At 40 years young, Shane Doan is one of the oldest players currently active in the National Hockey League. For the last twenty seasons, he has played with the Winnipeg Jets and most notably, the Arizona Coyotes; serving as their captain since the 2003-04 season. Sadly, the end of an era has come and the Coyotes announced Monday that they will not offer a contract to Doan, officially making him an unrestricted free agent.
Doan was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets as the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft and he was their final first-round pick prior to the team’s move to Phoenix. Following the franchise move, the forward’s numbers did not improve until the 1999-2000 season. Doan’s first trip to the NHL All-Star game was in 2004.
From 2003 to 2011, Doan lead his team in scoring and in December 2015, he officially became the franchise’s all-time leading goal scorer. He is also the longest-tenured active captain in the NHL. Doan has also won two gold and three silver medals while playing for team Canada at the World Championship.
Doan has a long list of impressive accolades in his impressive career. He turns forty-one on October 10th, and whether he decides to return or not, a stick tap to one of the best guys to ever play the game of hockey.
