Montreal Canadiens: Former Habs Forward Andrew Shaw Forced to Retire

Former Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw was forced to retire from the NHL yesterday.

The scrappy Shaw played three seasons with the Canadiens between stints with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was acquired in 2016 for two second round draft picks and came exactly as advertised.

The 5th round pick from the 2011 NHL Draft, played a tough, gritty style and knocked home his fair share of goals as well. Most of those snipes came from within a few feet of the opposing goal as Shaw was not afraid to drive to the toughest areas and battle for loose pucks.

It was this ferocious style that unfortunately led to an early end to his career. The 5’11” and 182 pound native of Belleville Ontario played like he was one of the biggest players on the ice every night. He didn’t back down from a scrap against anyone and drove to the net with reckless abandon on every shift, fighting for every inch of ice.

That is what him such a valuable player on a pair of Stanley Cup winning Blackhawks teams in 2013 and 2015.

Though he played his biggest games with the Blackhawks, Shaw’s best season came as a member of the Canadiens. He scored 19 goals and a career high 47 points in just 63 games during the 2018-19 season.

Shaw played a total of 182 games with the Canadiens in three seasons. He scored 41 goals and 96 points in that time and played basically everyone in the lineup. He was a fourth line centre some nights and a first line right winger on others.

His versatility, tenacity and experience made him tremendously valuable to the Canadiens. They did shuttle him back to Chicago in 2019 for second and third round draft picks.

Unfortunately for Shaw, he battled even more concussions recently and has only played 40 games in the past two seasons combined. This is what forced Doctors to strongly recommend he stop playing hockey.

At just 29 years old, it’s a shame that such a determined and hard working player has to call it quits.