Former Toronto Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan is back in hockey.
Shanahan is now joining Kilmer Sports Ventures' as a strategic advisor on the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), which is an exciting role for him and the league. The women's game has continued to grow over the last few years, so adding another valuable hockey mind to the group will only help moving forward.
Kilmer Sports Ventures is owned by Larry Tanenbaum, whom Shanahan worked with for 11 years at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), so it's a natural fit that the two would reunite. After Tanenbaum offically sold all his shares in MLSE earlier this year, he's been a huge advocate for professional women sports, as he owns the Toronto Tempo and is a capital partner in the PWHL.
Kudos to Tanenbaum for using his sports knowledge and finances to help grow those two leagues as they both seem to be rising with popularity by the minute.
As for Shanahan, this is obviously a great move for him, as an advisor role is a lot less demanding than being a President. He'll have a much better work-life balance with this position but will still be able to make a signfiicant impact in professional hockey.
Shanahan is now a strategic advisor for the PWHL
However, it still is a little shocking that he went this route. After spending 11 years in Toronto and turning this franchise around, it did seem like he was bound to run another NHL team immediately.
After Steve Yzerman stepped down as GM earlier this year, it felt like Shanahan could be a name to fill those shoes. The two played together for many years and that type of hockey job felt like it could be a natural fit for Shanahan to step into. They ultimately went with Shawn Horcoff, who had been in the organization as an assitant GM, which made sense.
With ties to New York and New Jersey, those two markets also seemed like a destination where he would fit, but nothing transpired. The one job that almost happened was with the Islanders where Shanahan and the team had good conversations, but nothing happened.
As mentioned prior, this is a great opportunity for Shanahan and huge get by Kilmer Sports Ventures, so he's going to make the league better and help grow the game, but it wouldn't be shocking to see his name pop back up in President talks for an NHL franchise down the road.
The Leafs may never have won a Stanley Cup under Shanahan's leadership but he changed the franchise for the better and is someone who deserves a lot of credit for his efforts. With that being said, there's no doubt that he'll do the same with the PWHL.
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