GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan is trying to insert some comic relief around a milestone he'll achieve with his next goal in the midst of a trying season that also could be his last in the NHL.
Doan's next goal will be the 400th of his NHL career. It could come in his next game, which will be his 1,500th in the NHL, all with the same franchise. The second part makes him smile and laugh at himself.
"I'm probably going to set a record for the longest it's ever going to take anyone to get [to 400 goals]," Doan said. "I'll still get there, though."
He's actually correct, at least among forwards.
Doan will be the 93rd player in NHL history to score 400 goals. He'll be the 17th player and 12th forward in League history to reach 1,500 games when he plays against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Gila River Arena on Friday (9 p.m. ET; FS-A, SNO, NHL.TV).
Hall of Famer Alex Delvecchio, the center on the Detroit Red Wings' famed "Production Line" with Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay, is the only forward to have played more than 1,500 games (1,549) and score fewer than 500 goals (456). He got to 400 faster than Doan, though.
"It means you've been around a while and you've had some opportunity to score some goals," Doan said. "But I full on understand how long it's taken."
Self-deprecation aside, the fact Doan has been around long enough to be one goal away from 400 and one game away from 1,500 is something he does take quite seriously, especially the fact he has had the chance to do it all with one franchise.
"It's hard to do," Doan said. "The rarity it is will probably make me more appreciative of it, because it doesn't happen too often."
Doan played one season with the original Winnipeg Jets, who selected him with the No. 7 pick in the 1995 NHL Draft. The franchise moved to Arizona and became the Coyotes the following year. He made his NHL debut on Oct. 7, 1995, three days before his 19th birthday.
Doan turned 40 on Oct. 10, five days before his began his 21st NHL season.
"I love the history of our sport and where everything is," Doan said. "It's amazing to see all the things that the guys have done, the guys that I followed and watched and cheered for, so I understand 400 [goals] is special. Obviously it's taken me a long time."
It feels like forever lately, especially with the chances he's had in the past two games.
Doan had a great opportunity with a one-timer off the rush with 42.6 seconds left in the first period against the Calgary Flames on Monday, but he put his shot into goalie Brian Elliott's chest.
He had two chances off of rebounds against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, including one with 4:56 left in the third period that required a sprawling glove save by goalie Cam Talbot.
Doan has three goals on 75 shots this season for a shooting percentage of 4 percent, his lowest since he finished at 3.8 percent in 1998-99.
"I really wasn't thinking about it [400 goals], but I obviously am now," Doan said. "I've had a lot of good chances the past few games, and eventually they'll go in. One will go in and I'll get four or five in the next six and be OK."
Even if it doesn't work out that way, Doan fully expects to get to 400 soon, perhaps as early as when he plays his 1,500th game. It's the latter milestone that is more impressive to coach Dave Tippett.
"To play in this league as long as he has, especially with one organization, that speaks volumes," Tippett said. "I mean, 400 goals is a lot of goals, but the longevity factor, the leadership factor, just the commitment to be a good player for this long to me is a huge, huge accomplishment."
Doan, though, is still struggling to come to grips with the fact he's closing in on his 1,500th NHL game. In his mind, that's a milestone more meant for the players he grew up watching, idols such as Mark Messier, who played in 1,756 games and finished with 694 goals.
"It's so funny, as a player I always think you think the players who came before you are the real NHL players," Doan said. "Growing up it was [Wayne] Gretzky, [Paul] Coffey and [Mark] Messier from the Oilers when I was a kid. Those were the real NHL players. They were stars and amazing. I appreciate the fact that it's hard to get to 1,500 games, but still it seems like those guys are all special."
How ironic is it then that Doan will reach the 1,500-game milestone on a night when the kid and now-NHL player who grew up watching him, idolizing him, wanting to be him, will be in the building playing his first NHL game in his home state?
Maple Leafs rookie and Scottsdale native Auston Matthews is the new face of hockey in the desert, even though he plays north of the border and 2,300 miles away in Toronto. Before the hockey world knew who he was, Doan was part of his inspiration.
"That's going to be fun," Doan said of Matthews coming back to play against the Coyotes. "It's fun for the organization. It's special. There's no question about it that it really truly does mean something for the Coyotes. It kind of gives credit and legitimizes the organization. It takes a long time for an organization to build up the credibility. We've been here 20 years, and Auston Matthews is 19 and he's going to be 20. It takes that long just for it to be part of the fabric of the community. It's special so everyone is excited."
So much so that the buzz around Matthews' return is dwarfing any buzz Doan would get for his 1,500th game. He's fine with that, especially since his milestones are going to come in what is an otherwise disappointing season for him and the Coyotes.
"Right now it's tough when you're not having team success and you're not having personal success," Doan said. "But as a player, nobody really remembers how many goals you scored or what you did, they remember what type of person you were."
He's on safe footing there.
"He's probably the most selfless guy I've ever met," Coyotes defenseman Connor Murphy said.
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99
Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html
0 comments:
Post a Comment