Doan to become 6th player to reach 1,500 games with single team
Captain Coyote is about to join an exclusive group.
When the Arizona Coyotes and their leader Shane Doan take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, it will mark the 1,500th game of Doan's long-tenured career, one in which he has spent entirely with the same franchise.
With the feat, Doan will become just the sixth player in NHL history to play as many games with one organization:
| Player | Team | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Gordie Howe | Detroit | 1687 |
| Nicklas Lidstrom | Detroit | 1564 |
| Alex Delvecchio | Detroit | 1549 |
| Ray Bourque | Boston | 1518 |
| Steve Yzerman | Detroit | 1514 |
| Shane Doan | Arizona | 1500 |
Doan also becomes just the 17th player to reach 1,500 games all together.
It won't be the only mark that Doan could hit Friday. The wily veteran sits one goal shy of 400 for his career, and has the chance to achieve the feat versus Arizona-born Auston Matthews.
"Anyone that gets to 400, I've definitely taken the longest," a humble Doan told reporters. "Anyone that's played this long should have had 400 a long time ago."
Drafted seventh overall by the original Winnipeg Jets in 1995, Doan stayed with the club when it left the Manitoba capital for Phoenix the following year.
Ever since, he's claimed every record in franchise history, as Doan holds the top slot in the team's all-time goals, assists, and points categories, scoring 954 points over the course of his career.