Doan was Coyotes’ rock when Stone was in Arizona
Flames defenceman says former captain was ‘best human being’ he’s been around
Michael Stone was one of a handful of Calgary Flames putting in some extra ice time this week at Winsport’s facilities.
Entertaining reporters was not on their radar. With the team’s main training camp still weeks away, it’s hard not to blame them.
But the former Arizona Coyotes blue-liner happily stopped and chatted about one of the most talked about NHL subjects: Shane Doan’s retirement.
And, like many, the longtime Coyotes captain left quite an impression.
“He influences you as a person,” Stone said. “By the way he conducts himself, the way he treats everybody around him, the way he spends as much time as he can with his family. I’ve never seen anyone conduct himself the way Shane does.
“He’s just the best human being I’ve had a chance to be around.”
Well known in these parts, the 40-year-old Doan from Halkirk, Alta., announced he was hanging up his skates after a 21-season career with the original Winnipeg Jets/Coyotes franchise in a letter to the fans published in the Arizona Republic on Wednesday.
Doan retires as the Jets/Coyotes all-time leader in NHL games played (1,540), points (972), goals (402) and assists (570).
“I have peace and I’m so thankful for that,” Doan wrote.
“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.”
However, as a young player, Stone can still remember his first NHL training camp with the Coyotes and his first interaction with the future NHL Hall of Famer.
“We ran into each other on the ice and he fell down,” Stone recalls with a chuckle. “I was like, ‘Oh boy.’ That’s probably not the way I wanted to start things. I don’t even know if he’d remember that. But when I started playing regularly in the NHL, I’d watch him and he’s the last guy on the ice every day ... he just loves the game so much.
“And he’s so passionate about everything he does ... no matter what it is. It rubs off on you.”
The Coyotes had informed Doan on June 17 that they would not be re-signing him, which left him with two obvious choices: try to find another team as an unrestricted free agent or retire.
“Do I wish he was still playing? Yes, I’d love to see him playing still and he would be one of the guys that deserves it,” Stone said.
“The way he’s dedicated himself to the game of hockey. I can’t say a bad thing about the guy.”
Doan’s impact on the game in Arizona had a ripple effect with Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk being a direct benefit of that.
Ditto for Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews, a native of Scottsdale, Ariz.
“If anyone thinks about hockey down there, they think of Shane,” Stone said. “He’s the main reason over half the kids down there play hockey. Probably more than that. He’s around rinks all the time, his son plays ... when you think of hockey, you think of Shane.”
If anyone thinks about hockey down there, they think of Shane. He’s the main reason over half the kids down there play ...