So there it is, folks. The Rick Nash derby is over. The NY Rangers won, they got the man they have been after since the February trade deadline. So their team is set, right? Well it seems there is one more player that they are actively looking to sign even after the big trade with Columbus Blue Jackets. The Rangers and just about every other team in NHL is actively seeking the services of a great leader and hockey player, Shane Doan.
So what makes this 35-year old so coveted? Is it the fact that he can score 30-40 goals a season? Is it his tenacious two-way play without the puck? Can he turn it up at the right times and score big goals in the crunch time? Will he have a positive locker room presence and help mentor your young players into the men that learn to compete at the highest levels and learn to win? It sounds like we have more questions than answers. Well, there is one thing that is definite about Doan and that his persona, his character. When talked about in the media he seems to never come under fire, and instead never sees a shortage of compliments.
Shane Doan was selected 7th overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft (a draft that included Jarome Iginla, Marc Savard, Mikka Kiprusoff, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere) by the Winnipeg Jets. He became the captain of the Phoenix Coyotes in 03-04 season and has spent all of his16 seasons with Phoenix, while attaining a reputation for being a ferocious competitor that can score. He has 11 seasons under his belt of scoring more than 20 goals and seven with 60 or more points. His highest career totals came in 07-08 season where he had 78 points. He has also been the captain of Canadian national team in 2007 at the World Championships.
Off the ice this man is an honest, good person, and anyone who has met him will say the same. He clearly cares about where he plays, as he has been a loyal captain of a less than perfect franchise. He participates in the community, and commits to spending a lot of time off the ice volunteering. He was even honoured by Mark Messier, who bestowed a leadership award to Doan. A family man with four kids, Shane has a genuine, caring side. If you happen caught him on the TV show, “Mantracker”, you would see what I mean. Generally speaking, this man is an awesome human being.
So this man is a good, clean Canadian hockey player, one I would imagine Don Cherry would have a poster of in his bedroom or as his screensaver at the very least (wait, would Cherry have a computer?). But the problem with this is that he is not exactly an offensive juggernaut, and whose to say a team would sign him based on his affinity for helping others in the community and taking his kids on camping trips? Afterall, hockey is a business. On the free agent market right now, there is another player available that clearly has better offensive numbers than Doan – Alexander Semin. Yet, it seems teams would not touch him with a 6-foot pole.
Let us not forget that Shane Doan is not as nice on the ice as he is off the ice – don’t let him lull you into thinking that or you’ll be pasted into the corner boards. Shane Doan isn’t exactly your Average Homeboy when it comes to playing hockey. He can be a little dirty and nasty, and you would not use the word “finesse” to describe his play. He has been suspended here, made someone bleed here, might have been a bit late here, dished out some pain here, and some more punishment here. Less of “Average Homeboy” and more of an Ice Cube – while rapping he rocks with AK-47s and when he isn’t rapping he can baby-sit your kids. Mr.Doan is somewhat like that; probably not the cleanest, nicest player on the ice but an awesome individual off the ice.
So while we established that he has good character and he will not be Kovaleving out there, what about his offensive talent?
Shane Doan is a power-forward. Recently there was a great piece on this “Mythical Beast” at canucksarmy.com, that explains some of the detailed qualities of Shane’s game. He has the size and ferocity that comes with soft hands to score big goals. He grinds and inflicts pain on his opponents. This man was built for playoff hockey. He led his team with 5 goals in this years playoffs while being plus-2 with 47 shots on goal in 16 games. Not Crosby numbers, but not bad, right? Doan really showed up the last two years in the playoffs for Phoenix.
So what we have here is a very productive true power-forward who has all the hockey characteristics you would want in a player. The only thing that you can hold against him is his age. He is a 35-year old player and no doubt that is a concern for most fans hoping their team sings him. But if you look around the league that might be less of a concern then once thought. Whitney/Jagr signed $4 million contracts last month and they are both over 40 and both were productive last year. You have to look at Doan and see that he never played less than 73 games in his career after his first full season in 98-99. So, what I’m getting at is that I do not see any worries here.
A conclusion? Well he needs to win a cup – I guarantee you that is what he wants, and to do so, he will need to sing with a team that is a premiere Cup contender. Red Wings, NY Rangers, and even the L.A. Kings are just some of the teams where he stands a chance to make the last “hurrah” at the Cup. He is very loyal and the word out of Doan’s camp is that he is waiting on Phoenix to figure out the ownership situation, but that to me is just good PR. He is thinking. Thinking how much he has left in the tank and what team will give him a chance to compete in the playoffs. Getting to the Western Conference Finals last year and losing has to hurt, but it also leaves a taste of what could be. L.A. Kings seem to be the favorites to sign him IMO due to being the best and closest team to his current home.
I say Shane Doan sign with the L.A. Kings (they are the favorites to repeat) and enjoy the playoffs, possibly the Stanley Cup Finals, because the playoffs are better with Doan in them and hockey world deserves to see more, on national television, of Shane Doan doing his thing.
Some of Shane Doan’s Hockey
…and that is The Last Word.
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