Shane Doan was one of the NHL’s most coveted free agents this offseason, garnering attention from nearly half the league.

Doan listened to all the offers, out of obligation to the free-agency process, himself, his family. There were some pretty good ones, too.

But as he spoke with each of the teams interested in him, Doan made one thing clear: His top priority was to remain with the Phoenix Coyotes.

An almost 36-year-old man and a team with no owner offered a brief respite from the pessimism that marks the hockey world, writes Scott Burnside.

Doan got his wish Friday, signing a four-year, $21.2 million contract with the Coyotes, a two-months-in-the-making deal that could keep one of the Phoenix area’s most popular athletes in the desert until the end of his career.

“I’m glad to get it over with and get the deal done,” Doan said from Jobing.Com Arena. “It’s a deal that’s been mostly done for a little while, but I wanted to wait a little while to see what happens.”


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