Brendan Frederick Shanahan (born January 23, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player who currently serves as the president and alternate governor for the Toronto Maple Leafs, having previously served as the director of player safety for the National Hockey League (NHL). Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils second overall in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, Shanahan played in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils (two stints), St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers.
While playing with the Red Wings, he won three Stanley Cup championships (1997, 1998, 2002). In 2017 Shanahan was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
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 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 was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 8, 2013, as a member of the Red Wings.
The son of Irish parents, Rosaleen and Donal (d. 1990), Shanahan also excelled in lacrosse. His father was a firefighter and later Chief of Fire Prevention in the city of Toronto. As a youth, he played in the 1982 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Mississauga. He grew up in Etobicoke (now a part of Toronto), where he attended St. Leo's Catholic School and his family attended St. Leo's Roman Catholic Church. Shanahan briefly attended Catholic Central High School in London, Ontario, where he graduated.
Shanahan 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 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) gold medal in 1985.
Shanahan married his wife Catherine on July 4, 1998, and the couple has three children together. Shanahan became an American citizen on May 17, 2002. Shanahan has also had small roles in a few films. He appeared in a generic role in Me, Myself & Irene starring Canadian actor Jim Carrey.
1987-1991 |
1991-1995 |
1992-2006 |
1994-1995 |
1996-2006 |
2006-2008 |
2008-2009 |
| Detroit Red Wings | Appearances | NHL | 2005-2006 | 88 |
| Detroit Red Wings | Assists | NHL | 2005-2006 | 42 |
| Detroit Red Wings | Goals | NHL | 2005-2006 | 41 |
| Detroit Red Wings | Points | NHL | 2005-2006 | 83 |