Before I even get into Shanny’s breakdown, YES I am well aware, and in agreement, of Sergei Fedorov’s #91 being raised to the rafters and that it is well overdue.
Now let’s talk about a rather underrated Red Wings legend. Brendan Shanahan really did it all from the punishing hits, to timely goals and everything that came with Shanny’s game. He was one of the hardest working Red Wings, and you knew what you were going to get from him every night no matter who he was playing with or who was on the Red Wings at that time.
He led the greatest hockey team of all-time, the 2001-02 Red Wings, in points (75) and goals (37). He also had 74 career playoff points for Detroit, 45 of them coming in the three Stanley Cup years. He produced two playoff OT winners as a Red Wing and added 10 hat tricks while wearing the Winged Wheel as well (all regular season) Brendan Shanahan is a 3x Stanley Cup Champion with Detroit, Olympic Gold medalist in 2002 for Team Canada, an 8x All-Star, 2x NHL 1st All-Star Team, 1x NHL 2nd All-Star Team and a Hockey Hall of Famer.
As for where he ranks among in Red Wings history, he’s 9th all-time for goals and 10th all-time in points. The knock on retiring #14 would simply be that he only played 9 out of 21 years in Detroit. Despite that, Shanahan’s entire career was a legendary one, and the peak of his career happened during his time in Detroit. He ranks 14th in NHL history in goals and 26th all-time in points. He truly is one of the most underrated, greatest players of all-time and the fact there isn’t more of a discussion on retiring #14 kind of surprises me.
Here’s a comparison using Shanahan’s numbers vs. Sid Abel and Alex Delvecchio. This is in no way trying to discredit these Red Wings legends. It’s simply just a comparison to see where Shanahan stands among them and if he meets the criteria to have his number retired.
#14 Brendan Shanahan
Red Wings (9 Seasons): 716 GP, 309 G, 324 A, +144, 115 PPG, 12.1% SH
Awards/Honors with Red Wings: 3x Stanley Cup, 6x All-Star, 1x NHL 1st Team All-Star, 1x NHL 2nd Team All-Star
NHL (21 Seasons): 1,524 GP, 656 G, 698 A, +151, 237 PPG, 12.9% SH
#12 Sid Abel
Red Wings (12 Seasons): 570 GP, 183 G, 280 A, 47 PPG, n/a SH%
Awards/Honors with Red Wings: 3x Stanley Cup, 1x Hart, 2x NHL 1st Team All-Star, 2x NHL 2nd Team All-Star
NHL (14 Seasons): 612 GP, 188 G, 284 A, 49 PPG, n/a SH%
#10 Alex Delvecchio
Red Wings (24 Season): 1,550 GP (All with Detroit), 456 G, 825 A, 111 PPG, 10.1% SH
Awards/Honors with Red Wings: 3x Stanley Cup, 13x All-Star, 2x NHL 2nd Team All-Star
I personally believe that Shanahan’s number should be retired. He’s certainly one of the more underrated Red Wings greats of all time. I do understand that there will be concerns because he only spent nine seasons here, and it was less than 50% of his entire career. However, it could very easily be argued the Red Wings would not have had the success they did without the help of Brendan Shanahan.
He brought it every single night, and his numbers back that up. Sure he only played nine seasons in Detroit, but think of how much he did during those nine years. The Fedorov dispute is still the focal point of Red Wings retired numbers, and rightfully so. But apart from that, Brendan Shanahan deserves a spot in the rafters at Little Caesars arena.
Should the Red Wings retire Brendan Shanahan’s #14?
| Yes | 775 |
| No | 522 |
