Former Rangers star returning to NHL in Hockey Ops department
Brendan Shanahan, whose Hall of Fame career included two seasons with the New York Rangers, is joining the NHL’s Hockey Operations Department.
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported Thursday that Shanahan is set to take the job following 11 years as the president and alternate governor of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who did not renew his contract following a second-round playoff loss to the Florida Panthers in May. His tenure ended with just two playoff series victories by the Maple Leafs, who have not won the Stanley Cup or even made the Final since their last championship in 1967 – the final season of the NHL’s Original Six.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to Postmedia on Friday that Shanahan will be taking a position with the Hockey Ops department.
It’s his second hitch with the NHL; he worked for the league from 2009, when he retired as a player, to 2014, when he joined the Leafs. Shanahan initially worked in NHL business development, then replaced Colin Campbell as senior vice president of player safety in June 2011 to help police the game based on his vast experience as a scorer and scrapper.
“We are excited to have him back,” Daly told Postmedia via email. “We understand that this may not be where he stays long-term, but Shanny’s overall level of hockey knowledge and experience is hard to duplicate and will clearly add value.”
Shanahan will spend time in the NHL’s New York and offices, according to Dreger. “He’ll also attend general manager meetings, board meetings, no question about that, in an advisory capacity, another experienced voice as part of that process.”
Shanahan was nearly 37 when he signed with the Rangers as a free agent on July 8, 2006. But he showed he had plenty left in the tank by scoring 29 goals and finishing with 62 points in 67 games. He also had his final NHL hat trick with the Rangers against the New York Islanders on Dec. 3, 2006.
In the spring of 2007, Shanahan also had five goals and seven points in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games, helping the Rangers win a series for the first time since 1997.
His offensive numbers dropped to 23 goals and 46 points in 2007-08; he had one goal and five points in 10 playoff games.
Brendan Shanahan rejoining NHL in Hockey Ops department
He finished his playing career with the New Jersey Devils in 2008-09 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013. Shanahan won the Cup three times with the Detroit Red Wings and finished his career with 656 goals and 1,354 points in 1,524 games. He is 14th all-time in goals, 28th in points and 20th in games played. He’s the only player in league history with more than 600 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes, and he was named as one of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players in 2017,
With the Leafs, Shanahan oversaw the hiring of coaches Mike Babcock, Sheldon Keefe and Craig Berube, as well as general managers Lou Lamoriello, Kyle Dubas, and Brad Treliving.
Under Shanahan, the Maple Leafs reached the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons (2016-25), the longest active streak in the NHL. However, their continuing playoff struggles eventually cost him his job; he was informed in late May that he would not be retained when his contract expired at the end of June. The announcement came a few days after the Leafs were steamrolled 6-1 at home by the Panthers in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series.
“While I am proud of the rebuild we embarked on starting in 2014, ultimately, I came here to help win the Stanley Cup, and we did not,” Shanahan said after the decision to let him go was announced. “There is nothing more I wanted to deliver to our fans, and my biggest regret is that we could not finish the job.”
Following his departure, the Maple Leafs granted the Islanders permission to speak with Shanahan on possibly taking a role with their front office. But he wasn’t hired and Mathieu Darche was named general manager and executive vice president.
Dreger also noted that despite his new role, Shanahan could make a move to an NHL front office in the future.
“But I also believe he’s following a path that Ken Holland went down not that long ago as well en route to becoming the general manager of the Los Angeles Kings,” he said. “So, if an opportunity presents, whereby a team decides it’s going to make a significant change atop its hockey department, I would suggest that Brendan Shanahan would be a leading candidate for a job like that as well.”
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