TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes are gone, but the pension symbol for Shane Doan, who spent his entire 21-year NHL job with the company, remains on. Doan’s No. is being boxed up and shipped to Salt Lake City while the Foxes are being boxed up and transported there. In Glendale, Arizona, a sandy box was discovered in the middle of what was then known as Gila River Arena. When the Coyotes left for what was supposed to be a transitory stay at the 4,600-seat Mullett Arena on the school of Arizona State two years ago in an effort to raise money and construct a new area of their own, they left. That did n’t happen, leading to what Doan called the current set of “sad ” circumstances. “It’s emotional because you’re in the moment when you’re grieving a little bit, ” Doan said in between the first and second periods of the Coyotes ’ final game, for now, in Arizona. “You like someone a bit and now it ’s gone. It’s things a lot of people cared about. Doan joined the company in Winnipeg as a first-year person in 1996 and participated in the first NHL activity in the Valley on October. 10 of that time, a 4-1 get over the San Jose Sharks at what’s then called Footprint Center in city Phoenix. In a beautiful touch of geometry, he was in the Mullett for the episode, a 5-2 get over Edmonton Wednesday evening. Doan, who was the heart and soul of the Arizona franchise for two decades, set franchise records for games played ( 1,540 ), goals ( 402 ), assists ( 570 ) and points (972 ), and his number was retired and raised it to the rafters in 2019 to much acclaim. Matthew Jacobson, who worked at the club’s past area, found Doan’s pension symbol just sitting in store, rolled it up and returned it to the previous person before Wednesday night’s activity. It was a huge shock. “A lover handed it to me, ” Doan said with a grin. “I’m delighted to have it again. It’s part of history. I love the Wolves, and my home has been accepted below. We’ve been treated better than everyone deserves. ” If you’re looking for prophecies that predicted the Coyotes ’ death, there are two. First, the Tempe public vote last May to approve a$ 2. 1 billion entertainment advanced that fell short by about 3,500 seats. On that day, the team’s position in the Valley was essentially sealed. Doan was finally allowed to leave for the Toronto Maple Leafs as an admin general manager by Arizona user Alex Meruelo in the winter. On Wednesday night, neither Meruelo nor Xavier Gutierrez, the team leader, were present. Phoenix without the Wolves is like the Foxes without Doan. Both came to pass. Doan made a second appearance this year with the Maple Leafs, and he eventually saw his brother Josh in No. 91 in honor of his father, execute his second NHL game for the Coyotes. Josh was trying to keep his emotions at bay as his father watched from a comfort field on Wednesday. “ I don’t think the plan was for him to come back tonight, but he did, ” Josh said after the game about his dad. He was supposed to continue playing in Toronto and participate in the finals. It shows how much it meant to him for him to return and get involved. ” It’s a community event he added. “It’s everything they’ve been involved with their whole life. It’s quite personal for them. ” It goes up 28 times and has come full circle. In his next year, Doan’s boy may join the company like his father did when the franchise relocated from Winnipeg to Arizona. When we discussed it, Doan said,” I told him it was exactly the same thing that happened to me.” “It was terrible, and it was hard to leave Winnipeg. We came around and started a new career, and it was wonderful. But, I said, ‘Go to Salt Lake City and love it. ’ Naturally, his heart is broken. He has a lifelong support for the group. When the deal is finalized Thursday with a vote of the NHL’s Board of Governors, Arizona’s hockey operations department and players will be rebranded and relocated to Utah in time for the 2024-2019 season at a cost of$ 1. 2 billion. In a complicated transaction, Meruelo will receive$ 1 billion from Jazz owner Ryan Smith, but Meruelo will maintain the Coyotes ’ name, logos and trademarks, plus ownership of the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. In the event that the project is completed, he may have the opportunity to recreate the company within a five-year window. He will also continue to pursue building a$ 3 billion industry and pleasure in North Phoenix. A June 27 property auction with a starting price of$ 68 will start the long process. 5 million. If Meruelo wins that, there’s over$ 100 million in infrastructure costs, and$ 1 billion needed to build the arena, training facility and a theater in a first phase that could take three years. Along the way, there are bound to become political and financial problems. The truth is that, if you’re a skeptic, we’ve probably seen the last ball drop to start an NHL activity in the Valley. If you’re like Doan, there’s often a silver lining. “I’m the worst person to ask because I’m often an eternal optimist, ” he said. “And but, I’m going to assume it does happen. I’m viewing this as a book that ’s closing, but it ’s not the end of the book. No one wanted it, but you must walk on and expect for the better. The plot of that last paragraph was that Doan had his symbol returned to him.