|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE MEDIA CONFERENCEDecember 3, 2009Brendan ShanahanDAVID KEON: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm David Keon of the National Hockey League's public relations department, and I'd like to welcome you to today's call. Our guest is the National Hockey League's newly-named vice president of hockey and business development, Brendan Shanahan. Thanks to Brendan for taking the time to join us and answer your questions. Brendan announced his retirement November 17 last month. He was a six-time 40?goal scorer, retired as the league's 11th leading goal scorer with 656, and is 23rd leading point producer with 1,354 in 21 seasons. He played on the Red Wings championship teams in 1997, 1998 and 2002. He won an Olympic gold medal with Canada at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. He was voted to first All-Star team in '93?'94 and '99?2000, and the second team in 2001?2002. We thank him for taking the time to join us and answer your questions today. Q. Congratulations on the new position. You obviously have been interested in this type of thing dating back to around the lockout when you kind of helped with that summit. First of all, how do you think the changes that you guys talked about at the time in the game have transformed on the ice, and I mean, how much more do you think needs to be done or should we be happy with the product we have now? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: Well, I think that the players have really adapted well. Obviously we knew at the time it was going to take time, not just for the players, but for the referees and for the fans. But when you look at the game now, especially the young players who are coming into the game, where it's obvious that they have been playing the style since they were 14, 15 years old; the skill level and the ability of some of these young guys and the things they can do with the puck and stick are just really amazing. And then I also think that there's still been a place and a role for physical players. I think that you know, intelligent, skilled players, whether they are scorers or bangers or defenders have found a place with these new rules. Q. As a follow-up, do you plan on jumping into this head shot issue right away? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: Well, I think that right away, I'm coming to work, and whatever the issues are that day, I will always be willing to weigh in. I think another follow-up to one of your previous questions is that I think the players evolve and the game evolves. I think that there are really no finish lines as far as the rules go, because different -- like you just mentioned, head shots, different issues, do evolve over time. We have now -- I think it's going to be always constantly monitored. I think one of the greatest things our sport has is a competition committee where the players are actually on the ice as well as the experienced people like the managers, can sit in a room and discuss what types of improvements can be made. So absolutely. Whatever the issues are of the day, I would like and hope to be involved with. Q. I'm just curious, were you approached by the PA or were there any thoughts on kind of helping out on that end where there seemed to be a leadership void? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: Well, of my 21 seasons in the NHL, I was probably a player rep for 17 or 18 of them. So I've always had a real concern and care for the NHLPA and I always will. But the truth of matter is that I wasn't approached by anybody. I had some friends and some former teammates who had brought the idea up to me, and I always appreciated -- sometimes just I would read things or hear things, and I always appreciated the support of people I had played with. But as far as somebody officially reaching out to me, that wasn't done. Q. Were you disappointed by that? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: You know what, I think I'm not disappointed about I that. I think that, you know, it wasn't that long ago I was focusing on a 22nd season in the NHL, so I haven't really had time to start looking for other jobs. I was approached by some people for different things. I thought that this opportunity with the NHL was just a really exciting way for me to stay involved with the game that I've committed myself to and represent the game in a way -- you know, it's funny, we have got some great people at hockey operations, but I think it was Colin Campbell who brought this up: None of them played under the current rules that we have. So I really felt that New York was a great fit. Obviously I live here. My children go to school here. So it was a great fit for me personally. But professionally, I just thought that this gives me an opportunity to have an impact on the game of hockey. Q. The question I have for you is a lot of your contemporaries are general managers or general managers in waiting; do you want to get into that? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: You know I haven't really thought about that much. Like I just said, it has not been that long since I've left the ice. I'm the same way I approached my job as a player; you know, you certainly -- as much as you have goals and aspirations as a player, you take care of the work that's put in front of you that day at that time, or you'll be overlooking it. Right now, I'm just really excited about doing my job here at the NHL and having an opportunity to work on the hockey side but also learn the business side. I really see myself at this point, like a lot of my friends who have left the game and stepped into management, I communicate with them a lot. There's so much to be learned and I really feel that, you know, on a day like today, I really am excited about the opportunity to learn so much here. I'll be seeing a lot of the off?ice business, but I'll be watching a lot of games and it's also my intention to be at a lot of games. Q. One other question. A lot of guys when they retire, they like to take a year off to decompress and stuff, but you're jumping back into it. A lot of players say, I've been a player my whole life, maybe I'll just sit back for a while, did you think about that? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: Probably if I didn't have the experience of the last lockout, I may have wanted to do that. But I learned at that time, and obviously I got involved with the meeting in Toronto for the rules and then formation of the competition committee; I realized at that time that I really like to work and I like to be busy and I like to be involved. You know, the other thing was last year, you know, you go back to my last game as a New York Ranger, which was in April or May of '08; then I didn't play last year until January at the end of those playoffs, I haven't played since then. So I've had a lot of time off. And I didn't really feel the need to decompress. I've done some decompressing over the last four or five years, and I really like to work. Q. Do you foresee or expect any role in the next C.B.A. from the management side now? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: Well, I think that's getting ahead. But my feeling is I haven't gone that far in my mind, like I said, I don't even -- I mentioned downstairs, I don't even know where the bathrooms are around here yet. I would expect that if I have some value that I'll be involved in wherever the NHL needs me. And you know, I will -- as I had said earlier, my commitment is to the game of hockey, and it always has been, and it's that honesty that I think that is one of the reasons why Gary brought me in here. So by the time that rolls around, we'll see. I'm going to be working in hockey and in the business development, so we'll see. Q. You mentioned it has not been that long since you were thinking of a 22nd season of playing; what are your feelings about the way that ended, one minute you are scoring a goal in a preseason game, and two days later you're off the team. Do you have any feelings about that now, and how did you deal with that? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: I would be lying if I said it didn't come as a little bit of a shock. Looking back now, I can say that although it was just an exhibition game, just sort of like another exhibition game that goes under the radar, you know, in a 2?1 game, I got the puck late in the third and scored a goal on the last shot I took on net. So that's not the worst way to finish. But I was disappointed. But at the same time, I immediately tried to focus on the future and moving ahead. You know, I've reached out to my teammates there, obviously, to thank them and tell them what a good experience I had there. But I think very shortly after getting over that initial shock, I started moving forward and thinking ahead. Q. This position, was that connected to your retirement announced a couple weeks ago when that happened, or was it totally unrelated? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: It was, but mostly I would be lying, also, if I said I didn't pursue and consider playing somewhere else. I think I did take some time away from the game to sort of really reflect on whether I wanted to go somewhere else and play a 22nd season. There was a couple of teams I was in contact with that were a little further away that had expressed some interest to my agent. In the end, I just -- whereas last season when I had not signed at the start of the year, I just had a burning desire to play and was determined to play. I think coming around this year with the option of leaving my family and moving away and playing somewhere else, it just didn't really appeal to me. So I sort of had one skate on still, but for the most part, I was looking at sort of stepping out and retiring. And I leaned on some of my old teammates for advice and guidance through that. Steve Yzerman was a great help for me, and I did speak to some guys that I had played with who had gone through the experience of retiring. Q. I was wondering if your portfolio now involves off-ice things, as well, that may affect games? What I'm specifically asking about is the points system which the NHL uses, which is a major source of complaints that we hear from fans. Is that something that will come under your portfolio? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: The points system as far as like how points are given out during -- Q. Yeah. BRENDAN SHANAHAN: I'm sure it will. It's part of the game of hockey. I think that the -- from what my understanding is and just some of the people I've spoken to here, I think the NHL leans on a lot of different people in the office, not just in the hockey operations department as far as following trends. You know, I really do think if I do my job well, not only will -- I won't just be referring back to my own experiences but you know, it's my intention to really stay visible and communicate with the current players and the guys I played with, and the guys that I've played against. And you know, just really just try to stay involved and current with them, but not just draw from my own experience or the people here. So I do think that all of those things will, from my understanding, will fall under things I will be able to weigh in on. Q. So it's kind of a broad mandate that you have to look at the game as a whole? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: Absolutely. Q. I think you said you were player rep for the NHLPA for 17 seasons; is that right? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: Probably somewhere around 17 seasons I was a player rep or an assistant player rep. Q. I wanted to ask if you were involved in any of the recent conference calls regarding the firing of Paul Kelly. And I also wanted to ask, what's your feeling about what was going on in the union right before he retired? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: I wasn't a player rep or an assistant player rep for anything that had to do with (the) Paul Kelly firing. While I was in training camp with the New Jersey Devils, I did go on one phone call as an assistant to David Clarkson. But the moment that I was -- the moment I parted ways with the Devils, there was some phone calls after that where players had asked me to go on, but I didn't feel comfortable not being on a team's roster to go on those phone calls. Q. So you were not on any of those phone calls; is that what you are saying? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: I was on one call after the firing. I was on one conference call after the firing during training camp. Q. What's your feeling about what's going on at the union? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: Well, I mean, I'm obviously, like all players and former players, concerned, and have, you know, great concern for the NHL Players Association. You know, like I said, having been involved for so long, and being so closely -- I was a close friend of Ted Lindsay's, and I remember the sacrifices that he endured to have the union. I wanted the union to be strong, and I want the players to be represented honestly, and I want them -- obviously I want to see it as strong a union as possible. Q. I think a lot of people imagined that you would end up on television when you were done playing. Just wondered was, a, an opportunity presented to you; and b, was that not enough hands-on enough to be a more attractive situation? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: I was offered a role on one for the upcoming seaso, but I declined. Thank you for asking. No, seriously, I had some people that did call and it wasn't attractive. It certainly was not an attractive option. I really felt that this opportunity here was just a way to really sort of stay involved and have an impact on hockey. And I've been committed to hockey my whole life, whether it was being a little boy trying to play it and achieve -- make it to the NHL or just carrying on with my career. So I think that I thought that there would be more opportunities to have an impact, not to diminish anything that goes on on TV, but I just thought that this was a better fit. Q. Three issues I want to bring up to you. First of all, the points system, Jeff Klein says he has a complaint with the system and fans do. I don't have a complaint. Do you have a complaint with it? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: I actually, since that last question, I've changed it. I've been down to Gary's office, and I've formally submitted the change -- no, just kidding. Do I have a problem with it? I don't have a problem with it, and I think that -- but I will say this, as well. I think that all these -- every single rule and all of our changes are not set in stone. I think everything always has to be monitored for friends. The one thing that I do like about the way that the points system goes, is that there's so many teams that still feel that they are in it till the end. I think sometimes when I was on better teams, it was frustrating because you know, you want to get separation. You want to like distance yourself. But I've also been on teams that as late as March were in ninth, tenth, 11th place and we never felt out of. It we always felt there was a chance we were going to make it. And thus our fan base, the interest around the league, the interest in our team was always present. I think that it's a mistake when -- I think it would be a mistake if there were certain teams or franchises that by the middle of January were basically saying to fans, we are out, there's no chance of us catching these guys. Q. Second, what I call stupid sticks, sticks that cost 200 bucks and break just when a tying goal is going to be scored has happened with the Rangers. Do you have an issue with the composite sticks that are playing so often and the players abandoning the wooden sticks? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: Are you saying that that shot from the point was going to go in for sure? Q. Could have. The shot -- because Kovalchuk's stick broke -- inaudible -- and Colin White with Boston with ten seconds left, the stick breaks and the Bruins almost tied the game. It seems ridiculous. It seems as if somebody is getting a raw deal on these sticks. BRENDAN SHANAHAN: Well, I don't think -- I can see your frustration, and I was actually a traditionalist as far as sticks go. And it's embarrassing to call myself a traditionalist because I used an aluminum one for so long. But I did have the aluminum stick with a wood blade. But I just don't think you are ever going to convince the players to go back. What I do think players have to realize is what I used to do is if I ever got slashed or had a serious slash on the stick, even if it didn't break, if there's a nick on the stick or a nick in the shaft, at some point it's going to break on you. And like you were saying, sometimes not at the right time. But it's progress in some ways and I don't think you are ever going to convince players when you say these sticks are lighter and they shoot the puck harder you are never going to convince them to go back the other way. Q. What's your cure for the injury epidemic? BRENDAN SHANAHAN: Well, I think -- I remember -- I'll refer back to Scotty Bowman, the first time we won a Stanley Cup and somebody was asking him about the fact that our team, the Detroit Red Wings were so healthy he through the playoffs. He said not getting hurt, remaining healthy, is purely luck. And to a certain degree, that's true. I think that -- it would be irresponsible to just throw everything under that. I think that there are always injuries and things that you have to monitor and see, is there something we can do to improve the safety of the players on the ice. And that will be done. I hope -- I hope to add to that, as well. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|