Returning to Chicago never grows old for Shaw

Friends off the ice. Fierce combatants on it.

Until they hang up their skates for good, that's the way it will remain for Andrew Shaw and whichever Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks remain when he returns to Chicago in an enemy sweater.

That's how it was Sunday at the United Center when Montreal sent the Hawks to their seventh straight defeat.

There were two very Shaw-like moments during the Canadiens' 3-2 victory:

• About midway through the first period, Shaw and Jonathan Toews engaged in a shoving match at the end of their shifts near the Blackhawks bench. No big deal, according to Shaw. "We did it in practice dozens of time. So I figured in a game it would be even worse."

• In the third period, Shaw absorbed an Andreas Martinsen hit that sent him sprawling into the Hawks bench. He landed next to Duncan Keith, who quipped: "Welcome back, Shawzie." Said Shaw: "It was pretty funny."

Chances are, though, Shaw wouldn't want to return.

Especially now that he's lighting it up for Montreal with 7 goals and 8 assists in the last 15 games while skating on the top line with Jonathan Drouin and Max Domi. And even more so now that the Canadiens have heated up by winning four of five games to improve to 15-10-5.

Shaw has his flaws, but the Hawks dearly miss his grit, determination, do-anything attitude and, yes, probably even his motormouth between periods, after games and on bus and plane rides during road trips.

Montreal, meanwhile, is finally benefiting from all of that during the third year of Shaw's six-year, $23.4 million contract he signed after being traded to the Canadiens in June 2016.

'Good memories'

Leaving Chicago wasn't easy for Shaw, whom the Hawks drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 draft.

"I was 20 when I moved here alone," said the Belleville, Ontario, native. "No money. No car. Nothing. Had a lot of success, a lot of fun, a lot of good memories. So obviously I'm going to miss it here."

Those memories include Shaw's triple-overtime goal in Game 1 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final against Boston. A goal he scored - fittingly enough - without the puck ever hitting his stick.

"Just drivin' to the net, hit my leg and it went in," Shaw told us during the Hawks' 2015 Cup run. "I just remember being physically exhausted. It was almost 1 in the morning - almost one of the longest games in history."

Shaw scored 15 other postseason goals for the Hawks, and had a 16th denied when his famous "head-butt" goal was called back during Game 2 of the 2015 Western Conference Final at Anaheim.

There were plenty of dumb penalties and a one-game suspension for using insensitive language in the penalty box during the 2016 postseason.

But all in all, Shaw's time with the Hawks was considered a success by many. And that includes former coach Joel Quenneville.

"He brings that intangible … that not many players possess, whether it's his enthusiasm on the ice, in the room (or) on the bench," Quenneville said in November 2016. "Keeps everybody honest.

"He's one of those guys (that's) tough to replace."

Finding his way

Shaw scored 12 goals in 68 games in his first season in Montreal, then followed with an injury-plagued 10-goal, 10-assist campaign in 2017-18.

That's not much return on investment for a $3.9 million cap hit, but since Shaw has been placed with Drouin and Domi over the last 15 games, his game has really taken off. He has 8 goals in 26 games, putting him on pace for what would be a career-high 24.

"It has nothing to do with him. He just goes to the front of the net and they feed him," said coach Claude Julien as the Canadian press gave a hearty laugh before Sunday's game. "No, he's actually one of those guys on every line that creates space.

"He goes to the dirty areas, he goes to the corners, he goes to the front of the net. He gets hacked, he gets whacked, but he gets up."

Shaw had three concussions over a 15-month span and also had off-season knee surgery. It wasn't all bad, though. He also became a father for the first time.

"It was a long summer. But I got through it," said Shaw, who has a 6-month old daughter, Andy. "Had good family around me. Had my first kid. …

"It was mentally and physically exhausting. But I pushed through it."

Glue guys

Shaw was so determined to make it to the NHL that he never missed a chance to stand out. There were fights during Prospects Camp and training camp. A fight and a goal in his first game with the Hawks Jan. 5, 2012 at Philadelphia.

As Troy Murray said during a Hawks Convention a few years back, this was a guy who wasn't coming out of the lineup once he got his chance.

After the Hawks were eliminated by the Blues in the 2016 postseason, Stan Bowman traded Shaw to Montreal when both sides couldn't agree on a contract extension. The move has certainly worked out for all parties involved as Bowman used one of the Canadiens' picks to select Alex DeBrincat.

Still, it's players like Shaw that most teams need to be successful over the long haul. A guy who can score 12 to 18 goals a season. Who can play on any line, in any role. Deliver a hit to fire up a bench. Be a leader behind the scenes. Get a team out of a slump with a fiery speech or two.

Tangibles, intangibles - Shaw has both in spades.

"We always say it's not always the best players that make the best teams - it's the best group of players," Julien said. "You need a little bit of everything - whether it's highly skilled players, grinders, penalty killers and guys like Shawzie … that you can put on the fourth line (or) the first line and they'll always do the job.

"Those are players that are not always easy to find, but when you have them you want to take advantage of it and that's what we've done with Andrew Shaw so far."

Even though Shaw and Toews got in each other's faces during that first-period scuffle Sunday, the two met in the United Center hallway afterward and exchanged pleasantries.

As we said, the Hawks' veterans will never forget what Shaw did during his five seasons in Chicago. Nor will the fans, some of whom displayed signs professing their love for Shaw during warmups.

But as much as he might miss it, Shaw admits he's pretty happy with his new team.

"(Montreal) is still a hockey market; it's still Original Six," Shaw said. "They love their hockey. I love playing in front of a crowd like that. They've welcomed me with open arms and made me feel at home. ...

"I've got a great group of guys here. We have a lot of fun, we all love each other. It's great."

By the numbers

Andrew Shaw stats

Season, team GP G A Pts. PIM

2011-12, HAWKS 37 12 11 23 50

2012-13, HAWKS* 48 9 6 15 38

2013-14, HAWKS 80 20 19 39 76

2014-15, HAWKS 79 15 11 26 67

2015-16, HAWKS 78 14 20 34 69

2016-17, Mont. 68 12 17 29 110

2017-18, Mont. 51 10 10 20 53

2018-19, Mont. 26 8 9 17 22

Totals 467 100 103 203 485

* 48-game season; PIM - Penalty minutes