Shane Doan spent all 21 of his NHL seasons with the Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes franchise after he was selected with the No. 7 pick of the 1995 NHL Draft. He was the last active player in the League to have played for the original Jets. Doan announced his retirement Wednesday, ending a career that produced a plethora of highlights despite not winning the Stanley Cup.
Doan retires as the Jets/Coyotes' 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 are tied with John Bucyk for 14th on the League's all-time list.
"I have peace, and I'm so thankful for that," Doan wrote in a letter to fans published in the Arizona Republic. "I've been blessed and I'm so grateful for the fans and their support. They stuck by me throughout my career and the ups and downs of the Coyotes. There are a lot of players with more skill than me and a lot more ability than me that didn't ever get the type of appreciation that I got and the type of respect that the fans gave me, and I'm so grateful for that. I can't express how much I appreciate it. Thank you for watching me grow up, and I enjoyed watching a lot of you grow up, too."
Here are 10 memorable moments from Doan's distinguished career:
Oct. 7, 1995: NHL debut
Doan played his first NHL game with the Jets after three seasons in the Western Hockey League, and three days before his 19th birthday. He had two assists in a 7-5 win against the Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Arena.
"It felt surreal," Doan wrote in his retirement letter. "My dream of playing in the NHL had come true and although I previously thought that would be enough, I couldn't wait for the next one."
Nov. 14, 1995: First NHL goal
Doan didn't score a goal until his 17th NHL game, but the wait was worth it.
The Jets were trailing the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 at Winnipeg Arena when Doan's shot zipped past Chicago defensemen Chris Chelios and Gary Suter and off the far post to beat goalie Ed Belfour at 17:20 of the third period. Teemu Selanne tied the game 2:25 later before Doan's second goal 39 seconds into overtime completed the Jets' 6-5 win.
April 12, 1996: Playoff-clinching goal for Jets
Doan delivered when the Jets needed him the most during their final regular-season home game against the Los Angeles Kings on April 12, 1996. His goal at 14:31 of the second period was the game-winner in a 4-3 victory that clinched the Jets' first berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three years.
Doan and the Jets were eliminated from the Western Conference Quarterfinals by the Detroit Red Wings. Their 4-1 loss in Game 6 was the last NHL game ever played at Winnipeg Arena.
Sept. 10, 2003: 15th captain in franchise history
Doan was named captain of the Coyotes after Teppo Numminen was traded to the Stars on July 22. When he retired, he was the League's longest-tenured captain at 13 seasons; that title now belongs to defenseman Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, who became captain in 2006.
Sept. 14, 2004: Winning goal at World Cup
Doan beat Miikka Kiprusoff of Finland 34 seconds into the third period for the game-winning goal that gave Canada the championship at the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto. It was his only goal of the tournament.
Jan. 7, 2012: First NHL hat trick
Doan needed 16 seasons and 1,161 games before getting his first NHL hat trick, but he did it in unforgettable fashion during the Coyotes' 5-1 win against the New York Islanders at Jobing.com Arena.
Doan beat Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabokov with one-tenth of a second left in the third period, so officials had to go to video review to make sure the puck crossed the goal line before the final buzzer.
"I went over and told the refs 'Listen, it's been a long time. It's been 16 years,'" said Coyotes forward Ray Whitney, who earned the primary assist on the goal. "'Tell [the Situation Room in] Toronto that this may never happen again, so make sure this counts.'"
Doan had 38 two-goal games without a hat trick, which tied Petr Sykora for the most in NHL history.
Spring 2012: Playoff run
The 2011-12 season marked the first time in their 15 seasons in Phoenix that the Coyotes won a division title and a playoff series. They finished 42-27-13 to finish first in the Pacific Division and won two playoff series to advance to their first Western Conference Final before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Kings in five games. Doan had nine points (five goals, four assists) during the postseason run.
The Coyotes' six-game victory against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, their first in eight playoff series since the move to Arizona, is one of the most cherished moments of Doan's career.
"It was so big," Doan said. "We hadn't done it as an organization and to do it against that team of all teams made it even more special."
Dec. 31, 2015: All-time franchise leader in goals
Doan scored twice against the Jets (who relocated from Atlanta to Winnipeg for the 2011-12 season) to pass Dale Hawerchuk and become the Winnipeg/Phoenix/Arizona franchise's leader in goals. He took a pass from Max Domi on a 2-on-1 and beat Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck at 9:28 of the first period for goal No. 380. It came in his 1,422nd NHL game.
Domi actually had a chance to score, but opted to set up Doan for the milestone.
"I'm not really a goal scorer," Domi said. "He has six million goals."
Doan scored No. 381, an empty-netter, with 15.7 seconds left in the third period to clinch a 4-2 win.
Feb. 12, 2016: All-time franchise points leader
Doan broke another of Hawerchuk's franchise records with point No. 930 when he assisted on defenseman Oliver-Ekman-Larsson's goal at 6:51 of the second period during a 4-1 win against the Calgary Flames at Gila River Arena.
Doan, then 39, also scored twice to reach the 20-goal mark for the 13th time in his NHL career. Only Jaromir Jagr (19), Jarome Iginla (17) and Marian Hossa (15) have more 20-goal seasons among active players.
"That's special, getting to 20 that many times," Doan said. "I know [former Coyotes teammate] Mike Gartner scored 30 goals [15 times] in his career and thinking how incredible that was. It's a cool thing. I'd like to keep going to 25 or 30. As long as we are winning, whatever the number is will be fine."
Doan's third-period power-play goal was his 123rd, also a franchise record.
Dec. 23, 2016: 400th NHL goal
Doan scored goal No. 400 in his 1,500th NHL game, against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Gila River Arena. He became the 93rd NHL player to reach 400 when he scored with 44 seconds left in the second period.
"The [400th] goal means it took me a really long time because I've played a lot of games," Doan said. "You appreciate every time you get one of those milestones."
