PHOENIX — It looks like Captain Coyote is leaving the Valley of the Sun.
Coyotes great Shane Done has been hired as a special advisor to the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team announced Friday morning.
In this new role, Doan will assist in day-to-day hockey operations matters as assigned by the General Manager.
The Coyotes confirmed the news Friday morning and thanked him for his time and career in the desert. He had a prestigious 21-year playing career in the NHL.
"I'm very excited to welcome Shane to the Toronto Maple Leafs," said Maple Leaf's General Manager Brad Treliving. "Through his more than 1,500 NHL games played, his management roles, being an NHL team captain for more than a decade and being just a wonderful human being, Shane has touched all the aspects of the game which make him a terrific fit with the Maple Leafs organization, its staff and players."
Cam' Comments on the Doan news
I'm seeing a lot of chatter about Shane Doan, so figure I’d chime in.
Doaner has wanted to get more involved behind the scenes — much more than just a "chief hockey development officer." Remember, he took a step back from that roll with the Yotes in September. See his work with Team Canada.
This opportunity with Toronto is perfect and he gets to work under an old Coyote friend, Dwight Schrute style!
The new job is well deserved, just wish it could’ve been here. This is another bad look for the Coyotes… a big loss.
On a personal note — I'm super happy for my friend. Doaner is one of the best humans I know, and one of the biggest sports fans you’ll ever meet. Always enjoyed seeing him get fired up talking other Valley sports and athletes. A truly great person, who always made time for anyone and everyone.
His impact on our community will be felt for a very long time. Now he gets to keep sharing that passion with others.
In an interview with Doan Friday, I asked him how he feels about his new job.
"Yeah, you know what, it's something that I'm excited about. It's something that I'm really excited about. It's an opportunity. We're with a good friend, obviously in for an incredible, incredible organization with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Really, it's relationships. Brad and I are good friends. He's somebody that I admire. And the situation kind of just it's pretty unique and doesn't come along. And so we had to look at it as a family. And there's a whole bunch of different things, but that's mainly it. It's just relationships."
I asked him, why not have that role here in Arizona?
"Obviously, it's the organization's what I love and I love it here my son's here and that's so I'm never ever going to lose my loyalty to cheering for him and the Coyotes without a doubt. But the way that that's kind of the structure set up here, it just doesn't work, and I understand that it just doesn't work that way, and I understand that this is something that that I just got to deal with, and I and I appreciate that gave me all kinds of opportunities here and the club allowed me to do all kinds of things on the corporate side and do all kinds of things, working with different things and being around the arena been around the guys and I got to work with Andre Tourigny who's an absolutely incredible coach. So there are lots of great things going on here. But this was just an opportunity that was unique in itself, and it's so I had to take it
What about the future of the Coyotes?
Well, without a doubt, I mean, I know how much the league and the counties are looking to find an option to build here and a place to build here that can give them a permanent home that's over on the side, and it's that's everyone's goal, and everyone's focusing on that.
But it's placed to play is important and they'll try to find that, and I think that they will, and I think it'll get done, and it's gonna be exciting with the rebuild I think that they got an unbelievable coach. I think Andre Tourigny, I got to work with him again at the World Championships, and we won the gold there's it's not by accident he gets asked to do that with Hockey Canada and they're incredible with Hockey Canada does, and they pick the best and to pick him was a great decision by them. And the young guys coming in, there's a lot of young guys, a lot of young talent."
And lastly, what's Shane's message to fans?
Yeah, like, I'm not going away forever. This isn't like, you know, this is something that there's a great opportunity. I absolutely love the Valley. And this is always going to be home. We've been here for 27 years, my kids. This is their home. This is always going to be the spot where they come to. I'll be around a lot as much as I can be. And at the same time, don't I've heard a couple of people reading into stuff about, well, if I, you know, if I'm leaving or what's going on, and that's reading into it way too much. This was an opportunity for me to do something with somebody that's a very good friend I've known for 20 years, and, obviously, it's Toronto. It's an opportunity to be part of an organization. That's incredible. And that's unique. It's unique to hockey. It's unique to sports. So that was it. That was the reason for it. And this is always home. I will always be coming back here, and this is, you'll see me still way too much, so no one needs to worry about that. I will be around enough that people will still be annoyed at seeing me.
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