Arizona Coyotes: Shane Doan, heart of the franchise, is back in the Desert

Shane Doan, the heart and soul of the Arizona Coyotes franchise is back.

Shane Doan is back! The Arizona Coyotes legend has returned to the organization after a tumultuous departure followed by a three-year stint working for the NHL, joining the franchise as their new Chief Hockey Development Officer.

The breakup between Doan and the Coyotes was as ugly and disrespectful as you can get for the face of the franchise. In a time where good news is sparing, Coyotes fans finally get the great news they’ve been waiting for.

In his new role, Doan will support the Coyotes’ business and hockey operations departments, while working with new General Manager Bill Armstrong to advise on major club decisions and initiatives.

It is a home run of a move by a franchise that hasn’t had a lot of them recently, but having a franchise icon and someone who is loved in that community help make major decisions for the organization can only be a good thing.

This news along with the arrival of a new owner in Xavier Gutierrez who, before the COVID-19 Pandemic, was among the richest owners in the league and is now setting the scene for a revitalization of this franchise. Fans fled from the team after Doan’s departure, which was paired with more owner turmoil. Sports fans in Arizona who were considering their fandom in the sport of hockey were quickly turned off by the pure chaos that was the Coyotes franchise.

Shane Doan played 21 seasons for the Coyotes franchise, and served as the Captain for 13 of those seasons. He is the all-time franchise leader in games played (1,540), goals (402), assists (570), points (972), power play goals (128), and game-winning goals (69). During the lone deep Stanley Cup Playoff run to the Western Conference Finals, Doan anchored that team and drove the play for most of those games. His grit and strong play was the epitome of those Arizona Coyotes teams under Dave Tippett.

I can’t stress enough, as someone who grew up watching Doaner and what he did for that team and that city, what this is going to do for the future of this struggling franchise. To finally have stable ownership, outside of a Pandemic, a GM with a championship pedigree and a history of developing great young players, paired up with the injection of positivity and history that Shane Doan brings into the building, I don’t see how this isn’t anything but a positive step for the Arizona Coyotes.