Brendan Shanahan

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Shanahan was drafted by the New Jersey Devils second overall in the 1987 NHL entry draft after Pierre Turgeon. 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. Becoming a free agent following the 1990–91 season, Shanahan was signed by the St. Louis Blues on July 25, 1991. The Devils matched the offer sheet, then traded Shanahan to the Blues for Scott Stevens as compensation. Shanahan's first season for the Blues yielded similar statistics to his seasons with the Devils, but he reached another level in 1992–93 with 51 goals and 94 points in 71 games. Continuing at that pace the next season, in 1993–94, he recorded personal bests of 52 goals, 50 assists and 102 points. In addition to leading the Blues in points, he was named to the 1994 NHL All-Star Game at mid-season and the NHL first All-Star team at the end of the year. After four seasons with the Blues, on July 27, 1995, Shanahan was traded to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for defenceman Chris Pronger, succeeding Pat Verbeek as team captain. In Shanahan's only full season for Hartford, he scored a team-high 44 goals and 78 points and for his efforts was selected to the 1996 All-Star Game. With the uncertainty of the franchise, however, Shanahan requested a trade, and on October 9, 1996, just two games into the 1996–97 season, he was moved with Brian Glynn to the Detroit Red Wings for forward Keith Primeau, defenseman Paul Coffey, and a first round draft pick.

In Their Own Story

The 2001–02 season provided the most dramatic moments of Shanahan's Detroit career. On January 12, 2002, he scored two goals against Marty Turco in a 4–2 victory over the Dallas Stars to record his 1,000th NHL point. Just weeks later, on March 23, he scored the game-winning goal against Patrick Roy in a 2–0 shutout of Colorado, clinching the Presidents' Trophy for Detroit as the top-ranked regular season team. That summer, Shanahan won Olympic gold with Team Canada in Salt Lake City before returning to cap off his third Stanley Cup run. He returned with a vengeance in 2005–06, tallying 40 goals and 81 points, his third-highest total among Red Wings that season.

Reader's Guide

Shanahan finished off the 1996–97 season with his usual productivity, scoring a total of 47 goals for the season, and being named to the 1997 NHL All-Star Game. In the 1997 playoffs, he also contributed with nine goals and eight assists, helping the Red Wings to their first Stanley Cup since 1955. They repeated as Cup champions the next year, despite an off season for Shanahan in which he managed just 57 points. The following season, in 1998–99, Shanahan continued at that pace with 58 points, but was still invited to another All-Star Game. Entering the 1999 playoffs as back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, the Red Wings were eliminated by the rival Colorado Avalanche. The next year, in 1999–2000, Shanahan scored 41 goals, indicating a return to his usual form, however, the Red Wings were once again eliminated by the Avalanche in the 2000 playoffs. After the season, he was named to the first All-Star team for the second time in his career. He followed up his resurgent season scoring 76 points in 2000–01, but Detroit was upset in the first round of the 2001 playoffs by the Los Angeles Kings. The 2001–02 season was a banner one for both Shanahan and the Red Wings. Having picked up future Hall of Famers Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, and Dominik Hašek in the off-season, the team was primed to win its third Cup since 1997. They cruised to victory and Shanahan continued to play a big role in their success, scoring 37 goals during the regular season and 19 points in their ultimately victorious Stanley Cup run. Shanahan also picked up an Olympic gold medal in Salt Lake City with Team Canada and was named to the second NHL All-Star team. The season was also of particular statistical significance for Shanahan, as shortly preceding his Olympic gold medal victory, he recorded his 1,000th point in the NHL after scoring two goals against Marty Turco in a 4–2 victory over the Dallas Stars on January 12, 2002. Later in the season, Shanahan also reached the 500-goal mark, scoring the game winning goal against Patrick Roy in a 2–0 victory over Colorado on March 23. The win also clinched Detroit a Presidents' Trophy as the top-ranked regular season team. In the season following Detroit's third Stanley Cup, Shanahan scored 30 goals and 68 points and won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his humanitarian efforts. In the following season, however, his production dipped to 25 goals a

Did You Know?

• Shanahan was traded from Hartford to Detroit alongside Brian Glynn for Keith Primeau, Paul Coffey, and a first-round draft pick.
• In the 1997 playoffs, Shanahan recorded nine goals and eight assists (17 points), not nine points.
• Shanahan's 500th goal was scored on March 23, 2002, and the win clinched the Presidents' Trophy for Detroit.
• Shanahan was named to the NHL All-Star Game in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2002 while with Detroit (five times).
• Shanahan was named to the NHL first All-Star team in 1994 and 2000, and to the second All-Star team in 2002.