Former Coyotes captain Shane Doan is retiring from the NHL after 21 seasons, he announced in a letter to fans Wednesday.

Doan, 40, has played only for the Coyotes, dating back to before the franchise moved from Winnipeg. He was the seventh overall pick by the Jets in 1995.

"I'm so grateful and thankful to the Winnipeg Jets for drafting me and giving me a chance to play my rookie season and when the team moved to the Valley in 1996, all I wanted to know was if the Coyotes would keep giving me a chance to play," Doan said in a first-person letter published in the Arizona Republic.