Brendan Shanahan downplays roles of hitting, fighting in today's game
Despite the way he himself played throughout his career, Toronto Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan doesn't see a big role for hitting and fighting in today's hockey game. Shanahan recently appeared on the podcast "Smartless" hosted by actors Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, where he made it clear the game has changed.
"The way (today), I think, is not necessarily the way I played," Shahanan said. "I know people get pissed off at me when I say stuff like this, but I don't get excited to see a big hit. I get excited when I see a big goal."
"I don't want to see any of these young guys on the ice getting carried off (on a stretcher). I don't get off on it," he added.
Shanahan also talked about fighting in today's hockey, stating he doesn't think it's needed.
"If I see a fight in hockey and it's because someone was protecting somebody or somebody was bullying somebody and you're addressing it, there's probably still a place for that in hockey. But using it as a tool to intimidate or hurt, I don't know, it's going away from that," Shanahan explained.
Shanahan was a great offensive player during his time on the ice but never shied away from the physical aspects of the game. He was well-known for hitting, fighting, getting into scrums and chirping his opponents as much as possible to get under their skin. Given that, it is interesting to hear him make these comments. Evidently, he has changed since becoming an executive rather than a player.
Source: SmartLess
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| Jonathan Marchessault | 1 | - | 1 | |
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| Jake Sanderson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Thomas Chabot | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Claude Giroux | - | 1 | 1 | |
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| Vinnie Hinostroza | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Roman Josi | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan O'Reilly | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Tim Stutzle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mike Amadio | - | - | - | |
| Drake Batherson | - | - | - | |
| Anton Forsberg | - | - | - | |
| Kevin Gravel | - | - | - | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 54 | 37 | 14 | 3 | 77 | |
Capitals | 52 | 34 | 11 | 7 | 75 | |
Stars | 52 | 34 | 17 | 1 | 69 | |
Oilers | 52 | 32 | 16 | 4 | 68 | |
Hurricanes | 53 | 32 | 17 | 4 | 68 | |
Golden Knights | 53 | 31 | 16 | 6 | 68 | |
Panthers | 54 | 32 | 19 | 3 | 67 | |
Wild | 53 | 31 | 18 | 4 | 66 | |
Maple Leafs | 52 | 31 | 19 | 2 | 64 | |
Avalanche | 54 | 31 | 21 | 2 | 64 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||