Brendan Shanahan

At 55 years old, Brendan Shanahan has this physical status:

Brendan Frederick Shanahan (born January 23, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player who currently serves as the president and alternate governor for the Toronto Maple Leafs, having previously served as the director of player safety for the National Hockey League (NHL).

Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils second overall in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, Shanahan played in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils (two stints), St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers. While playing with the Red Wings, he won three Stanley Cup championships (1997, 1998, 2002).

In 2017 Shanahan was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.With his physical play and goal scoring ability, Shanahan scored 656 goals in his NHL career spanning over 1,500 NHL games and, at the time of his retirement, was the leader among active NHL players for goals scored.

Shanahan is the only player in NHL history with over 600 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes. Competing for Canada internationally, Shanahan won a gold medal at the 1994 World Championships, 2002 Winter Olympics, and a 1991 Canada Cup championship.

Having won what are considered the three most prominent team titles in ice hockey, an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship and a Stanley Cup, Shanahan is a member of the elite Triple Gold Club.

Shanahan was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 8, 2013 as a member of the Red Wings.Brendan Shanahan also played a very small role in the comedy movie “Me, Myself and Irene” starring Jim Carey

Personal life

The son of Irish parents, Rosaleen and Donal (d. 1990), Shanahan also excelled in lacrosse. His father was a firefighter and later Chief of Fire Prevention in the city of Toronto. As a youth, he played in the 1982 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Mississauga. He grew up in Mimico, a neighbourhood of Etobicoke (now a part of Toronto), where he attended St. Leo's Catholic School and his family attended St. Leo's Roman Catholic Church. Shanahan briefly attended Catholic Central High School in London, Ontario, where he graduated.

Shanahan has three brothers—Danny, Brian and Shaun. He also attended Michael Power/St. Joseph High School, where he played on the hockey team and won an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) gold medal in 1985.

Shanahan married his wife Catherine on July 4, 1998, and the couple has three children together. Shanahan became an American citizen on May 17, 2002. Shanahan has also had small roles in a few films. He appeared in a generic role in Me, Myself & Irene starring Canadian actor Jim Carrey.

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Playing career

After Pierre Turgeon, Shanahan was drafted second overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. Shanahan's hopes were high after a stellar career with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), with whom his number 19 has been withdrawn. In his rookie season with the Devils in 1988–88, he scored 26 points in 65 games as an 18-year-old. He also improved to 22 goals and 50 points in 1988–89. He made a name for himself in his third NHL season, scoring 72 points in 73 games and a top scorer with the Devils; his 30 goals tied for second in team goal scoring behind John MacLean. He scored 29 goals and 66 points in his fourth and final year with the Devils in 1990-1991. Shanahan was already an established scorer in the NHL at the age of 22. He had also excelled in the Devils' playoff runs.

Shanahan was signed by the St. Louis Blues on July 25, 1991, after being a free agent following the 1990-1991 season. He was a restricted free agent under the collective bargaining agreement, and the Devils were due to compensation. Ordinarily, this compensation would be in the form of draft picks, but the Blues already owe four first-round draft picks to the Washington Capitals for acquiring defenceman Scott Stevens in the previous year. Curtis Joseph, Rod Brind'Amour, and two other draft picks were also on the road when the Blues made an offer for compensation that involved Curtis Joseph, Rod Brind'Amour and two other draft picks. The Devils were uninterested in Scott Stevens, by the time. Stevens was eventually agreed to be the compensation, so Shanahan joined the Blues in exchange for Scott Stevens.

Shanahan's first season with the Blues featured similar statistics to his Devil's seasons, but he brought the Blues to a different level in 1992-93, with 51 goals and 94 points in 71 games. He came in second in team goal scoring to Brett Hull and third in team point-scoring overall. He set personal records of 52 goals, 50 assists, and 102 points in 1993-94. In addition to leading the Blues in points, he was named to the 1994 NHL All-Star Game and the NHL's first All-Star team at the end of the year.

Shanahan played three games for Düsseldorf EG of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), scoring five goals and three assists in his short time in the United States during 1994-95 NHL lockout, scoring five goals and three assists. As NHL play resumed, he continued to play well for the Blues, scoring 41 points in the lockout-shortened season. With nine points in five games, he led the team in scoring in the 1995 playoffs.

Shanahan was traded to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for defensiveman Chris Pronger, replacing Pat Verbeek as team captain after four seasons with the Blues on July 27, 1995. Shanahan's only full season with Hartford featured him with 44 goals and 78 points, and he was voted to the 1996 All-Star Game for his efforts. Shanahan, despite the franchise's insecurity, requested a trade, and the Detroit Red Wings for forward Keith Primeau, defenseman Paul Coffey, and a first-round draft pick on October 9, 1996, just two games into the 1996–97 season.

Shanahan ended the 1996–97 season with his usual vigor, scoring a total of 47 goals on the season and being selected to the 1997 NHL All-Star Game. He also played nine goals and eight assists in the 1997 playoffs, helping the Red Wings win their first Stanley Cup since 1955. Despite Shanahan's offseason in which he only gained 57 points, they remained champions of the next year. Shanahan maintained his high production in 1998-99, scoring 58 points, but was also invited to another All-Star Game. The Red Wings were eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche, who were back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in 1999. Shanahan scored 41 goals in 1999-2000, marking a return to his former glory. In the 2000 playoffs, the Red Wings were also eliminated by the Avalanche. For the second time in his career, he was selected to the first All-Star squad after the season. He topped out his resurgent season in 2000-01 with 76 points, but the Los Angeles Kings lost in the first round of the 2001 playoffs.

Shanahan and the Red Wings had a banner season in 2001-02. With pick up future Hall-of-Famers Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, and Dominik Haek, the team was on the verge to win their third Cup since 1997. Shanahan continued to play a key role in their triumph, scoring 37 goals during the regular season and 19 points in their ultimately triumphant Stanley Cup run. Shanahan earned his Olympic gold medal in Salt Lake City with Team Canada and was selected to the second NHL All-Star team. Shanahan's season was also of significant in terms of statistics, as he approached his Olympic gold medal victory only days after scoring two goals against Marty Turco in a 4–2 victory over the Dallas Stars on January 12, 2002. Shanahan also hit the 500-goal mark later in the season, scoring the game-winner against Patrick Roy in a 2–0 win over Colorado on March 23. In addition, the victory gave Detroit a Presidents' Trophy as the top-ranked regular-season team.

Shanahan scored 30 goals and 68 points in the season after Detroit's third Stanley Cup appearance and received the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his humanitarian efforts. However, his output dropped to 25 goals and 53 points in the following season, his lowest level in 15 years. Shanahan showed yet another return to form in 2005-06, scoring third among the Red Wings in scoring, despite a one-year absence due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

Shanahan became a free agent following the 2005-2006 season and then signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the New York Rangers. Following a successful nine-year career in Detroit, he expressed a desire to continue his NHL career by stating, "It's really came down to an instinct I had." Detroit has a rich history and a promising future ahead of them, but I think I was more aware of the past than the future."

Shanahan started his Rangers career against Olaf Kölzig on October 5, 2006, defeating the Washington Capitals in 5–3 season-opening victory. He became the 15th player in NHL history to reach the 600-goal mark with help from Petr Probstcha on both goals. Shanahan received the inaugural Mark Messier Leadership Award, a prize given to a player nominated by Mark Messier who best exemplifies leadership abilities both on and off the ice, shortly after. He was selected to his eighth All-Star Game, and then was named captain of the Eastern Conference for the 2007 All-Star Game. He made national news on February 1, 2007 after expressing disappointment in a press conference about his suspicion that NHL referees are biased against team captain Jaromr Jágr Jágr. He was involved in a serious on-ice collision with Philadelphia Flyers forward and former Red Wings teammate Mike Knuble earlier this month, as part of a game on February 17. As Shanahan was heading for the bench, Shanahan and Knuble were seen alternating directions, and Shanahan was left unconscious for ten minutes. He was carried on a stretcher and admitted to the hospital where he was released the next day. Shanahan returned to the lineup in time for the 2007 playoffs, where the Rangers were defeated by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round after missing 15 games. Shanahan finished his first season with the Rangers fourth in team scoring with 62 points in 67 games as an alternate captain to Jágr.

Shanahan struggled to produce offensively in 2007–08, his lowest number since his rookie season in 1987–88. He wasn't handed over by the Rangers for his second season, which was presumably as a result of the Rangers' pursuit of free agent Mats Sundin's pursuit.

Shanahan missed the first half of the 2008-09 season because he was unable to come to terms with the Rangers. Shanahan also committed to the New Jersey Devils for his second stint with the club on January 10, 2009. Shanahan signed a one-year, $800,000 prorated contract four days later, on January 14, four days later. Shanahan's time with the Devils was 17 years, 294 days, the longest in NHL history with only one team. In a 3–1 victory over the Devils' first game since 1990–91, he scored the first goal of the game against the Nashville Predators on a 5-on-3 power play by toe dragging the puck around the opposition player and then shooting it on the pad side. Shanahan agreed to a one-year contract with the Devils in August 5, 2009, the 2009–2010 season. This will be Shanahan's sixth season as a Devil. However, on October 1, 2009, the Devils and Shanahan parted ways, with Shanahan saying, "If we were unable to find a suitable position in which I can compete and contribute at the same level as myself." Shanahan had only appeared in four pre-season games of the 2009–10 season. On one of his last NHL appearances, he scored the Devils' last pre-season goals this year.

Shanahan was the mastermind of "The Shanahan Summit," a two-day conference in Toronto, during the 2004–05 NHL lockout. It brought together players, coaches, and other influential voices to discuss changes to the game's flow and tempo. Both the NHL and National Hockey League Players' Associations (NHLPA) received ten suggestions.

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Executive career

Shanahan officially announced his retirement after 21 years in the NHL on November 17, 2009. "I would like to thank my family and all of the relatives who have supported me achieve and maintain my childhood dream of playing in the National Hockey League," Shanahan said in a news release. "I am deeply grateful to all of my teachers and colleagues" I have had the pleasure of learning from and playing alongside during my career. Though I always dreamed of playing in the NHL, I can't say that I would have been so lucky and blessed. "I would like to thank anyone who has helped me achieve this dream."

Shanahan accepted an invitation from the NHL in December 2009 to serve as the NHL's vice president of hockey and business growth. "I believe I will be a voice in the hockey world," Shanahan told NHL.com, "but people like [NHL COO] John Collins and [NHL EVP Communications] Bill [Daly] Bill [Daly] and [NHL Deputy Commissioner] Bill [Daily] will have the opportunity to show me and teach me the art of hockey." "I was excited about them's offer to bring me on board because it was wide open to me." There was no room with a closed door, and I would have the opportunity to see and learn. As time goes by, there will be days where my job is more focused on hockey and others where my job is more focused on company or marketing.

Shanahan appeared at the World Hockey Summit in 2010 and wanted to bring the game's fun back to youth who are still learning to play. "Anytime you can get a kid out on the ice and make it fun and exciting," he said, and that all he cares about is that he's having a great deal of fun out there, which is when you've really locked onto something valuable."

Shanahan replaced Colin Campbell as the NHL's Senior Vice President on June 1, 2011. Shanahan wrote videos on his NHL official Website explaining whether or not they did not breach NHL rules when giving out decision on plays that were sent to his office for review. Except for French-language videos involving the Montreal Canadiens or Ottawa Senators, he narrated all videos except those that concern French-language videos; Stéphane Quintal, a deputy, narrated all videos except for French-language videos;

Shanahan served multiple suspensions to players for unlawful hits in his first season as Senior Vice President.

Shanahan was officially announced as the Toronto Maple Leafs' president and alternate governor on April 11, 2014. He was brought on to handle all hockey team operations. Quintal will replace him as the league's chief disciplinarian on the same day.

Shanahan joined a Maple Leafs franchise that had only appeared in the playoffs for the first ten years in the previous ten years, and had just fallen out of a playoff spot in the 2013-14 season. Shanahan's first full season as boss of the 2014-15 season, launched a long-earth" rebuild, which began with dismissing head coach Randy Carlyle midway through the season, despite being in contention for a playoff berth. Under Carlyle's interim coach Peter Horachek's interim captain, the team won only 9 of its 42 games, ending up in second place in the Eastern Conference and fourth last place in the league. Shanahan fired Horachek and the rest of the coaching staff on April 12, 2015, a day after the team's season ended, in comparison to GM Dave Nonis and several members of the team's scouting staff.

The Maple Leafs announced the appointment of Mike Babcock, a Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team Canada, as the team's new head coach on May 20, 2015. Babcock has agreed to a reported 8-year, $50 million deal, making him the highest-paid coach in the NHL's history. The Maple Leafs, led by Shanahan, drafted Mitch Marner 4th overall in the 2015 draft and sold forward Phil Kessel, the Maple Leafs' scoring leader for each of his six seasons on the team, to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a package that included a first-round pick and prospect Kasperi Kapanen. Lou Lamoriello, the Maple Leafs' long-serving New Jersey Devils GM, was hired by the Maple Leafs on July 24, 2015.

Despite Babcock and Lamoriello's new off-ice structure, the Maple Leafs playing squad remained unimpressive and ended near the bottom of the standings, finishing last in the league. However, the season brought some hope as prospects William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown, and Zach Hyman made their NHL debuts. The Maple Leafs took the top pick in the 2016 draft and drafted Auston Matthews with that pick at the end of the season. Dion Phaneuf, the team's captain, was also traded to the Ottawa Senators mid-season, but his position as captain will remain unchanged for another three seasons.

As the Maple Leafs iced a youthful roster led by top prospects Matthews and Marner, as well as Nylander, who became a full-time NHL regular throughout the season, expectations remained low going into the 2016-17 season. Despite this, the team made the playoffs for the first time in recent history, led by Matthews' 40-goal season, as well as Marner and Nylander's good rookie seasons (61 points each). In a six-game first-round series, they lost to the heavily favored Washington Capitals, the President's Trophy winners. The Maple Leafs grew to be a player in the NHL for the next three years, with Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Morgan Rielly as the team's foundation, but they were unable to advance past the first round each season.

When Lamoriello retired from the organization for the New York Islanders and assistant GM Kyle Dubas, Shanahan's first big hire since he first arrived, was promoted to replace him. As center John Tavares joined the Maple Leafs on a 7-year deal, another big deal happened in free agency in 2018. Shanahan also approved Dubas' decision to fire Babcock in November 2019, despite a slow start to the 2019-20 season and the recruitment of Sheldon Keefe to replace him.

Shanahan's restoration of the Maple Leafs has been dubbed "the Shanaplan" by Maple Leafs fans, and the team has been lauded for the process by which he rebuilt the team, rather than signing older players for a quick fix. However, Dubas and he have been under scrutiny for several 1st round exits; the Leafs as a team have not advanced to the second round of the postseason since 2004.

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Awards and honours

• Three-time Stanley Cup champion – 1997, 1998, 2002;
• Played in the NHL All-Star Game – 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2007 (captain);
• Named to the NHL first All-Star team in 1994 and 2000;
• Named to the NHL second All-Star team in 2002;
• Awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2003;
• Won the Primus Challenge Bowl with World-Stars team in 2004;
• Led NHL in short-handed goals in 1994;
• Led NHL in powerplay goals in 1997;
• Second-most goals by a left winger – 656;
• Second-most consecutive 20 goal seasons – 19;
• Only player with over 600 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes;
• Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
• Holds unofficial record for most Gordie Howe hat tricks by a player during the regular season (17).