Shane Doan announced his retirement from the NHL on Wednesday in a letter to the Arizona Republic. At the end were five sentences that started with "thank you." At the heart of it was this:

"[The fans] stuck by me throughout my career and the ups and downs of the Coyotes," Doan wrote. "There are a lot of players with more skill than me and a lot more ability than me that didn't ever get the type of appreciation that I got and the type of respect that the fans gave me, and I'm so grateful for that."

Now he will stay in what has become his home at age 40 with his wife, Andrea, and their four children.

"I have peace," he wrote in the Republic.