Shanny Q&A via Players Tribune

[CarltonTheBear]

The Players Tribune posted their most recent Tribune Mailbag feature, and this time it has our very own Brendan Shanahan answering questions submitted by fans. Worth a read:

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/mailbag-brendan-shanahan/

Favourite one:

What is the worst attempt at chirping/trash talking you?ve seen on the ice? ? u/DrCoconutsss

I remember when I was in Detroit, Sean Avery stood up as Joe Sakic was skating by our bench. Sean was a young, enthusiastic hockey player who was well liked by us old guys, and as you might know, was known for trash talking. But when he stood up and yelled, ?Hey Sakic!? Brett Hull grabbed him by the back of his sweater and yanked him down on the bench. Then he said, and I?ll never forget this, ?You are not allowed to speak to Mr. Sakic.? And then Sean looked down the bench at the rest of the boys and we all just sort of nodded.

 

[herman]

Since your tenure started a large emphasis has been placed on mentorship throughout the organization, be it in management or on the roster itself. Could you discuss some of your key mentors on and off the ice and their impact? In what ways do you look for players and personnel to be mentors within the organization and within the community? ? Mike

I sometimes see fans who question certain signings or the addition of certain players who maybe don?t measure up based on some metrics. And I think what they overlook is that it?s not necessarily the superstar on the team that imparts the most knowledge to young players who are developing. There are guys who can make a huge, franchise-changing difference with the leadership they provide off the ice.

For example, people will always ask me, ?Who taught you how to shoot? Brett Hull?? And I?ll tell them, ?No actually, it was Doug Sulliman.? Doug was a veteran guy when I joined the Devils early in my career. Playingwise he was in and out of the lineup, but he impacted my career because he had the time and the interest to pay it forward to us young guys and help us learn how to be pros. You can learn from superstars by watching them, but those guys have so much pressure on them that they need to put all their focus into doing their job. So it?s hard for them to spend a lot of time dissecting the game of a young player who?s coming up, and explaining to them how to improve. Also, sometimes a guy with that level of talent is just so naturally gifted that they can?t really fully explain it to others.

And that?s why healthy organizations need guys like Doug Sulliman. He transformed the way I shot the puck at a young age and that made me a much better player. And then when I went to St. Louis, I learned from Brett Hull by watching him.

I think people want to assume that you learn everything from NHL All-Stars, but when you look at the Matthews, the Marners and the Nylanders, you don?t really know who?s going to say the right thing at the right moment or provide an example that will put your young players on the right course. So our job sometimes is identifying those veteran players who can impart the right values and tasking them with sharing their wisdom so that our young players can get the most out of their careers.

Really good stuff in here. This eased my mind about Martin and Polak. Thanks for the linky-link, CtB.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Here's the other more Leafs-related ones:

Can you talk about how prevalent analytics is inside NHL front offices these days and maybe give the average fan an idea of some of the things that are measured? Lots of fans want to know more about what actually goes into player evaluation and there?s a lot of speculation out there -? nobody really knows how much weight is put into advanced stats and what teams are doing these days. ? Brandon

I would say that I don?t think anybody should know precisely what any club is doing to evaluate talent. Whatever you want to call information ? whether it?s traditional or analytics ? it?s only as valuable as the people who dissect it. To me, all information is good information, and to turn a blind eye to any of it out of some sort of bias towards ?old school? or ?new school? would mean you?re not doing your job. I?m a big believer in having whatever data you can have available to the organization, while also ensuring that you have a diverse, open-minded group to determine how to interpret that data. Basically, you need to have people in place who can look at a lot of information and determine what?s actually going to help your club and what?s a waste of time.

Are you further along [with the rebuild of the Maple Leafs], right where you expected to be or facing challenges that you didn?t anticipate based on where you guys are now? ? Carl

I would say we?re somewhere between where we hoped to be and a little further along. Those are all off-season judgments though. It really comes down to how the players who are currently showing promise ultimately develop. We have a group that is very young and that has shown some potential, but that potential doesn?t mean much unless it?s fulfilled. You?d rather have it that way than not, but getting it done on the NHL level is all about results, and that?s the challenge this young team faces.

With the management group of Shanahan, Lou Lamoriello, Kyle Dubas and Mark Hunter, how does the dynamic work within the front office? Does everybody have equal say regarding all decisions/discussions, or does each person?s input vary depending on the issue at hand? ? u/HarrisonGuord

We work as a group where everyone has input. We?ll give our thoughts and then collectively assist someone in reaching a decision. I really believe in fostering a group dynamic that is open to a lot of ideas. We try to get as much information from a diverse set of perspectives, but then yes, whoever is responsible for a particular decision must be the final say. All organizations will make player personnel mistakes at times. It?s inevitable. For long-term sustainable success, what?s more important than the actual decision itself is the process by which you determine it.

 

[bustaheims]

The Players Tribune posted their most recent Tribune Mailbag feature, and this time it has our very own Brendan Shanahan answering questions submitted by fans. Worth a read:

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/mailbag-brendan-shanahan/

Favourite one:

What is the worst attempt at chirping/trash talking you?ve seen on the ice? ? u/DrCoconutsss

I remember when I was in Detroit, Sean Avery stood up as Joe Sakic was skating by our bench. Sean was a young, enthusiastic hockey player who was well liked by us old guys, and as you might know, was known for trash talking. But when he stood up and yelled, ?Hey Sakic!? Brett Hull grabbed him by the back of his sweater and yanked him down on the bench. Then he said, and I?ll never forget this, ?You are not allowed to speak to Mr. Sakic.? And then Sean looked down the bench at the rest of the boys and we all just sort of nodded.

I wish Avery was given this ultimatum about so many other players, people in the media, etc. Good for Hull.

 

[disco]

Great Q&A by Shanny  Was about to post it when I saw CtB beat me to it!
... this one's good too:
"My philosophy has been simple.
A. Do what I believe in.
B. Do the thing I was hired to do.
C. Surround yourself with smart, driven  people ? and then let them do
    their jobs.
D. Drown out the white noise."

 

[Kin]

Are you further along [with the rebuild of the Maple Leafs], right where you expected to be or facing challenges that you didn?t anticipate based on where you guys are now? ? Carl

I would say we?re somewhere between where we hoped to be and a little further along. Those are all off-season judgments though. It really comes down to how the players who are currently showing promise ultimately develop. We have a group that is very young and that has shown some potential, but that potential doesn?t mean much unless it?s fulfilled. You?d rather have it that way than not, but getting it done on the NHL level is all about results, and that?s the challenge this young team faces.

Credit where it's due, that's practically Politician-level non-answering a simple question.