Brendan Shanahan

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Brendan Shanahan bigraphy, stories - Ice hockey player

Brendan Shanahan : biography

1969-1-23 –

Brendan Frederick "Shanny" Shanahan (born January 23, 1969) is the National Hockey League’s Vice President of Hockey and Business Development and Director of Player Safety. Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils second overall in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, Shanahan played with the St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and New Jersey Devils, winning three Stanley Cup championships with the Red Wings. 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 Team 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 currently works in the NHL office as the league’s vice president of hockey and business operations.

Film cameos

Shanahan has also had small roles in a few films. He appeared in a generic role in Me, Myself & Irene starring Jim Carrey.

Personal life/family

The son of Irish parents, Rosaleen and Donal, he also excelled in lacrosse.http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Lacrosse/2005/02/04/920499.html He grew up in Mimico, Ontario, a neighbourhood of Etobicoke (now Toronto), where he attended St. Leo’s Catholic School. The family attended St. Leo’s Roman Catholic Church (in Mimico). He 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 OFSAA gold medal in 1985.

Shanahan married his wife Catherine on July 4, 1998. They have three children. Shanahan became a United States citizen on May 17, 2002. He lives in New York City during the on-season.

His cousin is the wife of Irish comedian, Neil Delamere. He also has an uncle named John who is currently the superintendent of Toronto Catholic District School Board representing St. Patrick Catholic Secondary School in East Toronto.

Playing career

Start in New Jersey (1988 – 1991)

Shanahan was drafted by the New Jersey Devils second overall in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft after Pierre Turgeon. Expectations for Shanahan were high after a stellar career with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), with whom his number 19 has been retired. In his rookie season with the Devils, in 1987–88, he scored 26 points in 65 games as an 18-year-old. The following season, in 1988–89, he improved to 22 goals and 50 points. In his third NHL season, he emerged as a point-per-game producer with 72 points in 73 games and a top scorer with the Devils; his 30 goals finished tied for second in team goal-scoring behind John MacLean. In his fourth and final year of his initial stint with the Devils in 1990–91, he scored 29 goals and 66 points. At the age of 22, Shanahan was already an established scorer in the NHL. He had also played well in the Devils’ playoff runs.

To the St. Louis Blues (1991 – 1995)

Becoming a free agent following the 1990–91 season, Shanahan was signed by the St. Louis Blues on July 25, 1991. According to the collective bargaining agreement, he was a restricted free-agent, and therefore, the Devils were due compensation. Ordinarily, this compensation would be in the form of draft picks, but the Blues already owed four first-round draft picks to the Washington Capitals for signing defenceman Scott Stevens the previous year. The Blues made an offer for compensation that consisted of Curtis Joseph, Rod Brind’Amour and two draft picks even further down the road. However, the Devils were only interested in Scott Stevens. An arbitrator eventually decided that Stevens was to be the compensation, so Shanahan joined the Blues in exchange for Scott Stevens.