Few people have ever played with the same power and finesse as Brendan Shanahan. He was one of the NHL’s top players for over 20 years, and one thing that really stood out was his physical play. He was the definition of a powerhouse on the ice, and during his career, he was in over 90 fights.
But he was more than just a fighter and a bully. He was also one of the best goal scorers the league has ever seen, and he scored an impressive 656 goals in 1524 played games. Shanahan is still the only player in NHL history to record more than 600 goals and 2000 penalty minutes, and it wasn’t to anybody’s surprise that he got inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.
Of course, Shanahan played with a lot of great players. Luc Robitaille and Steve Yzerman, for example.
When Shanahan reached 1000 points in the league, they ended up next to each other on the bench. As it was announced in the arena, the fans gave him a standing ovation. Shanahan tried to keep it cool.
“C’mon!” Robitaille and Yzerman told him, according to the book “Hockey Gods – The Inside Story of the Red Wings’ Hall of Fame Team.”
“Stand up! Wave!”
Shanahan did just as the two legends had asked. But he then saw the two of them turning.
“Sit down! A thousand points? Thats all?”
They knew what they were talking about, after all. Before that particular season even started, Robitaille had 1238 points, and Yzerman 1614.
“They were teasing me. They were telling me to do something, and when I finally acknowledged the fans, they made fun of me for that.”
