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Phoenix columnist to Shane Doan: “Run, before it’s too late”

Phoenix Coyotes v Buffalo Sabres

BUFFALO, NY - NOVEMBER 19: Boyd Gordon #15 and Shane Doan #19 of the Phoenix Coyotes celebrate Doan’s goal in the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center on November 19, 2011 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

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Bit of a curious column in today’s Arizona Republic. Under the headline “Note to Shane Doan: Run, before it’s too late,” Dan Bickley compares the Coyotes’ captain’s situation to that of Steve Nash, the Phoenix Suns star that just blew town to join the hated Los Angeles Lakers.

…it’s hard to see past the sting, that Nash could actually side with a nemesis. He’ll make the Lakers one of the more exciting teams in the league. He’ll empower all the taunting, front-running Lakers fans in the Valley, the ones who live to annoy the rest of us.

To follow Nash’s stunning departure with the loss of you -- one of the last true cowboys, one of the last truly loyal people in sports -- well, that would be salt in the wound, a casualty of one of the sorrier sagas in NHL history.

But the situation in Glendale remains exhausting and absurd, from petition drives to legal wrangling to a watchdog organization whose concerns far exceed those of local residents. Anyone else would’ve lost patience with this organization years ago.

To be perfectly honest, we’re not entirely sure what Bickley was trying to get at. Was he actually encouraging Doan to leave for greener pastures? Or, was it more a commentary on the shortage of loyalty in professional sports? (Meanwhile, in Miami, Ray Allen has officially signed with the Heat despite the Celtics offering him more money to stay in Boston.)

At the very least, the column’s created quite the debate in the comments section, so feel free to discuss below. If Doan leaves, would it be the same as Nash or Allen leaving, or is each situation too different to compare?

Related: Shane Doan pushes personal deadline to July 16