- Born
- Birth nameBrendan Frederick Shanahan
- Nicknames
- Shan The Man
- Shanny
- Height6′ 3″ (1.91 m)
- Brendan Shanahan was born and raised in the west side of Toronto in Mimico, Ontario.
After two years with the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights, Shanahan was drafted with the second overall pick by the New Jersey Devils in 1987. He would go on to play 21 seasons in the NHL with the Devils, St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers.
Over the course of his career he captured three Stanley Cup Championships in addition to an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship gold medal and a Canada Cup title as a part of Team Canada. A combination of skill and toughness, Shanahan is the only player in League history to score over 600 goals (656) and also rack up over 2,000 penalty minutes (2,489). His streak of 19 consecutive seasons with 20 or more goals is surpassed only by Gordie Howe. In 2013, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
He was the recipient of the NHL's King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2003, an annual award presented to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice while making a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.
Upon retiring at age 40, Shanahan spent the next five years working at the League office in New York City, initially as Vice President of Hockey and Business Development and later as Senior Vice President of Player Safety and Hockey Operations. At the conclusion of the 2013-14 season, he accepted the role of President and Alternate Governor of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- IMDb mini biography by: NHL.com
- SpouseCatherine Janney(July 4, 1998 - present) (3 children)
- New Jersey Devils 1988-1991, St. Louis Blues 1992-1995, Hartford Whalers 1996, Detroit Red Wings 1997-2006, New York Rangers 2006-2008, New Jersey Devils 2009.
- An 8-time NHL All Star.
- NHL First Team All Star 1994.
- Played for Team Canada in the 1998 and 2002 Olympics, including a Gold Medal in 2002.
- Became 3rd player in NHL History to win a Gold Medal and Stanley Cup in same season, Only Shanahan, Steve Yzerman (2002, Canada & Detroit Red Wings) and Ken Morrow (1980 USA & New York Islanders) accomplished the feat.
- I think hockey is the best of all sports and I'm fiercely protective of it.
- [on hockey] I never woke up when I was a player and said, 'Tonight I'm going to hurt somebody'. The game is fast, the game is passionate. And some players have a certain style that will occasionally take them over the line. These are not bad people or bad guys. They play a passionate sport and they are sometimes asked to walk a very fine line.
- What I'm trying to eliminate, and I believe the management and players want me to eliminate, are illegal and dangerous checks. There's still a place in hockey for a big, hard, clean check, and I want to protect that. This truly is an art - an art of courage and timing.
- [on being appointed NHL senior vice-president of player safety] The fact that I played the game for twenty-one years, and the way I played, to me says I would guard and protect its physicality and intensity. But I do believe the game can be safer. And that's why I think I'm the right person for the job.
- [on discipline in hockey] There'll always be those who think every decision is too much, and there will be those who think every decision is too little. I try to keep my focus on the goal: keeping hockey physical and entertaining and passionate. But I think it can also be safer.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
