Arizona Coyotes to retire Shane Doan’s No. 19 this weekend

The Arizona Coyotes will retire the No. 19 formerly worn by forward and captain Shane Doan this Sunday prior to the team’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Doors open at 4 p.m., the ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. and game time is at 7 p.m. The ceremony will last for one hour.

“I’m excited. I’m really excited,” Doan said. “[Coyotes executive vice president of communications] Rich [Nairn] has done an unbelievable job and the Coyotes have done such a great job of making this – just making it a big deal. It’s been pretty cool to talk to all the people that are coming and friends and teammates and that’s the part that I’m really excited about: to get to share it with the fans here in Arizona and to have friends and family around for it.

“It’s something that you never, ever dream of and to get to experience it is pretty amazing.”

Guests expected to be on hand for the ceremony include NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and former Coyotes Daniel Briere, Jeremy Roenick, Teppo Numminen, Antoine Vermette, Ray Whitney and many others.

“There’s no player in our team history that meant more to this franchise than Shane, and no player our franchise history that has meant more to this community than Shane,” said Coyotes president and CEO Ahron Cohen. “So, it was a pretty easy decision.”

While the franchise has other players in its ring of honor, Doan will become the first player to have his number retired by the Coyotes.

Both the Coyotes and Jets will wear Doan No. 19 on their warmup jerseys prior to the game. Fans can also purchase special No. 19 merchandise in the team store.

Doan played 21 seasons in 22 years (one lost season due to lockout) with the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes and Arizona Coyotes. He played 1,540 games (16th all-time), scored 402 goals with 570 assists, averaged more than 18 minutes of ice time per game and had 1,353 career penalty minutes.

Before he retired, Doan was the longest-tenured active captain in the NHL, holding that title for the Coyotes for 13 seasons. The seventh overall pick in 1995 played 55 playoff games, scoring 15 goals with 13 assists.

He played in two All-Star games (2004, 2009), won the 2009-10 King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and humanitarian contribution, and is the Coyotes’ all-time franchise leader in goals (402), assists (570), points (972), games played (1,540), power play goals (128) and game-winning goals (69).

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