Sarah McLellan

azcentral sports

Ticker tape and champagne corks weren't littering the ice Wednesday when the Coyotes met for practice, their first get-together since a long-awaited cleanse the night before.

The Coyotes nixed a franchise-worst nine-game losing streak on home ice and a five-game skid overall Tuesday with a 2-1 overtime victory over the Oilers, but the team's 28th overall ranking in the NHL limited the celebration to a few smiles and laughs that had been missing for weeks.

"It's just one game, and we have to find a way to win the next one and go from there and keep that mind-set," captain Shane Doan said.

Even so, it was refreshing to see one of those grins on Doan, because he always seems to suffer a little more when the losses pile up and the solutions aren't working and the outlook turns bleak.

And despite being in the Western Conference finals less than three years ago, the Coyotes keep having those dominoes knock each other down.

The Coyotes have failed to make the playoffs since that Cinderella run, and barring a midseason revival, the team seems poised for a third consecutive absence.

This trajectory has led many to wonder if now is the time for Doan to cash in those 19 years of unwavering service, request a trade and seek a championship with a different team.

Apparently, though, Doan isn't one of them.

"It hasn't even crossed my mind," he said. "It's not even something I'm thinking about. I don't foresee me ever making that decision."

Doan and the Coyotes are about as interchangeable as it gets, so it'd be tough to see him slip on a sweater of another color. But no one could blame him for tagging out to chase a personal ambition after being a pillar of optimism through ownership drama and relocation rumors — especially at the age of 38.

But, believe it or not, it's that commitment to the Coyotes that gives Doan plenty of reason to stay.

Before signing his current four-year contract that expires after next season, Doan faced a similar dilemma in 2007 when he was in the final year of a deal. At that time, the Coyotes were in the midst of what would become a six-season playoff drought, but Doan bypassed free agency altogether by signing a five-year extension.

"All of a sudden we're in the conference finals, and it looked like a good decision to stay," he said. "I know that's a long time ago — two years is forever ago — but you never know when things are going to turn. You never know when things are going to go in the right direction."

If not for that reminder, there's also the fact Doan still believes in the team currently assembled. But that's also what stokes his frustration.

"This isn't acceptable," he said.

GAME PHOTOS: COYOTES-OILERS

Doan levels some of the blame for the Coyotes' struggles on his play. He has seven goals and 16 points and has gone 10 games without scoring.

But the inconsistency between the pipes and work-in-progress defending has led to a 3.16 goals-against average per game, which sits among the worst in the NHL.

"There's a group of us that have to be way better hockey players," Doan said.

And he feels it's his job to help ignite that improvement.

Because that task isn't complete, it's really no surprise Doan isn't contemplating jumping ship when the waters are at their most ragged. That's never been his style, and that's what makes him a rare gem in today's me-first climate.

Let's hope, though, at some point that unselfishness is rewarded.

It'd be a shame if it weren't.

"You know what? This is my choice," Doan said. "It doesn't really matter what the other choices were. I'm exceedingly happy with Tip (coach Dave Tippett) and (General Manager) Don (Maloney) and the group of guys here. I believe in the group of guys. I always will."

Injury update

Winger Lauri Korpikoski (lower body) and defenseman Michael Stone (upper body) did not practice Wednesday. Both remain day-to-day.

Center Martin Hanzal also stayed off the ice to take a maintenance day.

Reach The Heat Index at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.