Shane Doan credits Coyotes for emergence of Auston Matthews

Toronto Maple Leafs supporters should send thank you cards to the Arizona Coyotes. At least Shane Doan thinks so.

Matthews' coming out party in his first NHL game Wednesday, when he scored four goals, has hockey folks out in Arizona walking with their heads a bit higher. The 18-year-old grew up in Scottsdale and attended Coyotes games as a child, which instilled in him a passion for the game.

"Hey, without the Coyotes playing here, Auston wouldn't be playing hockey," Arizona captain Doan told azcentral sports' Dan Bickley. "He'd be playing some other sports. But because the Coyotes were here, he wanted to play, he got the opportunity to play, and he's an amazing athlete."

Doan believes Matthews' profile is only going to be that much bigger because he now plays for the rebuilding Maple Leafs in Toronto. But that's a good thing, better for the sport, and better for grassroots hockey in Arizona.

"The center of hockey is in Toronto. They push it as hard as they can. If he played for us or in Florida and scored four goals, it would've been an incredible story. But to do it for Toronto? That's unbelievable, and it's a big boost to everything that's happening with hockey in Arizona."

Arizona has long been criticized as one of hockey's failed expansion ventures, but Doan believes a loyal fan base has developed in the desert over the years. And if one of the game's brightest stars is from Scottsdale, hockey's only going to grow in the area.