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RANGERS FORMALY INTRODUCE KEVIN SHATTENKIRK
Lure of Home, History and Success Leads Shattenkirk to Rangers
by Matt Calamia @MattCalamia / NYRangers.com
July 18th, 2017
It's been over two weeks since he joined the team, but the fact that Kevin Shattenkirk is a New York Ranger is still hard to comprehend.
"It's pretty surreal," Shattenkirk told reporters Tuesday when he was given No. 22. "I think I'm really privileged to play in the NHL every day. I don't take it for granted. But to have it now with my favorite team, that really hits home."
Shattenkirk, who signed with the Rangers as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, said there were both professional and personal reasons for his decision to join the Blueshirts.
On the professional side, Shattenkirk said the chance to play with Ryan McDonagh, with whom he's played with at various international tournaments since the pair were teenagers, was near the top of his list.
"It came down to who is the better team, which team is ready to win," Shattenkirk said of his decision making when weighing various offers. "I think that was probably the priority on my list. Individualistically, who can I play with that's going to make me the best player. I think I have the opportunity here to play with Ryan McDonagh, who is an All Star defenseman in my mind and I think a great fit for me."
Personally, the New Rochelle native said he's excited to play in front of family and friends on a nightly basis. And while some players shy away from the spotlight of playing for their hometown team, that's not the case for Shattenkirk, who is embracing the pressure of New York.
"I think this will be good for me to know someone is watching every game, especially in the Garden and elsewhere," he stated. "I think that having that luxury and having that kind of constant pressure is good. I kind of welcome that. It's only going to make me grow as a player and learn to handle that adversity when things maybe aren't going so well. It's going to happen, but you have to just roll with the punches."
As a native New Yorker who lived through several New York championships, Shattenkirk knows winning here is bigger than anywhere else, and that he's up to the challenge of bringing a title to the Rangers for the first time since 1994.
"I think growing up and seeing when teams win in New York, how well they're received from the fanbase, I think all the pressure that you have to endure through those moments - if you can bring it home in New York, for me, it's something you can never replicate anywhere else."
Shattenkirk had the chance to watch Rangers practices as a kid at the team's former practice rink, Rye Playland, where he'd catch pucks and shake hands with some of his favorite Blueshirts, including Sergei Zubov, Doug Lidster, Alexei Kovalev.
Brian Leetch, though, was Shattenkirk's guy, and as Shattenkirk has gone up the ladder of hockey, his respect for No. 2 has only grown.
"I grew up loving Brian Leetch," he said. "He was by far my favorite player, someone who I have a lot of respect for. As I grew up through the years and played in a lot of USA Hockey events, he was someone who become even more special to me as an American defenseman."
At just about the midway point of the summer, the Rangers made a handful of moves to reshape the roster, especially on defense. Shattenkirk said he likes the makeup of the squad, starting with Henrik Lundqvist on out.
The Metropolitan Division was a meat grinder last season, and few expect that to change this season, including Shattenkirk. With the Penguins winning back-to-back titles and the rest of division improving in one shape or form, Shattenkirk expects a challenge, but one he's confident his new team can meet head on.
"We have great goaltending, our defense is fast and we can make plays, but I also think we have a little bit of edge there as well," he said. "Up front, I'm sure we're one of the fastest teams in the league."
"It's tough, but I think we are right on the cusp of making something big happen here," he added. "I know that I have a little bit of experience in the playoffs, and this team here, there's a lot of guys that have been through it. I think that weighs in our favor for sure."
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