"With a quick-release wrist shot and the ability to muscle his way into open space, Shanahan was selected by the Devils with the No. 2 pick in the 1987 NHL Draft," Duff wrote. "He was twice selected to the First All-Star Team and once to the Second All-Star Team. Shanahan was chosen to play in seven NHL All-Star Games and, in 2002, scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Red Wings against the Carolina Hurricanes.
"If you needed a big goal, he could deliver that, either through skill or the strength that allowed him to battle in the dirty areas around the net. If someone was taking liberties with his teammates and required straightening out, Shanahan could handle that as well.
"Shanahan was acquired by the Red Wings early in the 1996-97 season, when they would end a 42-year Stanley Cup drought. His coach at the time, Scotty Bowman, said later, 'I don't know that there was another player like him in the League. He was a winger, a power winger who could score.'
"'He was the type of player we didn't have,' [general manager Ken] Holland said.
"A leader on the ice and in the dressing room, Shanahan had the presence of Eric Lindros, the shot of Brett Hull and the toughness of Bob Probert."
"There are a lot of Red Wings on the NHL100 list and I can honestly say that painting the iconic 'Winged Wheel' never gets old," Harris said. "I've often thought about Shanahan as a throwback to the great power forwards and I was pleased that he chose to have his picture painted in a Detroit uniform."
