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Brendan Frederick Shanahan (born 23 January 1969, in Mimico, Ontario, Canada), is a Canadian ice hockey left wing and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. With his physical play and goal scoring ability, Shanahan has scored 600 goals in his career, and is the leader among active players for goals scored. He helped the Detroit Red Wings win three Stanley Cups. The son of Irish parents, Rosaleen and Donal, he played lacrosse while growing up in his home town of Mimico, Ontario, a neighbourhood of Toronto with his brothers Danny, Brian, and Shaun.

On 27 July 1995, Shanahan was traded to the Hartford Whalers for Chris Pronger. In his only full season for Hartford, Brendan scored 44 goals. For his efforts, he got to play in another All-Star Game that year. Soon, though, he was traded again. On 9 October 1996, just two games into the season, Shanahan and Bryan Glynn were traded to the Detroit Red Wings for Keith Primeau, Paul Coffey, and a first-round draft pick.

Shanahan finished off the season with his usual productivity, scoring a total of 48 goal for the season, and was again asked to play in the All-Star Game. In the playoffs, Shanahan helped the Red Wings with 9 goals and 8 assists as they won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1955. They won the cup again the next year, even though Shanahan struggled, scoring only 57 points. He only scored 58 in the 1998-99 NHL season, although he played in another All-Star Game. He also suffered defeat in the playoffs, as the Red Wings lost to their bitter rivals, the Colorado Avalanche. Shanahan scored 41 goals in the next season, indicating a return to his old form in the new, lower-scoring NHL. After the season, he was named to the First All-Star Team again. He put up 76 points in the 2000-01 NHL season although Detroit both lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Los Angeles Kings and watched their rivals win a second Stanley Cup.

Entering the 2006-2007 season, Shanahan has scored 598 goals and 1,232 points in his 18 year NHL career. These totals, alongside his 7 All-Star Game and 3 All-Star Team nominations, as well as his 3 Stanley Cups, should mean that Shanahan will be elected to the Hall of Fame after he retires. In addition to his goal-scoring, Shanahan has an impressive physical presence, and he stood as one of the premier power forwards in the league for most of his career. He has also always played a solid defensive game and worked hard for his teams. Despite the decline of his later years, he is still a standout player in the NHL and is still an integral part of one of the most successful teams in the league.

Shanahan married Catherine Janney (ex-wife of former St. Louis teammate Craig Janney) on 4 July 1998; they have three children - twins Maggie and Jack were born on 23 November 2002, and daughter Catherine Rosaleen was born on 16 October 2004. Shanahan became a United States citizen on 17 May 2002.

In the Rangers season opener at Madison Square Garden on October 5th, 2006, Shanahan scored his 599th and 600th career goals against Washington Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig, with assists coming from Petr Prucha on both goals. He is the 15th player in NHL history to reach this milesone. O

n Monday November 13, 2006, Shanahan recieved the inaugrial Mark Messier Award, given to the player that demonstrates the most leadership in the NHL.