Bruins: 7 Cool Things About Kevin Shattenkirk

Upon returning for his third year, Shattenkirk split the captaincy duties with Brian Streit until the latter left to play in the NHL. After BU’s season ended in the playoffs, Shattenkirk joined the Colorado Avalanche, who drafted him in the first round of the 2007 Entry Draft. 

2. Ranks as the 12th Highest-Scorer From New York

Hockey Hall of Famer and former Bruins player Joe Mullen held the title of the highest scorer born in New York for the longest time. However, since his debut in 2007, Patrick Kane has collected more than 1,200 points to become the current record holder. Meanwhile, several former Boston players, like Brian Gionta and Nick Foligno, are in the top ten, with Shattenkirk just 38 points away from joining those names. Heading into the 2023-24 season, he’s sitting at 460 career points.

3. Has Never Scored a Hat Trick in the NHL

Thus far in his NHL career, 891 games, Shattenkirk has yet to score a hat trick, coming close on just six occasions. Interestingly, it took him six seasons to register his first two-goal game on March 12, 2016, and he had four such games by the end of 2017. After another lengthy four-year drought, he picked up another two-goal contest in 2021 before collecting his most recent one on March 15, 2023.  

4. Won the Stanley Cup During His Only Season in Tampa Bay

Originally drafted by the Avalanche in 2007, Shattenkirk played with the franchise until 2011, and then they traded him to St. Louis. After six seasons, he was on the move again to the Washington Capitals, where he played for just a few months before signing as a free agent with the Rangers.

Although his stint on Broadway was short, two seasons, Shattenkirk left to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the summer of 2019. Then, a year later, he won the Stanley Cup when the Lightning beat the Dallas Stars in six games. 

5. Has Never Scored a Goal Against the Montreal Canadiens

Interestingly, Shattenkirk has scored the most points (30) against the team that drafted him, the Avalanche. Meanwhile, throughout his career, he’s collected a point against all 32 franchises but never scored a goal against the Montreal Canadiens. Considering he already has 12 assists against the Bruins’ long-time rivals, hopefully, he finds the back of the net against Montreal in 2023-24 to cross them off the list. 

6. Seventeen Percent of His Career Goals Are Game Winners

At this time, Shattenkirk has scored 97 goals in the regular season and eight in the playoffs, giving him a total of 105 lamplighters. The deeper we dig into the numbers, we discover that he has 15 game-winners in the regular season and three in the postseason (two overtime), totaling 18. 

Statistically, those game-winners account for 17 percent of his career totals, which is outstanding since he’s not known as a goal scorer. Considering he’s not relied upon to score, it is comforting to know that it may be the decisive goal when he does. 

7. Antti Niemi Was His Favorite Goalie to Play Against

Thus far, Shattenkirk has beaten 62 different netminders during his NHL career, with Antti Niemi surrendering the most goals (6). Interestingly, from 2011-2016, while a member of the Blues, he collected those goals on the now-retired goalie, who played for both the San Jose Sharks and Stars during that time. 

Further Perspective

One of the most fascinating aspects of the Shattenkirk signing in Boston is that he’s now the only player in the room with a Stanley Cup ring that was not part of the Bruins’ 2011 championship team. Considering Milan Lucic is back, and Brad Marchand never left, those two players represent the only veterans with championship pedigree in case Patrice Bergeron or David Krejčì don’t return. 

As someone with strong connections to the Boston area, it will be fun to watch him skate this year at TD Garden as a member of the local NHL team instead of a young prospect at the Beanpot.