Brendan Shanahan is known as one of the best players ever to play in the NHL. Besides being an elite scorer, he was also a tough competitor who would drop the gloves against anyone who wanted to go. One time, he fought Donald Brashear — but before they started scrapping, Shanahan uttered five words that still make him cringe.
During his 21 years in the NHL, Shanahan tallied a total of 1,354 points and won three Stanley Cups. He was also someone who never hesitated to drop the gloves, no matter who was on the other side. He fought the likes of Bob Probert, Marty McSorley, Rick Tocchet, Martin Lapointe — and Donald Brashear. Shanahan remains the only player in NHL history to record over 600 goals (656) and over 2,000 penalty minutes (2,489).
READ MORE: Donald Brashear makes comeback at age 53
Brendan Shanahan fighting Donald Brashear
Speaking to ESPN back in 2013, Shanahan recalled the fight that took place in December 2006. Jaromir Jagr was captaining the New York Rangers at the time, and Brashear — then with the Washington Capitals — took some liberties with Jagr. That didn’t sit right with Shanahan, who decided to take action. He challenged Brashear, who actually gave Shanahan a chance to withdraw his challenge — something Shanahan wasn’t interested in.
Five word response
Instead, Shanahan said five words he still finds cheesy:
“It was something like, ‘Give me your best shot,’” Shanahan told ESPN.
However, he likes to downplay his own toughness.
“If something was happening on the ice that required dropping the gloves, it was probably better for our whole team if Joey Kocur did it. But I didn’t want to wait for anyone to do the job that was in front of me,” Shanahan told ESPN.
Spoken like a true legend of the game!
READ MORE: Brendan Shanahan’s pre-draft response got the Devils to draft him
