Brendan Shanahan
GP: 716
G: 309
A: 324
PTS: 633
Brendan Shanahan was originally drafted 2nd overall to the New Jersey Devils in 1987. Shanahan played two seasons for the London Knights (OHL) before turning professional with New Jersey.
Shanahan played four years in New Jersey, four years in St. Louis and parts of two seasons in Hartford before being traded to Detroit two games into the 1996-97 season. Shanahan was an alternate captain with Detroit for nine seasons.
In 21 NHL seasons, Shanahan played 1,524 games and scored 656 goals and 1,354 regular season points. Shanahan also played in the playoffs 19 times, playing in 184 games and scoring 134 points.
Shanahan was a three-time Stanley Cup Champion with Detroit. He was also named to NHL First All-Star Team twice and the Second All-Star Team once. In 2003-04, Shanahan won the King Clancy Trophy which is the NHL Leadership-Humanitarian Award. In 2006-07, Shanahan played in his only NHL All-Star game.
Internationally, in 1987, Shanahan played for Canada in the World Junior Championships. He also represented Canada in one Canada Cup tournament, one World Cup, two World Championships (winning Gold in 1994), and two Olympic Games (winning Gold in 2002).
In 2013-14, Shanahan was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
I was fortunate enough to meet Shanahan at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto during Nicklas Lidstrom‘s Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2015. I found him to be easy to talk to and a genuine person during our brief encounter.
Today, Brendan Shanahan is entering his 8th season as President of the Toronto Maple Leafs.