Kamloops Blazers

Doan began his career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Kamloops Blazers in 1992, and spent three seasons with the team. He won the Memorial Cup with the Blazers in 1994 and 1995. He had his most successful season with the team during the 1994–95 season, when he recorded 94 points, helping the team win the Memorial Cup for a second straight year, and was also awarded the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the tournament's MVP. Doan loved his time in Kamloops, and returns there in the summers.

Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes

Doan was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, seventh overall, in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He was the Jets' final first-round pick to play in the NHL prior to the franchise moving to Phoenix. He immediately made the transition from major junior to the NHL in 1995–96 and tallied 17 points in his rookie season with the Jets. He scored his first NHL goal against Ed Belfour of the Chicago Blackhawks, and later scored the overtime goal to win the game 6–5.^[6] Perhaps Doan's most memorable moment as a Jet was his seventh and final goal as a Jet, which came on April 12, 1996, during the team's last regular season home game, where he scored the game-winning goal against the Los Angeles Kings in the second period to make the score 4–2 for Winnipeg. The game would finish 5–3 and the win clinched a playoff spot for the Jets.^[7] In the playoffs, the Jets were matched up against the first seeded Detroit Red Wings and lost in six games.

Shane Doan in 2006

After the Jets relocated to Phoenix and became the Coyotes the following season, Doan's points total did not improve greatly until the 1999–2000 season, when he scored 26 goals (the first of nine consecutive 20-goal seasons for Doan). After the departure of team captain Teppo Numminen, Doan assumed the captaincy in 2003–04 and scored which were then career-highs in all statistical categories with 27 goals, 41 assists and 68 points. During the season, Doan was selected to play in his first NHL All-Star Game in 2004. He then hit the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career the following season to go with 36 assists and 66 points.

On December 13, 2005, during a game against the Montreal Canadiens, he was involved in a controversy concerning discriminatory remarks made towards French-speaking referees. Liberal MP Denis Coderre then asked to remove Doan from the Canadian team taking part in the Olympic Games. Wayne Gretzky, being the owner and head coach of the Coyotes as well as the director of the Olympic committee, decides to leave his protégé in training. In January 2006, Doan, who denies having made the remarks towards the referees, sued Coderre for defamation then in April 2007, Coderre sued in return the player of the Coyotes, also for defamation. In August 2010, the two parties decided to settle the matter amicably and Doan admits that these comments were made by a Coyotes player on the ice.

Late in the 2006–07 season, Doan agreed to a five-year, $22.75 million contract extension with the Coyotes on February 14, 2007. He responded the following season with his best season to date when he led the Coyotes in scoring in 2007–08 with 28 goals and a career-high 50 assists for 78 points. In 2008–09, Doan was selected to the 2009 NHL All-Star Game and won the inaugural elimination shootout segment of the skills competition, outlasting Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins in the seventh round. He completed that season with his second-straight 70-point season and a career-high 31 goals.

On October 18, 2010, Doan was suspended for three games for a hit on Dan Sexton of the Anaheim Ducks the night previous. The NHL's disciplinarian, Colin Campbell, ruled that the hit was "a late hit from the blind side to the head of an unsuspecting opponent", violating the NHL's ban on blindside hits to the head.^[8] It was the first suspension of Doan's career.

Doan had a successful and memorable 2011–12 season for the Coyotes, leading his team to their most successful regular season to date, as the Coyotes finished third in the Western Conference and won their first division title. Also that season, he scored 50 points (22 goals and 28 assists) and his first NHL hat-trick, on January 7, 2012, at 19:59 of the third period in the 1,161st game of his NHL career. Doan would also lead the Coyotes to their most successful playoff performance, contributing nine points to lead the Coyotes to their first and second playoff series victories over the Chicago Blackhawks in six games and the Nashville Predators in five, respectively, as well as the team's first ever conference final appearance, where they would lose in five games to the eventual Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles Kings.

On September 14, 2012, Doan agreed to a four-year, $21.2 million contract extension with the Coyotes.^[9] As of the start of the 2014–15 season, Doan was the all-time leader in games played with the Jets/Coyotes franchise. And by scoring two goals and an assist in the February 12, 2016, game against the Calgary Flames, he moved into first place all-time in points for the Jets/Coyotes franchise with 931.

On December 29, 2015, Doan recorded his second career hat trick in a 7–5 loss against the Chicago Blackhawks. With this accomplishment, Doan became the 15th player ever to record two hat tricks after turning 35. He also tied Dale Hawerchuk's franchise record for all-time goals scored. On December 31, 2015, Doan scored twice against the Winnipeg Jets to become the all-time leading goal scorer for the Winnipeg/Phoenix/Arizona franchise with 381 goals.^[2][10]

On July 12, 2016, Doan agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract with the Coyotes.^[11] As of the start of the 2016–17 season, Doan is the longest-serving captain in the NHL, having been named Coyotes captain prior to the 2003–04 season, is tenth in points among active NHL players, and is two points away from surpassing Dale Hawerchuk in all-time Jets/Coyotes points. Entering the season, he is 96th in all-time NHL points. On June 19, 2017, it was announced the Coyotes were parting ways with Doan, leaving him unprotected in 2017 NHL Expansion Draft and opting not to re-sign him for the 2017–18 season.^[4] The Coyotes left a standing offer to Doan to remain with the team in a non-playing role.^[4]

On August 30, 2017, Doan officially announced his retirement from the NHL.^[12] He became the first player to have his jersey number retired by the Coyotes, with the team raising his No. 19 to the rafters at Gila River Arena prior to a game against the Winnipeg Jets on February 24, 2019.

On January 11, 2021, the Coyotes hired Doan in an executive capacity as the team's chief hockey development officer.^[5]

Controversy

When Doan was selected for the 2006 Olympics, Canadian Liberal Member of Parliament Denis Coderre wrote a letter to Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson asking him to remove Doan from the team unless Doan apologized for an alleged slur of French-Canadians he used on December 13, 2005, against a Quebecer referee during a game against the Montreal Canadiens.^[13] In January 2006, Doan filed a lawsuit against Coderre for defamation, seeking $250,000 in damages and promising to contribute any damage awards to charity.^[14] Coderre filed a counter-suit in April 2007, seeking $45,000 in damages.

When Doan was selected as captain on the 2007 Canadian national men's hockey team, a Canadian Official Languages parliamentary committee demanded Hockey Canada appear before the committee to explain its decision to name Doan as captain in light of the aforementioned alleged comment.^[15] Doan's selection was maintained, citing that an NHL investigation had cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Prior to Doan's trial, set to take place in September 2010, he and Coderre agreed to an out of court settlement, stating that the Superior Court of Montreal could put its resources to better use if the matter was settled.^[16] Doan stated in the settlement that another player on the ice did utter the racial comments.^[17] The settlement also stated Coderre was wrong.

Regular season and playoffs

International