Wide cinematic digital painting capturing the fusion of hockey legacy and arcane academy fantasy. Foreground: a young mage student with a determined posture, wearing a hooded academy robe in subtle desert-sage green and faint purple-teal trim — a quiet nod to Arizona hockey colors. The robe stirs with magical wind and faint runes glow along the hem, shaped like stylized skate-blade cuts. In the student’s hand: a glowing rune-carved stick shaped like a hybrid between a staff and a hockey stick, energy curling around the blade. Background: a frost-dusted academy courtyard at dawn, banners fluttering, snowy pines giving way to distant desert mesas, tying winter to the southwest. Faint silhouettes of two great beasts — a spectral Coyote and a Diamondback serpent — coil in the mist above, not literal mascots but mythic spirits watching over the student. Atmosphere: epic, mysterious, reverent, mixing sports grit with arcane wonder. No text overlay. Wide banner. Digital painting. Dramatic contrast and painterly realism.
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My secret tribute to Shane Doan in Arcane Elemental Academy

ByTC Marti

Shane Doan is one of the most legendary players to ever wear an Arizona Coyotes uniform, and there’s a secret tribute to him in my young adult fantasy series. 

The Arcane Prophecy may be a cross between Harry Potter and Robert Murphy’s Chaos Theory, but if you know me, you’ll also know I’ll have some sporty tributes. Hell, the name Yote Diamondback is a nod to the old Arizona Coyotes and the Arizona Diamondbacks. As for Yote’s sister, Jett? She’s named after the Winnipeg Jets.

Even The Arcane Prophecy’s cover boasts Arizona Coyotes and Diamondbacks vibes. Yote’s hoodie is that particular shade of green for a reason, and when you check out the purple and teal elements, they scream Coyotes and Diamondbacks.

But none of that has to do with Shane Doan, who played for both the original Winnipeg Jets and Arizona Coyotes. Doan was also the last remaining member of the original Jets to retire from the NHL, which he did following the 2016-17 season.

Ironically, as I write this, his son, Josh Doan, plays for my favorite hockey team, the Buffalo Sabres.

How exactly does this Shane Doan tribute tie in?

The Arcane Prophecy by TC MartiWell, I’ll clue you in. I’ve said before that Arcane Elemental Academy spawned because of a question on Quora that I crossed back in 2024 that asked, and I’m paraphrasing, “Why didn’t Voldemort just adopt Harry?”

That there should be an atomic clue bomb of just what’s going on in The Arcane Prophecy and Yote’s story arc. And that story arc has everything to do with a nod to Shane Doan, just as Yote’s box thrashball number, 13, has everything to do with the late, great Johnny Gaudreau.

So, if you mull over the entire Voldemort adopting Harry quip, chances are, you won’t be in a disturbing state of shock when you venture through The Arcane Prophecy.

And if you want another clue, why not check out the first three chapters of the book and read between the lines? Odds are, you might find another clue lurking. So give those three chapters a read, and see if you can’t crack the code. If not, then I’ll assure you this: I’ll give you the spoiler at some point in The Arcane Prophecy.

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