Wife of Coyotes legend is leading charge to bring the NHL back to Arizona

Andrea Doan, wife of long-time NHLer and now Toronto Maple Leafs employee Shane Doan, is heading up a team that aims to bring the NHL back to the Arizona desert.

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chair Tom Galvin announced his intent to form an advisory committee of political, business, community and sports leaders dedicated to bringing the NHL back to the Phoenix metro area after the Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes relocated to Salt Lake City last year.

Today, Galvin officially named Andrea Doan as the Chair of his new committee.

"Andrea Doan is a longstanding supporter of Arizona hockey, and is married to Shane Doan, who was instrumental in building Arizona’s hockey legacy," Galvin said. "She is as much a part of the Arizona hockey story over the last 20-plus years as Shane. Andrea has dedicated much of her personal life to our community and building support for Arizona hockey. Andrea’s knowledge of the industry, and her connections to Arizona and the NHL are instrumental to our mission."

It's believed that Shane Doan was expected to be named as committee Chair but that his contract with the Maple Leafs prevented him from officially taking the position. Andrea will instead represent the Doan family. Still, Shane makes it clear that Andrea is no token replacement. She's the real deal.

"Understanding what it takes to build and sustain the grassroots side of the game is so important, and Andrea understands that so much more than I even understand it because of how involved she was with Josh when he played minor hockey," Shane said in today's announcement. "She not only saw the game from the professional level, she sees it as a parent and for people that played or got to experience hockey with all the good that it can provide for a family and teaching kids and helping kids and giving them a community outside of just their family or their school. She has the ability to connect all of that."

The loss of the Coyotes hit the Doan family hard and Andrea is making it her life's mission to bring them back.

"It was so sad," Andrea said. "The Coyotes are the whole reason why we were even in Arizona. It was a part of our family's livelihood and it's still hard to actually think about the fact that they're not here. There's always been this underlying instability, which is one of the things we want to change the most, right away, by showing what's really going on in this hockey community. There's this tethered understanding of the culture of hockey in Arizona, and how to grow that.

"The Coyotes were a huge part of this community when they arrived in 1996. When we were down at America West Arena, the way that the team was embraced by the city and by the fans is, to me, what this team is and what it will be. I think the view from outside was skewed in the way that it was sometimes painted that, 'Oh, there's not that many fans.' I think that's the way it is now with social media. You can show one side of something — and not the other — so you can make it more exaggerated than what the reality is. The story that has been told about Arizona hockey is not an accurate story, and we have seen it firsthand."

Andrea has two giant hurdles in her way. She'll need to first find an ownership group with deep pockets and a commitment to keeping the NHL in Arizona. Clearly, the team never had that with Alex Meruelo in charge. Her second task will be finding a suitable location for a new arena.

"I think we have an obligation to the city and an obligation, honestly, to the NHL, to make this happen," Andrea said. "We have been given all these opportunities because of hockey and so you want to help by giving back and doing whatever you can. It's just not going to feel complete until the team is back here. And I don't care if I have to wait until I'm like 80 years old. We're going to work hard on this and it's gonna be back."

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has been in discussions with the new committee and is reportedly encouraged by the work he has seen behind the scenes.

"Commissioner Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Daly are aware of our efforts and would like to see a viable plan for bringing the NHL back to Arizona," Galvin said. "As the fifth largest metropolitan area in the nation, we are well positioned with the fanbase, infrastructure, and local support to get the NHL back.

What do you think? Can the Doan family bring NHL hockey back to the Arizona desert?