I can’t honestly say I wasn’t overly impressed with the recent appointment of Brendan Shanahan to the position of President and Alternate Governor for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a.k.a. ” The Greatest Team ” in hockey.
True, Shanahan was an exceptional player and a hockey guy throughout his life.
But so too was Ken Dryden and how well did that work out ? Actually, they’re still dealing with some of that fall out, aren’t they ?
Has Shanahan coached ? Has he scouted ? Has he managed ? Has he……
Truthfully, my biggest objection to Shanahan in any position dates back to 1996 when he essentially walked out on the Hartford Whalers.
There are many who will dispute my interpretation here, but what I recall is that Shanahan, the captain of the Whalers, made his desire to depart Hartford known just a handful of games into the regular season.
Now, this is your captain, your leader, who in the day was essentially chronicled as acting as if he was better than his teammates and somehow deserved better.
In my view then, true almost 20 years past, Shanahan didn’t lead, but rather he quit.
Quit on his team, a team that truly needed him, one of the worst sins a hockey player can ever commit.
From Hartford, Shanahan went on to glory with the Detroit Red Wings, winning multiple Stanley Cups, taking over as the head of NHL discipline and now comes to Toronto as President of the Leafs.
I’d rather see Ken Dryden again.
At least when Dryden walked away from Montreal, he was finished, not quitting.
I’m Fred Wallace