Why Blackhawks' Andrew Shaw decided to to return to play this season
Nobody knows the road to recovery better than Andrew Shaw.
Over the last three seasons the Blackhawks forward has had off-season knee surgery and suffered not one, not two, not three — but four concussions.
His latest head trauma happened Nov. 30, 2019, in a game at Colorado.
It was the last game Shaw played in last season. And as time went on he wondered if it might be the last game he played in, period.
Because while Shaw is a hockey player to the core, he also has a wife and two kids to think about. Making sure he's there for them over the long haul is far more important than another season or two on the ice.
So Shaw talked to experts and doctors, gathering as much information as he could. In the end, the decision to return or to retire was left completely up to him.
“My family didn't want me to regret them for making me retire or to make me play and then get hurt again,” Shaw said after Wednesday's practice at Fifth Third Arena. “They told me their concerns and I took it all into perspective.
“The most important thing was I made sure I was feeling good and ready to play and confident out there. And I am. It made my decision a lot easier.”
Shaw admitted the process was “tough and exhausting” at times, but he “grinded every day” to get to this point. The toughest times came in December and January, but those two months also came with some eye-opening moments.
First off, Shaw felt extremely grateful that the Hawks allowed him to return to Canada to be with his family at Christmas. He then returned in January to be with his wife for the birth of their son, Dax.
“I got to spend a lot of time with family in the process of healing,” Shaw said. “That helped a lot. ...
“It let me see life without hockey and knowing that if anything happened to me, injury-wise, I'm good. I have a life outside of hockey. I have a family, I have friends.
“But I missed it and I'm going to play as long as I can, just knowing mentally that Andrew Shaw is going to be OK with life without hockey. It was nice to feel that.”
Shaw missed an average of 20 games a season during his three years with Montreal, but he did register a career-high 47 points (19 goals) in 2018-19 for a Canadiens squad that almost qualified for the playoffs. Shaw was reacquired by the Hawks in June 2019 and scored just 3 times in 26 contests last season.
His breakthrough moment in terms of wanting to return came when the Hawks were facing Edmonton and Vegas during last summer's postseason.
“I was feeling really good as the boys were in the bubble,” Shaw said. “Watching those games, that love of hockey (was) sparked again.”
Shaw was able to strengthen more than just his mind this off-season as he also worked on his back, shoulders, neck, legs and hips in his home gym.
He also purchased a smoker and prepared almost every meal for his family. Chef Shaw did it all, from briskets to pulled pork to tacos to lamb chops to salmon.
“We had fun with it,” he said.
Now he hopes to get back to smoking the competition. If he can stay healthy, Shaw is a valuable voice inside the room and he'll also bring an on-ice edge that the Hawks have been missing for years.
He may tone it down a little bit, but we also all know how tough it is for feisty athletes to change. It's a big reason Jeremy Colliton loves having Shaw, and the coach is looking forward to seeing “the mutt” in action once again.
“He's put a lot of work in off and on the ice to prepare himself as best as he can to be a big part of our team,” Colliton said. “I'm happy for him. I'm proud of him. It's definitely a tough stretch of months.
“He brings so much energy to our team, so much life, and he plays hard. That's what's in his DNA, and that's a great influence on everyone who walks in this building.
“Happy to have him and obviously we all know there's risk, but he's checked all the boxes here and he deserves the chance to try and play.”
Slap shots:
Defenseman Nikita Zadorov was “unfit to participate” Wednesday. ... The Hawks split Wednesday's practice into two sessions. Both groups got to play a “minigame” where the nets are separated by only about 25 feet. The second session saw goalie Matt Tomkins yield 5 goals in about three minutes. The goal-scorers were Chad Krys, Nick Seeler, Lucas Wallmark, Alec Regula and Philipp Kurashev.