On This Day: Brendan Shanahan Scores the 400th Goal, Could Return Detroit in Front Office Role

On this day in 1999, Detroit Red Wings star winger Brendan Shanahan scored the 400th goal of his NHL career in a 1-1 tie with the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a landmark moment for one of the league's premier power forwards, who was in the middle of a Hall of Fame career in Detroit.

Shanahan was far from finished as he would go on to retire with 656 goals and 698 assists for 1,354 points in 1,524 games, along with 2,489 penalty minutes and was one of the rare players in all of NHL history to finish with more than 600 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes.

After being the second overall pick by the New Jersey Devils in 1987, Shanahan would also play for the St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers and New York Rangers, and returned to the Devils to close out his career. 

His ten seasons in Detroit were the defining stretch of his career as over a decade in a Red Wings sweater, he won three Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998 and 2002, and added an Olympic gold medal with Canada at the 2002 Winter Games. His historic career would earn him a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013 and was named one of the NHL's 100 Greatest Players in 2017.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.

Shanahan's influence continued after he hung up his skates as he served as the NHL's senior vice president of player safety, then became president of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2014, a role he held through 2025. 

During that time, he oversaw a major rebuild of the franchise, including the hiring several general managers and the drafting of core players like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Toronto made the playoffs every year of his tenure, though it struggled to break through in the postseason.

With his time in Toronto over, Shanahan's next move is one of the more intriguing storylines around the league. Detroit remains the team most closely tied to his legacy, and a return to the organization where he won his Cups would carry obvious appeal. 

The Red Wings, who are chasing their first playoff berth in more than a decade could benefit from bringing back the franchise icon. Any reunion is speculation for now, and neither side has publicly said a deal is in the works.

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.