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Shane Doan announces retirement after 21 seasons

Minnesota Wild v Arizona Coyotes

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 08: Shane Doan #19 of the Arizona Coyotes skates on the ice following the NHL game against the Minnesota Wild at Gila River Arena on April 8, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Wild defeated the Coyotes 3-1. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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Former Winnipeg Jets and Arizona Coyotes forward Shane Doan has officially retired from the NHL.

Doan broke into the NHL with the Jets during the 1995-96 season, and he stayed with the organization through the move to Arizona.

This summer, the Coyotes announced that they wouldn’t be offering him a new contract, which meant that he was free to explore the open market as of July 1st.

On Wednesday morning, Doan made the announcement official in a letter to the fans via the Arizona Republic.

“I’m retiring from the NHL,” Doan wrote.

“My wife, Andrea, and I have prayed about this, and I truly believe this is His timing. I have peace, and I’m so thankful for that.

“I’ve been blessed and I’m so grateful for the fans and their support. They stuck by me throughout my career and the ups and downs of the Coyotes. There are a lot of players with more skill than me and a lot more ability than me that didn’t ever get the type of appreciation that I got and the type of respect that the fans gave me, and I’m so grateful for that. I can’t express how much I appreciate it. Thank you for watching me grow up, and I enjoyed watching a lot of you grow up, too.”

The 40-year-old had a number of suitors interested in him this off-season. The Oilers, Flames, Predators, Stars and Rangers were all reportedly interested in his services (one team offered him a contract, according to reports).

Doan finishes his career with 402 goals, 972 points and 1353 penalty minutes in 1540 games.