Coyotes’ Doan retires after 21 seasons

While the Arizona Coyotes franchise epitomized volatility for years, Shane Doan was the one pillar of stability over more than two decades.

Doan announced his retirement Wednesday, less than three months after the NHL club decided not to offer the 40-year-old a contract for the 2017-18 season.

The Alberta native, who played his entire 21-season career with the same franchise (the Arizona and Phoenix Coyotes and Winnipeg Jets), is the franchise leader in games played, goals, assists, points, power-play goals and game-winning markers. He was drafted seventh overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 1995, playing one season in the Manitoba capital before the team shuffled off to the desert.

Instability has plagued the franchise regarding ownership and potential relocation, but the Coyotes could always count on Doan, who was among the longest-serving captains in NHL history.

A two-time all-star, Doan scored at least 20 goals in 13 seasons and topped 50 points 11 times with a career high of 78 points in the 200708 season. He won the King Clancy Memorial trophy for leadership on and off the ice in 2010 and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2012. He scored 402 goals and notched 570 assists for 972 points over his NHL career.

He recalled the excitement of his first NHL game on Oct. 7, 1995 and said he “probably” knew April 8, 2017, would be his last NHL game.

“I felt an indescribable wave of emotion to have the support that I’ve had over the years from the fans throughout all of the uncertainty,” Doan wrote in the Arizona Republic. “You have always defended me and supported me. Playing in front of you has honestly been one of the greatest experiences of my life.”

Doan’s services are being considered for the 2018 Canadian Olympic team. General manager Sean Burke said he has reached out to Doan’s representative.