Mason Shaw allowed 48 hours for feeling sorry for himself.
Then, the 24-year-old brushed away the self-pity and, as is his M.O., looked optimistically toward the future with “self-belief.”
“There’s a lot of good people in my corner here, and I’m excited for the challenge of getting through a fourth ACL and getting back to this point,” the Wild rookie said.
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Imagine being this strong, mentally and physically. Imagine being this confident, this positive and, dare we say, this inspirational despite having already overcome so much adversity to fulfill his NHL dream and now facing even more.
It’s completely unfair, but Shaw says this is the hand he has been dealt and there’s no use sinking into an abyss.
“Obviously very proud of myself to get to this point,” he said in advance of this week’s fourth reconstructive surgery (two on each knee). “I had to go through a lot to get here, and I’m going to have to go through some more to still be here.”
But Shaw made clear: “I’ll be back.”
Anybody who doubts Shaw should do so at his or her own peril. He’s one of the great stories in Wild lore, and this is why the Twin Cities chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association has selected Shaw as the Wild’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, given annually to the NHLer who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Wild players have won the honor twice: Josh Harding in 2013 and Devan Dubnyk in 2015. Matt Dumba was a finalist in 2021.
Oh no. Mason Shaw needs help off the ice and isn’t putting any weight on that right leg pic.twitter.com/1BvcYyeafp
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) April 2, 2023
What is it about Shaw that always allows him to persevere?
“Maybe I’m Scottish and I’m a little bit stubborn and hardheaded,” he said. “Maybe that’s what it is. I’m going to embrace what it is. I know I can get through it. I’ve been through it before. There’s been so many good people in my corner pulling for me. It’s going to be a helluva comeback, and I can’t wait for that day when I can get back on the ice with the jersey on.”
There is no limit to the number of times one can have this surgery, doctors say, if the bone quality and chondral surfaces look good.
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Usually, it’s the patient who decides if he’s had enough.
Shaw has not, especially after tasting what it’s like to play this sport at the highest level.
“I knew my dream was to play in the NHL and not just be a fringe guy,” Shaw said. “You can achieve your dreams if you have the courage to take a step and I really felt I did this season. I’ve got a lot to be proud of this season. Obviously, it’s just not the ending we wanted. I’m definitely going to build off it and take a lot from it. I learned a lot this season. I got a taste of it. This is where I want to be.”
Shaw said it would be “pretty easy to write me off right now, I’m not gonna lie.” But general manager Bill Guerin isn’t. He has already indicated to The Athletic that he plans to re-sign the pending restricted free agent.
“This kid has been through so much,” Guerin said. “And he’s just an unbelievable guy. His teammates love them. He’s just a heart-and-soul kid. And he’s been through this so many times. It’s just heartbreaking to see it. But because he’s done it before, we really believe in him. If anybody can do it (a fourth time), Mason Shaw can do it.”
Added teammate Brandon Duhaime, “It’s devastating to see, but at the same time, no one’s written him off. He’s going to come back better than he was before. His character and the type of guy he is, he’s going to climb back to where he was.”
MASON SHAW HAS HIS FIRST NHL GOAL🚨 pic.twitter.com/MK6Z93mbLJ
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) October 30, 2022
In Vegas, Shaw admitted he was emotional. He did not know if he could handle going through another ACL surgery and the grueling, exhaustive rehab that follows. But he received lots of support from family and teammates and said that’s “honestly what motivates me more than anything right now.”
He has his head fully wrapped around what it’s going to take and plans to spend all offseason in Minnesota.
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“I feel like I’m a determined person,” he said. “There’s no doubt in my mind. … I think self-belief and just sheer stubbornness to get back is what’s gonna get me there.
“I think good things happen to good people and coming back from this I hope that I’ll learn more about myself and the adversity I have to go through. There’s definitely a lot of pride in getting to this point in the first place and what I’ve gone through. Hopefully, it’ll be another feather in my cap when I come back from this again.”
In the meantime, Shaw is looking forward to watching the playoffs and is hoping for a long playoff run from the Wild.
“I can’t wait to cheer from the sidelines here and still be part of this,” Shaw said. “This organization’s very special and there’s big things ahead.”
Guerin on Rossi: ‘Don’t be so safe’
The Wild had to admit around Thanksgiving that Marco Rossi was simply not ready for the NHL and sent him to AHL Iowa for what we all thought would be a short stint. But the Wild soon got Ryan Hartman back from a shoulder injury and then became so healthy for two months that they barely had to make any call-ups.
That’s part of the reason Rossi didn’t get recalled for so long.
He scored 50 points in 51 games with 131 shots in Iowa.
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) August 16, 2022
So what does Guerin want to see from Rossi if he’s going to land in Minnesota’s playoff lineup?
“I always thought he was playing hard, but you know what? Push it a little more,” Guerin said Friday. “Like go out and don’t be so safe. We know you’re gonna be fine defensively, but go out and make plays. Like, don’t wait for somebody else to make the play, Marco.
“He has the ability. We want him to use that ability and go out and push, push the envelope a little bit. Don’t take silly chances and cheat all over the ice. But hey, man, when you’ve got a play to make, make it. And I think going down there and wearing a letter on his jersey and getting all sorts of responsibility and playing in big moments, now that’s what he expects from himself.”
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Gaudreau reflects on road to NHL
Freddy Gaudreau, the once-Predators revelation who became the first player since 1944 to score his first three NHL goals in the Stanley Cup Final, entered this season with 19 career regular-season goals.
The pending free agent has 17 in 79 games this season.
It has been a long road for the 29-year-old to solidify a spot as a full-time NHLer, and he reflected on that path after Saturday’s win against St. Louis.
“It’s something I’ve always kept inside of me as a dream,” Gaudreau said. “There was that little voice that always told me I could. I always knew I could become an important player on a team. I just had to figure out how and when. But the most important thing was to just keep grinding and keep focusing on doing the right stuff. Even with all the send-downs. There’s been many bumps on the road, but, yeah, it’s a great journey.
“It’s been awesome, and right now I’m here with this team and it’s awesome to be a part of this locker room. I feel so grateful to have this opportunity. When you’ve gone through the ups and downs, it makes you even more grateful for what you have now. I feel very grateful to be here.”
The Wild don’t have a lot of cap space this summer, but they’re expected to want Gaudreau back. And because he has a coach in Dean Evason who values his game wholeheartedly, it would be surprising if Gaudreau didn’t re-sign, even if it’s for less than he could command on the open market.
“He just wills himself to be a hockey player, and I’ve seen it obviously at other levels,” said Evason, who coached Gaudreau in Milwaukee. “I can’t tell you how great a teammate he is, and that just allows him to have success.”
A goalie rotation in the playoffs?
The gut says Filip Gustavsson starts Game 1 of the playoffs, but Evason did open the door last week to a potential postseason goalie rotation.
Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury have alternated starts the past 14 games and did as well during a stretch earlier this season.
With the win tonight, Filip Gustavsson improves to 10-1-5 in his last 16 starts with a GAA of 1.81 and a SV% of .942. He has allowed two or fewer goals in 11 of those games, including two shutouts. His GAA and SV% both rank third in the NHL since Feb. 11. pic.twitter.com/DFxpYfZGD9
— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) April 9, 2023
“We think it can (work),” Evason said. “You don’t have to look very far. We’ve talked about different teams that have won the Cup. There’s lots of teams that have done it. We talked the other day about Washington, and they went back and forth and won the Cup (in 2018). They had both goaltenders play significant games. It’s been done. We’ll see what happens when we get there.
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“We’ve had a lot of discussions on that. It’s a discussion every single year. Who’s your guy? Does your guy have to play? We’ve talked about those scenarios. We haven’t rotated, but we’ve had both goaltenders playing all season long. Would we feel comfortable playing both goaltenders? Absolutely. Would we feel great if one goaltender just kept playing great and we just kept going? Sure. That’s not going to be something that we’ll say we’re going to do 100 percent when we get there. We’re going to do exactly what we’ve done all season long and that’s evaluate game by game and make our choice. Hopefully we make the right one.”
Fleury has played 45 games this season and Gustavsson 37.
Faber’s fit
With top defense prospect Brock Faber signing Sunday and already joining the team, the question is how does he fit in?
Whether Faber cracks the lineup right away remains to be seen. But Gophers graduate assistant Paul Martin — a two-time national champ with Minnesota and long-time NHL defenseman — believes the two-time Big Ten defensive player of the year is ready to step in.
“He’s ready for the next level, maturity-wise and skill-wise,” Martin said. “He skates so well and defends so well. And the offensive part is coming too.”
Jordan Leopold, the former Gophers captain and Hobey Baker-winning defenseman, has been impressed with what he’s seen from Faber, as well.
“What’s great about him is, you don’t hear his name, but you know he played a great game,” Leopold said. “He hangs in the weeds, but NHL scouts, people who know hockey, know he’s a hell of a hockey player. He may not get the national recognition he deserves because he doesn’t put up the numbers. But the way he plays the game and carries himself, there’s something to be said for the fact he wears the letter.”
(Photo of Mason Shaw: Matt Blewett / USA Today)