Andrea Doan Leads Panel to Return NHL to Phoenix

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chair Tom Galvin has named Andrea Doan chair of a new advisory panel charged with bringing an NHL franchise back to the Phoenix metro area. The committee was formed after Galvin held preliminary talks with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and will work with political, business, community and sports leaders to resolve ownership, arena siting and community‑engagement questions. Andrea Doan — a two‑decade Arizona hockey supporter and the wife of Coyotes icon Shane Doan — brings local credibility and NHL connections; Shane, now a special adviser with the Toronto Maple Leafs, is publicly supportive but cannot officially participate. The Matt Shott Arizona Hockey Legacy Foundation and Olympian Lyndsey Fry have been named among community partners to lead grassroots outreach. The effort aims to avoid repeating past mistakes after the Coyotes’ hockey operations moved to Utah in April 2024 and the franchise went dormant amid arena and ownership failures. Galvin says the return must be planned in a “smart, sustainable” way, and the advisory panel is expected to announce additional members in the coming weeks.