Doan finally getting it done in the desert
The 2011-12 season marks just the third time the Phoenix Coyotes franchise has made it to the second round of the playoffs – and the first time since they moved to the desert. The only two other occasions the team had made it this far, 1984-85 and 1986-87, they were swept by the Edmonton Oilers both times.
Prior to this season, they had missed the playoffs in seven of 15 seasons in Phoenix, including a brutal six-season stretch from 2002-03 to 2008-09 in which they averaged just 33 wins and 76 points.
Captain Shane Doan is the only remaining member from the original Winnipeg Jets, far outlasting defenseman Teppo Numminen whose last season came in 2002-03 before signing as a free agent with the Dallas Stars. Doan started off as a bottom-six grinder, but has evolved into their leader and one of the most consistent players in the NHL. Since 1999-2000, he has reached the 20-goal plateau in 11 of 12 seasons, only Jarome Iginla, Vincent Lecavalier, Marian Hossa, Milan Hejduk, Daniel Aldredsson and Joe Thornton have as many or more 20-goal seasons in that span.
Finally he has the chance to do something special in the playoffs. He’s 35 years old and a veteran of over 1,200 games in the regular and post-season, but check out any interview he does and his eyes are lighting up like a kid on Christmas.
Sure, he gets razzed all the time for Yosemite Sam-like bursts of anger — deeply religious, he doesn’t curse — and his aw-shucks nature, but everyone within the franchise respects him, the way he plays the game and the way he lives his life.
So when Doan flashed that face-engulfing smile after the win over the Blackhawks, the joy of accomplishment spread across the team.
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It’s invigorating to watch an established veteran trying to reach the pinnacle of their sport in the waning twilight of their careers. Recently, players such as Ray Bourque (Colorado Avalanche, 2001), Dave Andreychuk (Tampa Bay Lightning, 2004) Teemu Selanne and Rob Niedermayer (Anaheim Ducks, 2007), and Dallas Drake (Detroit Red Wings, 2008) all endured disappointments for years and eventually became rallying points for their teams.
There’s just that one type of player that, not necessarily for the points they put up, but for the effort they put forth and the class they show, absolutely deserves to play on a winner, not that too many millionaires need anything else.
From Dan Bickley of the Tuscan Citizen:
Deserve is a tricky word in sports. It’s hard to convince common folk that multimillionaire athletes warrant additional validation and success. But if you cheer for Steve Nash to win an elusive NBA championship, or wept when Ray Bourque skated with the trophy at age 40, you probably feel something for Doan.
He (Doan) is universally lauded as a great guy, one of the last true cowboys in sports. He’s been a shining light for a franchise cloaked in turmoil, an ambassador for his sport. He should know the taste of triumph, the gratification and rewards that come with winning a playoff series.
Yet he’s been denied so often it borders on cruelty.
Eight times Doan has made the playoffs in his career prior to this season, and eight times he’s been jettisoned in the first round. Three times the ‘Yotes have lost a Game 7 including a 1-0 overtime defeat against the St. Louis Blues in 1999 in a series in which Phoenix blew a 3-1 lead. And when they finally did make it back to the playoffs after a six-season absence, they drew Detroit twice in a row.
The Coyotes have gone from bottom feeders to playoff contenders to an elite team in just a few seasons, mimicking the transformation of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the years before the lockout. After years of toiling in the basement, they finally began to reap the rewards of good drafting and smart free agent signings. Just like how the Lightning had Andreychuk, the Coyotes have Doan as their captain and inspiration. Everyone wants to win for Doan.
They are the new members of a changing guard of the Western Conference’s elite, carrying onward through a collective group effort. Christopher Lackey of The Hockey Writers explained their defeat of Chicago happen through all 20 players recognizing the team first concept.
“In true Phoenix Coyotes style, it was not some one-man wrecking crew who scored a hat trick and turned this game around. It was a group of players who were total greenhorns, as far as the NHL playoffs are concerned.”
And what a team this is. They currently hold a 2-0 series lead over the favored Nashville Predators, a team many thought would represent the West in the Stanley Cup Final. The Coyotes finally broke through this year without any superstars. Their best skater is the soon-to-be 40-year-old Ray Whitney. Their top goal scorer is Radim Vrbata. Their two best defensemen, Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson have an average age of 23 and their goalie Mike Smith was a career backup before this season.
They have the right mentality and coach Dave Tippett has molded this group into a seamless machine. Each player believes in and trusts everyone else in the locker room. But as much as he’ll refuse to accept any individual recognition, the team runs through Doan.
A widely respected player, Doan has a lot of supporters beyond the desert this post season. Bickly describes how players from the Minnesota Wild congratulated Doan on winning the Pacific Division title, the first major accomplishment of his career other than the King Clancey Trophy he won after the 2009-10 season.
For a team owned by a league they play in and that has also been shrouded in relocation rumors the past few seasons, this post-season may just bring them some stability. And for a captain who has given everything for this franchise, he’s finally getting the rewards he truly deserves.
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