Brendan Shanahan: Tough & Dangerous

Brendan Shanahan was a tough and dangerous player on the ice during his career. He became a force to be reckoned with during his time as the NHL disciplinarian and as part of the Toronto Maple Leafs back office.

Brendan Shanahan grew up in Mimico, a neighborhood on the western edge of Toronto. He says he and his family were always Maple Leafs fans. His NHL career would take him to several teams & see him go on to win 3 Stanley Cups.

Shanahan wasn’t only a scoring threat through his career. He played the game with a grit that saw him collect over 2400 penalty minutes. In fact, he is the only player in NHL history to notch 600 goals and over 2000 penalty minutes. His toughness on the ice was undeniable and that didn’t stop him from becoming on of the most offensive threats the league witnessed through his time on the ice.

Shanahan was drafted second overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He would make his debut later that fall and go on to collect 26 points (7G / 19A) in 65 games. His sophomore season would see an improvement when he collected 50 points (22G / 28A). His performance would continue to improve when he emerged as a point per-game producer, tallying 72 points (32G / 40A) in 73 games.

As a restricted free agent, Shanahan would sign with the St. Louis Blues. That move saw his production explode. In the 1992-93 season, Shanahan would tally 94 point (51G / 43A) and follow that up with a 102 point season (52G / 50A).

Shanahan’s time with the Blues came to an end as he was traded to the Hartford Whalers for Chris Pronger. His production dipped in his first full season with the Whalers, reaching the 78 point mark (44G / 34A). The following season, he was sent packing to the Detroit Red Wings along with Brian Glynn in exchange for Paul Coffey, Keith Primeau and a first-round pick.

It was with the Wing when Shanahan picked up his first Stanley Cup Championship in the 1997-98 season.

His production stayed consistent throughout his time with the Wings, collecting 3 Stanley Cup championships and amassing 633 points (309G / 324A) in 9 seasons with the team. In 2006, Shanahan was traded to the New York Rangers, where he spent two seasons before retiring with the New Jersey Devils in the 2008-09 season. Shanahan’s production through his NHL career ranks him 26th overall with 1364 points.

In 2009, Shanahan joined the ranks of the NHL’s executive as vice president of hockey and business development and later replaced Colin Campbell as the league’s chief disciplinarian where he helped crack down on illegal plays. He continued in this role until 2014 when he was named President and Alternate Governor of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Shanahan was named one of the NHL’s top 100 players of all time and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

Brendan Shanahan’s stats are below: