James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
While these days he is most known for his videos explaining player suspensions, Brendan Shanahan was one of the most dominant players in the NHL during the 1990s and early 2000s. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Tuesday afternoon.
Shanahan was one of the best snipers in the league during his 22 year career. While he wasn’t the flashiest of players he was also productive and good for lighting the lamp. He is most remembered for his time with the Detroit Red Wings where he won three Stanley Cups. Shanahan joined the Rangers in the 2006 season. While he was not the feared goal scorer he once was, he still was a productive top six forward that brought unmatched experience and leadership qualities to the table.
He started off his New York Rangers career with a bang by scoring his 600th goal in his first game as a blueshirt. He was a captain for the 2007 All-Star game as a Ranger, and he was also the Rangers assistant captain. In two years with the Rangers he never put up more than 65 points but was still a valued player.
While I mainly saw Shanahan play in the blue and red he will mostly be remembered as a Red Wing. He was an instrumental piece to their dynasty in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He can also be credited with helping bring along many legendary Red Wing players such as Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg.
There was no doubt that Shanahan was going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He is one of the best players to play the game over the past 30 years.
