O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
-Walt Whitman
Days tick by as we wait for the puck to drop. And as we wait, one thing is on our minds-- Will number 19 be on the ice as a Coyote? Will we see out beloved captain there when the puck hits the ice?
With the ownership in limbo, and the uncertainty of where the Coyotes will be located, it's understandable that Doan would be cautious in his decision to resign. He's never been on another NHL team. He started on the Jets as a 1st round pick, and stayed even with the move to Phoenix. 17 Years with one franchise-- that is dedication to a team, a sport, to hockey. How many other players have been with only one franchise since being drafted? So even with the ownership fiasco, why leave a team you've called home for so long?
Doan has stated that he wants nothing more than to stay with the Coyotes until he retires? But now as a unrestricted free agent, does that statement still ring true? He's had a lot of lucrative offers being thrown his way. What's to say that he doesn't want more money? That he doesn't want to win the Cup before he retires? Who says he has to stay in Phoenix?
We're talking about Shane Doan though, not some showboater "superstar" who throws a hissy fit if his signing bonus isn't enough money. He isn't your average, run of the mill, hot shot captain. Shane Doan... O captain, OUR captain. A man we trust our team with. A man we trust with our loyalty. He is more than a man. He is more than a captain. He is a voice that resonates through the arena. He is a feeling of hope, of endurance. He is a game changer. He is the momentum. He is a gentlemen on and off the ice. He is what every hockey player should strive to be.
He makes me proud to be a hockey fan, to be a Coyote fan. So, for him, I stand on a seat in the Coyotes arena, that might not always be sold out, but filled with more heart than most team's fans, and raise a stick in the air.....
O Captain, My Captain! Please lead this ship to the glory we deserve. Don't leave us now, when we need you the most.... You are a Coyote. You belong in the desert. It is your home, and we're your family. Don't give up on us now, because we've never gave up on you.
With heavy hearts, we wait for him to sign....
