Despite the many game worn jerseys of Shane Doan’s that are housed or have passed through this collection, I’ve never gotten my hands on one quite like this.
2007-2008 was Doan’s highest scoring season. The winger scored 78 points in 82 games which was the closest he would come to a point per game in his career.
At the tail end of that season, the Phoenix Coyotes hosted Fan Appreciation Night on April 3rd, 2008 at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale. Fan Appreciation Night is also traditionally when the Coyotes had the Jersey Off Their Backs event, which saw lucky fans get to take the ice and receive game worn jerseys directly from the players.
This jersey was the one given by Shane Doan to a fan after that April 3rd, 2008 game against Dallas where he recorded the primary assist on a third period goal by Keith Ballard.
Above you have the full gamut of information and certificate of authenticity provided to the winner of Shane Doan’s jersey off the back from April 3rd, 2008, as well as his ticket and media book from the game against the Dallas Stars.
The packet provided the winner featured instructions on where to meet and which player’s jersey the winner had received. All in all, it’s a pretty cool snapshot into the celebration at the end of the 2007-2008 season.
The jersey itself has fairly light wear as you’d expect from a one-gamer. Beyond the obvious differences in fabric, the most noticeable difference between this jersey and the one worn by Doan in previous home games is the location of the captain’s “C”.
Doaner’s jersey off the back is a fascinating piece given the changes to jerseys that were introduced in 2007-2008.
Reebok introduced the Edge jerseys and initially rolled out what is known as the Edge 1.0’s, however players hated them and that version was quickly scrapped by most players and teams for the more breathable Edge 2.0. The Phoenix Coyotes were no different, however it appears that for Fan Appreciation Night they used their spare Edge 1.0’s to give away to fans that season.
This is notable because it differs from what was assumed protocol for the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes in their final decade plus of existence.
In the 2010’s the Coyotes were known for giving away full set jerseys on Fan Appreciation Night. This is different from most NHL teams who a give away a one-game jersey, and even others who shamefully have the players hit the locker rooms and change into retail jerseys to give away.
This Doan jersey off the back being a one-gamer means that it was either done to get rid of excess Edge 1.0 stock, or the process was different pre-2010’s.