., said signatures are due for a petition to make potential owner Greg Jamison's lease agreement a referendum on the November ballot. However, organizers now say they have until July 16 to submit the signatures.
Further clouding resolution is a sales-tax initiative petition recently presented to the city to make it a referendum on the November ballot. The fear is if the tax hike doesn't go through, the city might not be able to finance the Jamison deal.
How much more patience can Jamison exercise?
What is the Goldwater Institute's next move?
And how much more can the city of Glendale withstand?
Meanwhile, a group of citizens known as "Glendale First!" has formed to help educate the public about what they believe is "misinformation and exaggerated numbers" being distributed by the petition gatherers, according to its website, and to get the word out about the positive impact a professional sports team has on a city.
The problem with the uncertainty is that Doan, 35, understandably wants to sign a multiyear agreement. But if he does that with the Coyotes and the team relocates after next season because of unresolved ownership, he could end up in a city in which he has no interest in finishing his career.
And if Doan deserves anything, it is calling the shots about where he plays as his career winds down.
The idea of Doan signing a one-year deal with the Coyotes that includes an understanding that it will extend longer if the team stays won't cut it either. The NHL's collective-bargaining agreement is less flexible than those of other professional leagues in that regard. True player options aren't in the mix.
Additionally, because of Doan's age, a contract set up next season vs. this year would have a greater impact on a team's salary cap.
"Believe me, we've explored every angle," Bross said.
The agent said he has been very clear with teams that Doan's heart is in Phoenix and that he will stay here if something can be worked out.
"I've told them, if you want to wait for Shane, understand you may be waiting in vain," Bross said. "Shane would wait until the cows come home.
"Unfortunately with these things, there is a business aspect to all of this and, at some point, Shane is going to have to fish or cut bait."
The strong interest in Doan, who will be 36 in October, says a lot about what he contributes on and off the ice.
He has scored 20 or more goals 11 of the past 12 seasons and had 22 goals and 28 assists in 2011-12, plus nine more points in the postseason.
His leadership is also one of his great selling points and integral to the team advancing to the Western Conference final.
It is rare in sports when a star plays stays with an organization his entire career. Doan started with the Winnipeg Jets a year before the team moved to Arizona for the 1996-97 season.
Who knew the marriage would be such a successful one?
Who knew it might end in a divorce?
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