Doan says commitment to winning was key in decision to stay

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02/15/2007 -

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -If team captain Shane Doan finishes his new five-year, $22.5 million contract with the Phoenix Coyotes, he could be one of the few professional athletes to spend his entire career in the same organization.

It's a franchise, though, with scant success throughout his 12 years with the team.

After peppering team officials with questions at a long dinner Monday, Doan said he came away satisfied that the Coyotes were making the right moves, and that the last prime years of his career won't be wasted in a losing cause.

``I guess it's a little bit of trust because I would have left if I didn't think it was possible, I didn't think it was capable of turning it round and going in the right direction,'' he said Thursday at a news conference announcing his new contract.

``I truly want to win, and I want to win sooner rather than later,'' Doan said, ``because I know how short the window is and how quickly it's closing for me personally.''

The 30-year-old right wing from Halkirk, Alberta, was the first-round pick of the then-Winnipeg Jets - the seventh choice overall - in the 1995 draft. He ranks third in games played in franchise history (775), fifth in goals (191), second in game-winning goals (33), fifth in power-play goals (55) and sixth in assists (261).

Since his rookie season, the franchise has reached the playoffs six times, most recently in 2002, but never has advanced past the first round.

Coach Wayne Gretzky said that ``10 or 15'' teams would have tried to acquire Doan if he had decided to leave, most of them NHL contenders. But Doan said it would mean more to him to succeed with the Coyotes.

``This is my home and I want to win here,'' he said. ``I really don't want to go somewhere else and just be a player that's brought in to win. Here I know I could be a part of something special.''

With the Coyotes 15 points out of the West's final playoff berth, Gretzky said the team needs more offensive speed to help Doan succeed.

``We need to get guys who first of all play at as consistent a level as Shane does, work-ethic-wise and effort-wise.'' Gretzky said. ``Defensively, we have a pretty good core back there, especially our young guys. We need to get people up front who are going to help guys like Shane become a better hockey team.''

Doan, a member of Canada's 2004 Olympic team and 2003 gold medal world championship squad, is the only player on the Phoenix roster who was with the franchise when it moved from Winnipeg in 1996. His decade in Arizona was a factor in his decision.

``I've got four kids that love it here. My wife loves it here,'' he said. ``I wanted to stay here. I don't want to move. I felt that it was important to know that for the next five years this is their home. They don't know any place else.''

Gretzky said it's an example of the kind of player Doan is that he wouldn't tell anyone about his back problems early this season because he felt he needed to play through the pain for his team.

Finally, Gretzky sat Doan down and basically ordered him to get his back checked by doctors. Doan was out for several weeks but has returned to play, in Gretzky's words, ``the best hockey I've seen him play.''

``That just shows you the character of the person he is,'' Gretzky said. ``He takes care of his teammates. He's very protective of his teammates, and more importantly, he's really well respected by his teammates.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds

The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.

Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”

“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”

MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:

Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:

Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1

Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17

Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1

Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1

Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1

Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1

Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5

Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1

Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1

Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1

Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50

Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1

Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1

Best Animated Feature Film:

"Cars": 1/3

"Happy Feet": 2/1

"Monster House": 20/1

Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:

"Water" – Canada: 22/1

"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2

"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1

"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1

"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10

Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:

"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5

"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2

"Helmer & Son": 5/2

"The Saviour": 6/1

"West Bank Story": 7/2

Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:

"Babel": 7/4

"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1

"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20

"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4

"The Queen": 5/4

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

"Babel": 11/4

"The Departed": 1/2

"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2

"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10

"The Queen": 20/1

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10

Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1

Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1

Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5

Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1

Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1

Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1

Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8

Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1

Film To Win Most Oscars:

Dreamgirls: 2/3

Pans Labyrinth: 6/5

The Departed: 6/1

The Queen: 11/1

Babel: 15/1

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1

Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1


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