This is the second in a series brought to you by Kerri and Christina (Lucky13).
Today’s episode: Brendan Shanahan
Currently #14 of the NYR, Brendan Shanahan holds a long NHL career that spans over 20 years and 5 franchises. He was the first round draft pick of the NJ Devils back in 1987, and he went on to play 4 seasons with them. He played another 4 seasons with the St. Louis Blues, 2 seasons with the Hartford Whalers (predecessors to the Carolina Hurricanes), and ten with the Detroit Red Wings. He has become known for his leadership, both on and off the ice, which helped him earn the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2003. This award also recognized his humanitarian contribution to the community. Brendan is an 8-time all-star, three-time Stanley Cup winner (with Detroit), and he also participated in the Olympics in 1998 and 2002 playing for Canada. He is one of only three players in NHL history to win an Olympic gold medal and the Stanley Cup in the same year. He is also among the nine players who have 17 seasons of 20+ goals.
The Rangers acquired Shanahan when he signed as a free agent during the 2006 off-season. He was named an alternate captain and went on to become one of the leading scorers for the Rangers during the 06-07 season. Despite missing 15 games due to a concussion he suffered following a nasty collision with Philly’s Mike Knuble, Shanny notched several accomplishments during the season. These include registering 62 points, which ranked him 4th on the team in scoring. Among these were three SHGs, 14 PPGs, and three game-winning goals. He was also named the EC captain to the All-Star team, and he achieved his 600th career NHL goal in his Rangers home debut.
Christina: As is typical with me, I never give the benefit of the doubt to a newly-knighted Ranger if he has previously established himself as the opposition. Being that Shanny (took me a long time to get to calling him that – I started out calling him Brenda) was a Devil for 4 years, the hole was deep. It took me about two-thirds of the season to get past that and see him for the tremendous leader that he is. He’s no diva, and does nothing for me in the eye candy department, but I learned to love his reliability on the ice, and it was obvious that he had earned the respect of his teammates, especially the younger ones. I also admire the family man in him (I won’t get into the wife-stealing part – his wife was previously married to another NHLer) as he is Dad to 3 young kids. He is an older player by NHL standards, but he’s still feisty enough to step in and protect his team while maintaining his leadership. IMO, the “A” on his jersey should be replaced by the “C”.
Kerri: Shanny, Shanny, Shanny. What can I say? The man brought everything this team needed last season. Goals. Leadership. Grit. I love him so much I named my puppy after him. (I’m not sure if I should admit that in public; in any case, my Shanahan just turned 3 months!) On top of it, Shanahan sought the Rangers out. He came to us. I love every little bit of that story and I love every little bit Shanny brings. Now, he’s not perfect. Shanahan has struggled in the scoring department this season (in comparison to his usual self) and seems to shy away from contact more than usual. Although it might have been an unnecessary move at the time, I hope his fight with Ott (Stars) brings the grit back to Shanny, like he had last year. Jagr and Lundqvist brought this team from the dumps to glory, so I wouldn’t kick Jagr out of his (deserved) seat of Captain just yet, but Shanahan is the best A a team could ask for… and works well behind and along side our captain, never asking for the glory. I love this guy, almost as much as I’d love him to win just one more Cup… with the Rangers. :-P
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
It’s Meet the Rangers – part deux
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6 comments:
Despite my virulent hate for Jagr, I think Shanny is a good guy who matured a lot over the years.
Ok, off topic here but still about the Rangers: did you guys see Jagr interview that Paul Kukla has up? http://hfboards.com/showpost.php?p=11369074&postcount=1
I agree. Shanny has matured a lot over the years, and he gives a lot back to the community. He is also well-spoken, entertaining, and intelligent, which breaks up the monotony of the "umm, yeah, we played a good game..."
Jagr can kiss my ass. I've never liked him, and I don't foresee myself changing my mind.
"did you guys see Jagr interview that Paul Kukla has up?"
Skimmed it - yeah, he's terse. Not the most engaging responses. I am the last person to defend JJ, but for crissakes, there's always a mike in his face, especially when he's in a slump (he lost a mouthful of teeth during one game, and they still peppered him with questions afterward). We all know he's moody, so I don't expect a better response from him coming off 2 stinky losses.
That interview is an eye opener about the state of the Rangers, if you read it carefully...
Well. The C is not producing, and he will take the most of the blame. But there are others who have blame to share, and I wonder if there is a real soap-opera mess behind the Rangers this season.
I think the soap opera thing is overrated with the Rangers. Anytime you have such an overblown media, such as NY and Toronto, things are bound to be portrayed differently. When they're winning, nobody talks. When they're losing, it's the end of the world. On another note, Shanahan is a great guy, and a real stand up Ranger. You can get the sense that he is the team behind the scenes.
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