The signing of Shane Doan to four more years in Phoenix is more significant than some may think. Mind you this is on a much smaller scale, but I compare the potential loss of Shane Doan to Yzerman having left Detroit. Yes I can already hear some of you sighing. Let me just start with this; Doan has only played for this franchise his entire career just as Yzerman did. I understand the pressure or desire to win doesn't compare to the fans in Detroit, but the Coyotes "fans" did show up in record attendance for last years playoffs. Bandwagon comes to mind but it's not so different in other markets as well. Much like the fans of Washington and Pittsburgh, many didn't show up until they started having success and actually winning games. Unlike those two aforementioned teams, Phoenix really doesn't have a "superstar" player to draw in fans. It has been a complete team effort and the leadership and loyalty of Shane that has turned this team around.
I'm not mentioning Don Maloney or Dave Tippet as I am speaking about the players at this time, but I said from the start when Tippet was hired this team would finally have structure and a system to work from. Tippet has been Maloney's other great signing and is not underestimated.
Shane has been nothing short of a consummate professional in Phoenix. He is absolutely crucial to them having success. If he were to have jumped ship, who would wear the "C" and lead this team next year (if there is a season that is)? It's been a revolving door of players who have left and then come back, or just flat out left. The ONE true constant has been Shane Doan. Younger players see that and hopefully that makes them want to stay and build a future with the franchise. Yandle, Hanzal, Ekman-Larsson and Boedker are players that come to mind when thinking of the future of this team. They see what Doan is doing or has done and hopefully they will follow a similar path. Goodbye Kyle Turris, who needed you anyway? It's kids like him that could have proven to be a cancer in the locker room. Good move by Maloney to rid the team of that headache.
Success makes it fun for the players and puts the fans in the seats. I know there are true Coyotes fans out there; I just hope the "others" show up in the regular season as they did during the playoff run to the conference finals last year. I have witnessed first hand the frustration of this franchise and believe me when I say, the media is NO help whatsoever. I live here and it infuriates me watching all of the local news channels. More times than not do they not show any Coyotes highlights if mentioning them at all. They were the best team of all the major sports last year and the Suns still got more publicity. I'm irritated just typing this. I could go on but now I'm getting off the subject.
Let me end this by saying thanks to Shane Doan for staying in Phoenix. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with his wife and kids and not wanting to relocate the family, but it shows what kind of character this guy has. He gave up more money in bigger hockey markets to sign an extension here. I only hope last year wasn't a fluke. They did make the playoffs the last few years, but it was a lot of fun watching the Coyotes exceed many expectations last year. Doan wants to have success here and it surely has not been easy, but it is well deserved.
