Shaw gives Tigers a morale boost

By Ryan McCracken on November 7, 2017.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

A player’s impact can be measured in a multitude of ways, though it’s rare to see one positively influence their team while simply watching from the stands. Mason Shaw seems to be one of those select few.

The 19-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers centre has been nursing a torn ACL for the past two months. But over the weekend, Shaw ditched his crutches and walked into the Canalta Centre to watch his Tigers collect back-to-back victories over the Saskatoon Blades and Seattle Thunderbirds — and David Quenneville says just knowing Shaw was in the building was enough to spark a fire on the bench.

“I’ve probably played some of the best games I’ve played this year with Mason back,” said Quenneville, one of two WHL defencemen to lead his team in points with 22. “Obviously he’s my best friend and he’s such a morale guy in the dressing room for us. He’s such a great guy and I’m really, really glad to have him back in the room right now.”

It’s been a difficult period for Shaw, who is expected to miss the majority of the season with the right knee injury, but says it’s made a little easier by spending it alongside his brothers in orange and black.

“Some days are longer than others when you’re sitting back home and wishing you were grinding it out with the guys, but it’s great to come back here and run into the guys again,” said Shaw, who remains confident he will return to the ice this season. “I think I’m right on pace, maybe a little bit ahead. I just got off my crutches and it’s feeling good with walking and stuff. I just got to do a bit of time on the bike too, which was good for my range of motion. I’m right on schedule. It’s a long process but I’ll take the mini victories in the rehab process when they come.”

If there’s a silver lining to Shaw’s injury, it comes in the fact he was able to spend a good chunk of the past two months recovering with the Minnesota Wild. Shaw suffered the torn ACL in a Traverse City Prospects Tournament game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and as a result was invited to remain with the team and their physicians for a few weeks before returning to Alberta.

“It was a very unfortunate situation but I also got to spend a lot of time there, where a lot of guys were sent back to their junior teams or down to the AHL,” said Shaw, who finished last season with 27 goals and 67 assists. “I did a lot of video with the coaches, I got familiar with all the staff and the players. Just being around that atmosphere definitely helped me and I learned a lot just from watching.”

While he’s still a few months away from a possible return, Shaw has been down this road before. The 97th overall NHL draft pick had his rookie season with the Tigers cut short due to a planned surgery on his other knee, but it didn’t stop him from establishing himself as one of the WHL’s top playmakers in his return. Shaw credits Wainwright-based physiotherapist Angela Leer for helping him recover from that surgery, and when he’s not in town with the Tigers, he’s up north with Leer.

“She does a really good job, we try to go four or five times a week and I’ve been making really good strides,” said Shaw. “It’s feeling really good.”

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