Hockey in the Desert

For those of you who don't know, there happens to be a Hockey team in the "Valley of the Sun". They are know as the Phoenix Coyotes. They have their own arena. They have a very talented roster. They have some very dedicated fans. They are owned by the NHL. While there are a few interested buyers in the team, it has been a marathon that has drug out for a few years now. Soon enough, the NHL is going to give up on keeping the team in Arizona and move them elsewhere. Seattle, Portland, Quebec City, Kansas City, or some other city. The NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, has made it public that he wants the team to stay in Arizona, but with poor attendance in Glendale, hope is being lost on this possibility. What was witnessed at Jobing.com Arena last night is exactly why this team belongs in this city.

In one of the most incredible moments I have witnessed in a hockey game happend last night. Shane Doan had went 1,160 games without ever recording a "hat trick" in a NHL Game. On Saturday, against the New York Islanders, it was his time. Now while hat tricks aren't too rare of an occurrence, it's hard to believe there has ever been a better one. Doan scored his first goal in the second minute of the first period, his second in the second minute of the second period. After that, every had "that feeling". They could sense it. The game continued and in one of the most remarkable acts of being a teammate, the Coyotes bonded together and passed the puck to Doan every chance they had. This continued throughout the second and third periods with Doan just missing chance after chance. I should note that, while the Coyotes were trying to give the Captain his well deserved reward, Talyor Pyatt and Oliver Ekman-Larsson had scored goals to make the score 4-1, so the rest of this game was dedicated to bringing Shane to the mountain top. Doan played extended shifts throughout the third period, and even stated after the game, was getting embarrassed that he couldn't sink the final goal. The clock read 0:09 in the third period and the Coyotes were on the other side of the rink. What they were trying so hard to do, was about to be for not. Just then, Ray Whitney got the puck and started driving down the ice. He was looking around for Doan and passed him the puck. Shane shoots, and like clockwork, you saw a puck in net and the final buzzer ring immediately following. Hollywood couldn't have written a better script. Check out the video of Doan's Incredible Night below:



So why aren't there more people at these games. Is it because they are a terrible team? They have made the playoffs two seasons in a row, so that can't be it. Is it because of High Ticket Prices? They have an average of $37.45, so I can't imagine that is stopping people. On Twitter.com, the hashtags, #Shane, #Doan and #Doaner rocked the top trends in the City of Phoenix. People are aware of the Coyotes. If the events of last night didn't give you the chills, nothing ever will. So this is my plea to get the folks in Arizona, to make a trip to Glendale and root on YOUR Phoenix Coyotes, before they are taken away from you.