Chicago Blackhawks: Andrew Shaw was a true fan favorite

There was always just something about Andrew Shaw that stuck out. He wasn’t the best player on the Chicago Blackhawks ever but that didn’t mean much. He was a very good player but he was by no means an offensive superstar. He has a career of 544 games played with 116 goals and 131 assists for 247 points. His possession numbers and advanced analytics were always good so there is no doubt that he was a key contributor to winning.

That is partially why he is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Chicago Blackhawks. Now, after those 544 games played, he is retiring from the National Hockey League because of concussions. It was a shorter career than he probably wanted to have but there is no doubt he left a long-lasting impact on the city of Chicago.

Andrew Shaw quickly became a Chicago Blackhawks fan favorite and always will be.

Andrew Shaw had a ten-year career in the NHL. 7 of those years were with the Hawks and he had three good years with the Montreal Canadiens right in the middle. It was the type of career filled with offensive points but he was also a very tough player to play against. Despite his small stature, he was not afraid to mix it up out there. He would have no problem trying to get players much bigger and stronger than him off of their game.

Andrew Shaw was not a forward that rode his way to two Stanley Cup rings just by being on a good team. He was an impressive player that had a lot to do with it on his own. He was able to be a fourth-liner if needed and he could be Patrick Kane’s winger if needed (which he was a lot). He even managed to score a Stanley Cup Final game-winning goal in 2013.

It is less than ideal to see Shaw have to retire this way but that is the way it has to be. He will be remembered for being a great player on this team during the golden era but he will also just be remembered for being one of the most unique players that the team has ever had. Everyone on the team and in the fanbase seemed to like Andrew Shaw.

Hopefully, we are lucky enough to see Shaw stick around the game a little bit. He is an amazing personality and the game is better when he is around. Congratulations to him on retirement, he was truly one of the most fun players that this team has ever had. We will always remember number 65 fondly.