By George Fallar As Coyotes fans, we’ve known for a long time that we have something of a national treasure in our Captain. Yes, I always spell that word with a capital “C” when used referring to Shane Doan. Readers familiar with this blog, or me personally, know that I make no excuse for saying I love the guy and, no, not like I love the Blue Corn Lobster Tacos at Mesa Grill.
With his recent signing, there have been a ton of people jumping on the “Doan is Awesome” bandwagon, some who have avoided giving Shane or his team any respect worth mentioning in the past.
Bea and I had the pleasure of speaking with Shane at some length last Thursday, we semi-ambushed him after practice as he came off the ice. We didn’t want his autograph, with the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) deadline looming, we knew he would be signing a deal with an NHL team in the next couple days. Since the arena lease deal between Glendale and Mr. Jamison had not yet been signed, the NHL still owned the Coyotes and we were pretty sure that, if some transaction wasn’t completed by the next day, Shane would be signing with another team. We just wanted to be sure that Doaner knew as much as we did about what was going on with “the deal” and the machinations over at city hall. We had to apologize for calling his mom (we asked her to give Shane some information to help with his decision) quite some time ago when the first set of deadlines were on the table in case he was upset with us overstepping boundaries. I had never met Shane before. He was interested in what we had to say, asked great questions and offered us a complete synopsis of what his negotiation and decision process had been up to that point. He trusted us immediately not to blab anything without even insisting we not blab anything.
In short, Doaner is exactly the guy we all know he is.
You Can’t Have Our Captain, Canucks
The next day, Friday, we heard that Mr. Jamison was “in town” and it looked like “the deal” would finally be done. We already knew that Doan would be signing with the Coyotes once “the deal” was consummated and we were all sure he’d be signing elsewhere if it wasn’t. Over three years of uncertainty was wearing even Doaner down to a nub. He had taken short money when signing his last contract at the end of the 06-07 season, accepting the contract with the understanding that the money would be used to grab some scoring people instead of going into his pocket. Why would anyone do that? For the team and for the fans. Shane was partially repaid for his truncated paycheck with the scoring talent being traded away. Did he gripe? Not as far as I know.
We were hanging around Glendale City Hall after striking out trying to contact Mr. Skeete who, we assumed, was in negotiations with Mr. Jamison. Later that day Mr. Skeete denied speaking with Jamison at all that day. We heard Shane signed his contract with the Coyotes and were elated and more than a little confused.
It’s My Home, It’s My Team
At the press conference later that day, Mr. Understatement (Coach Tippett) said of Shane:
“Especially in today’s sports, loyalty to an organization is sometimes not the key element. It trickles down. It’s the impact that he has on an organization that’s striving to get some sort of stability, striving to get an identity, striving to win. The loyalty and commitment he shows makes us a better organization.”
That’s right, coach. In the same year Steve Nash bolted for the hated LA Lakers, Shane Doan made sure that HIS picture is in the dictionary next to the phrase “take one for the team”. Sure he’s being paid well, but not as well as he could have been elsewhere. The loyalty 19 showed relates to his willingness to endure even more uncertainty playing for a team without an owner. Shane isn’t stupid, he’s heard ALL the Coyotes jokes levelled at his team and his fans. There can be NO doubt that this summer was an ordeal for Doaner as a husband and a father, yet he’s willing to hang it out there again with the inkling of a future with a real owner and more support for his team.
I’m willing to bet that he’s the only player in the NHL that would have gone this far already and been offered significantly more money from Stanley Cup contending teams and signed a new four year contract.
Shane was number 10 on a recent list of ALL TIME best NHL captains. After this, he would have certainly moved up that list a lot.
Enough About Doaner Already
Legendary is a well overused term lately, yet it’s the correct term for Shane’s loyalty, ethics and concern for his family. I could go on, but the point of this post isn’t about Shane Doan, there’s plenty of reading LATELY about him all over the place if you haven’t had enough. This piece is about Joyce Clark and HER loyalty to her City.
Most people reading this know Joyce Clark is a councilmember on the Glendale City Council. Our family is highly supportive of Joyce in her bid for re-election this November. Yes, we’re Cave Creek residents. I frankly dismiss the notion that we can’t offer our support to a person outside our town, especially since most of that criticism is levelled by rude anonymous people who believe posting on blogs and editorials is somehow effective.
Anyway, we’re involved in this because we’re Coyotes fans. Since that initial reason, however, we’ve been overeducated in the workings of the Glendale city government. Take our word for it, Joyce Clark is the class of the field in Glendale and she has been instrumental in getting this far with keeping our team in Glendale.
Joyce is a Coyote fan, but isn’t supporting the current “deal” because of that. You may remember that Joyce voted AGAINST the Coyotes deal with Mr. Hulsizer. The answer to why she would support one deal and not the other is loyalty to her city and her dogged insistence on doing the right thing for her constituents. She has remained true to those principles despite the enmity of some of her peers on the council and the visible disdain from the Mayor. View some recent videos of council meetings to witness the now famous Scruggs eye roll when Joyce is speaking. Yet, Joyce perserveres.
Team Players Are Invaluable
Between now and November, it’s time for we Coyotes people to step up and help Joyce with her re-election campaign. She has taken, in fact continues to take, a lot of hits for the team. She is the lightning rod for the current arena lease deal and she has willingly put her political career on the line for us. She is our teammate and needs our support. She shouldn’t even have to ask for it, she’s gone above and beyond the call of duty numerous times for us so we could relax and watch some hockey.
So, people, put in whatever effort it takes to get this done. Joyce’s competition is geared up and has the support of unions and the real estate crew that managed to force the sales tax on the ballot despite multiple errors in their work. There is a LOT of money being spent against Joyce, something like $40,000 in the primary campaign alone. Make no mistake about it, despite their stated agendas, the groups lining up against Joyce are against having the Coyotes anywhere near Glendale. They are, indeed, ALL Red Wings fans. True story.
There has been tremendous support for the Coyotes recently from a core group of people. It’s been a lot of work, but we have been successful in our endeavors. Now isn’t the time to take the foot off the gas. Haven’t we all had enough last minute goals kill hockey games for us? Of course, so let’s make sure the same thing doesn’t happen in this case. Rest assured that, even though we have our Captain signed, our team is still under fire and this deal is NOT done. We need help in City Hall, and the person to count on is the same one that’s had our backs all along.
I understand we’re all busy people, but this is an opportunity to actually make a HUGE difference in the future of Glendale and probably in the future of our team. There’s plenty of things for people to do, there’s even a need for money of course. Whatever your skills are, we can use your help even if it’s only for a few hours. There is no reason not to and plenty of reasons to chip in.
Contact:
Glendale United
5350 West Bell Road, #282
Glendale, AZ 85308
Or contact Bea or myself directly, we’re easy to find. C’mon, do what’s right. If you were “in” before and are now, for whatever reason “out”, jump back in the fight, it’s not over.