Former Coyotes staffer says Meruelo and son pushed Shane Doan away

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Cooper Godin
April 30, 2024 (2:42 PM)

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A former Arizona Coyotes staff member, Steve Peters, penned an open letter to owner Alex Meruelo on Friday and had plenty to say regarding his reign.

Throughout the letter, Peters was critical of Meruelo's time as owner of the Coyotes prior to their relocation to Salt Lake City, Utah. Peters said that Meruelo has to do more in the community to connect with the fans, if he is to bring an expansion team back to the state.

One part of Peters' letter that really stood out and opened eyes was about Alex Meruelo's son, Alex Meruelo Jr. Peters said that Meruelo gave his son jobs that he wasn't qualified for. Peters also mentioned that that when Coyotes legend Shane Doan was offering advice on how to do things for the players and fans, he was pushed away because it conflicted with Alex Meruelo Jr.'s own thoughts.

"And you had voices in the organization that were there trying to help you. You had Shane Doan giving you advice and telling you how things should be for the fans and the players. But your son didn't want to hear Shane's voice because it often conflicted with his own thoughts. So you pushed him out." Peters said.

Meanwhile, a source told Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, Alex Meruelo Jr. essentially told Shane Doan that he was not ready for an hockey operations position. For someone like Meruelo Jr., who has absolutely ZERO experience in hockey operations, to say that to a franchise legend is ridiculous.

"Doan worked for the Coyotes after his retirement as chief hockey development officer but had higher aspirations, eventually seeking to become their president of hockey operations in 2023. According to a source, he was told he "wasn't ready" for the position, a verdict handed down by the owner's son Alex Meruelo Jr., the team's chief brand officer who had taken a more active interest in the hockey operations department." Wyshynski said.

If this is true, it's disgusting how they treated Shane Doan, who is without question the best player in Coyotes history. If Doan wanted to give advice to the Meruelo's, they should have been all ears and listened to what he had to say because if anyone knows what's best for the market, it's Shane Doan.

Alex Meruelo will attempt to win a land auction in North Phoenix in June and if he's successful, he'll have a five-year window to bring the Coyotes back as an expansion franchise. Should that happen, hopefully he'll treat former players such as Shane Doan a lot better than they have in the past.

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AVRIL 30 \| 246 ANSWERS Former Coyotes staffer says Meruelo and son pushed Shane Doan away Do you think Alex Meruelo will win the land auction in June and bring an NHL team back to Arizona?
Yes	52	21.1 %
No	194	78.9 %
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