Steve Shutt
| Steve Shutt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1993 | |||
 |
|||
| Born |
July 1, 1952 Willowdale, ON, CAN |
||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Canadiens Los Angeles Kings |
||
| NHL Draft | 4th overall, 1972 Montreal Canadiens |
||
| Playing career | 1972–1985 | ||
Stephen John "Steve" Shutt (born July 1, 1952) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 12 seasons for the Montreal Canadiens and 1 season for the Los Angeles Kings. While playing for the Canadiens he captured 5 Stanley Cups in 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979.
Partnered with Jacques Lemaire and Guy Lafleur to form the top line in the NHL, Shutt became the first left-winger in NHL history to score 60 goals in a single season, with the historic goal being scored on April 3, 1977 against the Washington Capitals.
During his career with Montreal, he was named to the NHL First All-Star team in 1977, and the NHL Second All-Star team in 1978 and 1980.
"They talk a lot about ‘garbage goals’, but it didn’t come by luck....The timing of Steve Shutt was unbelievable. He was always at the right place, and that’s not luck. You could have ten rebounds and not be there, but Steve Shutt was there ten times. He was always there to put the puck in the net."
Despite being of relatively small stature and possessing average skating ability, Shutt had remarkable spacial awareness and was very positionally sound. He was consistently able to get into dead areas of coverage on the ice, either by anticipating where the puck was going to be or by arriving late on a play.
He was also a masterful goal scorer, possessing a diverse arsenal of shots. His wrist shot was known for its superior accuracy, and Shutt was noted for his ability to consistently pick corners or hit the five-hole.
“Gerry Cheevers was actually in terror of this guy".
Moreover, Shutt was infamous for the power and unusual level of accuracy found in his slap shot, which he could get off in full stride while coming down the wing. Shutt was frequently able to let fly one or two steps inside the offensive zone and beat goalies clean. New York Islanders goaltender Billy Smith, who faced the Habs many times in the 70s and 80s, gave credit to the superiority of Shutt’s slapshot:
...
Wikipedia