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Doan leads league, no one notices

by THE PUCK STOPS HERE, Special to FOXSports.com

Updated: January 31, 2008, 3:28 PM EST 17 comments

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At the beginning of the season, it's easy to tell who the hottest scorers in the NHL are — they're at the top of the NHL scoring board. But as the season progresses, it is no longer as easy to identify the hottest scorers in the league.

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For example, in January, the top scorer in the NHL was Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes. Doan led the league by scoring 19 points this month for the Coyotes, but probably only a few of the most astute fastasy players have noticed. This fact is most fans haven't even recognized Doan's league-leading title for this month.

Had Doan led the league in scoring in October, everyone would have noticed.

There would be some consideration of Doan as one of the better players in the league and the expectation that he should appear in the All-Star Game. There would be fans wondering if his omission from The Hockey News Top 50 players list was justified. There would be some expectation that this might be the season where Doan winds up among the NHL's top scorers.

That's not the case when it happens in January.

Sure, people recognize Doan as a good player. After all, his 48 points leads the Phoenix Coyotes and he has had All-Star game and Olympic team spots in the past, but the interest in leading the NHL in scoring for a month isn't there when that month is January.

Shane Doan is the highest scorer in the NHL in the month of January and that accomplishment deserves some notice. Most hockey fans won't even bother.

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